A new survey posted today on Health Central has revealed that Americans are reluctant to discuss having a chronic illness. I think this is really interesting and relates to my "telling the truth about diabetes" post and keeping our disease close to our chest, to ourselves.
10% of respondents in the survey said they'd prefer to receive advice from their spouse as compared to 67% preferring to hear advice from a health care professional. As I read I thought, of course! Why would I listen to what my husband has to say about my disease compared to my doctor? And even with my doctor, I take what she says with a grain of salt, she doesn't live with this disease day to day, she doesn't know it like I do. Is this stubborn? 66% of family members of someone with a chronic disease said they didn't give advice to that person because they think that person had everything under control. oops.
Or is it because that chronically ill person isn't willing to share, isn't willing to listen or to ask for help? Is it because that chronically ill person doesn't want to be treated like someone who needs help, someone who is dependant on others, a burden, someone who doesn't have everything under control?
Hmmmmm...I need to think about this. Maybe I'll ask my husband.
Hi Amy! Thanks for bringing up this study. It certainly brings up a lot of questions. I wonder if family members don't refer to a chronic illness because they are afraid of upsetting the relative, making them feel isolated/different, etc. It's my experience that usually people think the best medicine is pretending like the illness isn't there by ignoring it in conversation and changing the subject when it does come up.
A friend of mine just finished chemotherapy. One of her biggest complaints was that during it, no one wanted to talk about it. She wanted to vent -- share the struggle, get advice on how to handle it, etc. with friends. But they thought she'd feel better if they acted as though everything was normal.
Anyone else on this subject? What do you think?
I totally agree! I don't know that for a fact, but I would guess that my family members don't bring it up b/c they think I am fine and they don't want to rock a steady boat. I will ask them.....
Recently another mother in my son's class found out I was type 1 and she was so surprised, and said, oh but you seem so healthy! Then she asked me all kinds of questions and I found myself thrilled to talk about it.