Spoiler:
To love someone with a chronic illness is to be a doctor. It means helping them to remember their medications. It means driving them for an hour to the only 24 hour pharmacy when they’ve gotten the flu and can’t can only take one brand of cold medicine, and your local CVS is out of it. Or driving them to the hospital when the simple flu turns into bronchitis or pneumonia or sepsis.
To love someone with a chronic illness is to be patient. It means knowing that some days they won’t feel good for no visible reason. It means canceling long term plans when suddenly they doesn’t feel well enough to go on a trip. Or waiting to go to bed while they do their night-time medication reutine.
To love someone with a chronic illness is to be a priest. It means consoling them when they’re tired and feel like they can’t do it anymore. It means listening and not passing judgment while they try to figure out her new dosages and makes mistakes. Or, during those tough times, listening to their burial wishes – just in case.
To love someone with a chronic illness is to be a guardian. It means standing up for them when strangers accuse them of being a drug addict. It means discreetly asking their friends to keep an eye on her when she’s testing new medications and doesn’t know the reactions to their body yet. Or staying up with them through the night because they’re too afraid to fall asleep where a coma can find them.
To love someone with a chronic illness is to not be superficial. It means seeing their bruises as beauty marks. It means caressing the scars across their body. Or kissing their dry lips when they are hooked to IVs. To love someone with a chronic illness is to be smart. It means researching new medications even though they never ask you to. It means listening to them explain their new findings in terms that aren’t typical language. Or making them smile when they desperately wants to scream.
To love someone with a chronic illness is to be selfless. It means going to a restaurant based off the menu instead of the atmosphere. It means going without dinner when money is tight because you can buy their medication with it instead.
To love someone with a chronic illness is to be brave. It means keeping your chin up while they talk about those scary moments. It means not allowing their medical mistakes to colour your relationship with them emotionally. Or keeping positive spirits even though all of the websites and gatherings tell you they won’t statistically make it past their 50s, or 40s, or 30s, or that they shouldn’t even have made it as far as they have.
To love someone with a chronic illness is not easy. It means putting their medical needs before any other finances. It means worrying every moment that they are properly cared for even when you can’t see them. And it means trusting their life in the hands of so many doctors who don’t understand the full complexities of the disease.
Thank you for loving someone with a chronic illness.
http://spraycan-me.tumblr.com/post/2282 ... ic-illness
To love someone with a chronic illness is to be patient. It means knowing that some days they won’t feel good for no visible reason. It means canceling long term plans when suddenly they doesn’t feel well enough to go on a trip. Or waiting to go to bed while they do their night-time medication reutine.
To love someone with a chronic illness is to be a priest. It means consoling them when they’re tired and feel like they can’t do it anymore. It means listening and not passing judgment while they try to figure out her new dosages and makes mistakes. Or, during those tough times, listening to their burial wishes – just in case.
To love someone with a chronic illness is to be a guardian. It means standing up for them when strangers accuse them of being a drug addict. It means discreetly asking their friends to keep an eye on her when she’s testing new medications and doesn’t know the reactions to their body yet. Or staying up with them through the night because they’re too afraid to fall asleep where a coma can find them.
To love someone with a chronic illness is to not be superficial. It means seeing their bruises as beauty marks. It means caressing the scars across their body. Or kissing their dry lips when they are hooked to IVs. To love someone with a chronic illness is to be smart. It means researching new medications even though they never ask you to. It means listening to them explain their new findings in terms that aren’t typical language. Or making them smile when they desperately wants to scream.
To love someone with a chronic illness is to be selfless. It means going to a restaurant based off the menu instead of the atmosphere. It means going without dinner when money is tight because you can buy their medication with it instead.
To love someone with a chronic illness is to be brave. It means keeping your chin up while they talk about those scary moments. It means not allowing their medical mistakes to colour your relationship with them emotionally. Or keeping positive spirits even though all of the websites and gatherings tell you they won’t statistically make it past their 50s, or 40s, or 30s, or that they shouldn’t even have made it as far as they have.
To love someone with a chronic illness is not easy. It means putting their medical needs before any other finances. It means worrying every moment that they are properly cared for even when you can’t see them. And it means trusting their life in the hands of so many doctors who don’t understand the full complexities of the disease.
Thank you for loving someone with a chronic illness.
http://spraycan-me.tumblr.com/post/2282 ... ic-illness