Living with chronic illness – 5 tips for newly diagnosed

Being diagnosed with a chronic illness, like multiple sclerosis, can be devastating. In this post I let you know my experience after being diagnosed and the 5 tips to help you.

“Just keep doing what you are doing”. That is exactly what I was recommended to do by my neurologist 25 years ago when I asked him what can I do to help me with Multiple Sclerosis. This diagnosis was crushing. Living in a new city, London, and after starting training as a Chartered Accountant, I thought the world was an oyster, with multiple pearls waiting for me to pluck them. This new element in my life cruelly took this oyster away from me and replaced it with a barren landscape of unending sand. Shifting, unsettling, and blinding me with its storms.

The first months

In the space of a few short months, the sensation in my hands was numbed and replaced with pins and needles, making everything feel like sandpaper. My walking had become slow and laboured as my right leg felt like it was walking in a fast flowing river, and my left leg was unfettered. Every morning when the alarm pulled me from my 9 hours sleep, I crawled out of bed. The fatigue of MS making every movement a Herculean effort. The tears of anger, the rage of impotence, and the fog of not knowing what new symptom would attack me was making work a challenge that became impossible. It was crap. I was losing everything that I had studied for and aspired to.

How can you make it easier?

This is the reality of what faces you when you get a diagnosis of a chronic illness. The symptoms will be different, but the emotions will be there. Fear, anger, and sadness are the three main emotions. Unfortunately, these can make you feel worse. They can push you into a place of depression, and despair. In the months, and years since this, I have learned some lessons that can help you take back control of your life. To once again help you feel like you are the master of your destiny.

5 tips to help you adjust to your chronic illness

These are:

1. Master your illness, otherwise, it will become your Master: learning about your illness will help you understand what is happening to you, and could also help you plan for the future. (See a more detailed post here – link opens in new window)
2. Be healthy: looking after your physical health is even more important now, a healthy diet, exercise and drinking water will all help your body fight your disease. (See a more detailed post here – link opens in new window)
3. Look after your mental health: this is a time of transition and it will require a mental toughness that can be very difficult to achieve. Seek professional help, meditate and journal. (See a more detailed post here – link opens in new window)
4. Get Support: don’t try to take this journey alone. Seek professional advice, and if possible, share your fears with family and friends. (See a more detailed post here – link opens in new window)
5. Adjust to the new normal: your life has changed and trying to be the person you were before you became sick will lead to frustration, sadness and anger. Accept where you are, and be grateful for all that you have. This is difficult to do, but worth the effort. (See a more detailed post here – link opens in new window)

This is what has helped me. Let me know what you do, or what you are thinking of doing to help you adjust to your chronic illness. Please comment below, and please share.

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional, and this is not medical advice. These are my personal experiences. If you change your treatment take appropriate professional advice first.