Chronic Illness

9livesRN, BSN, RN · Nov 13, 2011

I learned thar a LOL can take 60mg oxy ir tid + + and be okay

xtxrn, ASN, RN · Nov 13, 2011

i am on disability for epilepsy, dysautonomia (the primary reasons), degenerative joint disease, degenerative disc disease, fibromyalgia, diabetes (the least of my "problems"), chronic pain (see the listed diagnoses), a very limited ability to tend to ordinary chores (ie- making ramen noodles sends my back and shoulders into spasms), and no ability to visit/attend activities (or family events) away from home d/t heat intolerance (even if others are comfortable- my thermostat along with the dysautonomia cause heart rate and bp problems). i just finished 19 months of chemo for leukemia (another "least of my issues" things- i should be ok..but chemo is hard-- lots here know that as they deal with it now).

i am still an rn (keep my license, and do the ceus). and even before i became disabled i knew enough to know that if i wasn't walking in someone else's shoes, i needed to keep my mouth shut.

"lazy" is a deliberate choice to not do something. being unable is not the same thing.

selfish? how? because they (i) can't run around taking care of others like i did for more than 20 years???

incompetent??? where does that come in? :confused: my mind is fine. :) and, if someone is incompetent, it's often due to reasons they can't control.... how can someone be judged for that? (in terms of seeing them as "less than" a part of some predetermined "worth").

i never thought i'd end up like this. i doubt any of the many, many nurses on this forum thought that either. yeah-- a lot of people here are struggling - either as they continue to push their bodies to the point of agony, or with the very painful knowledge that they aren't what they used to be.

you might want to think about how you'd want to be thought of if you lost your ability to do what you spent your life doing. it really bites. :down:

good luck as you work through your own issues with this :)

verivici · Nov 13, 2011

I feel like you assumed that its my personal opinion that people with chronic illness are lazy and selfish ect. I'm sorry if that's is what you think, but it was not my intention at all. If you re-read my post you will realize I said I am looking for more knowledge because I am always faced with a negative stigma of CI. As I said in my original post I DO NOT believe this stigma. I want to learn about how caring for patients has changed other nurses perceptions of chronic illness and how it has changed their nursing care as a result. I feel like I am being subtly attacked for trying to gain more knowledge and grow as a nurse. It is not wrong for me to want to gain knowledge; any proficient nurse does the same on a regular basis.

Trekfan · Nov 13, 2011

I feel like you assumed that its my personal opinion that people with chronic illness are lazy and selfish ect. I'm sorry if that's is what you think, but it was not my intention at all. If you re-read my post you will realize I said I am looking for more knowledge because I am always faced with a negative stigma of CI. As I said in my original post I DO NOT believe this stigma. I want to learn about how caring for patients has changed other nurses perceptions of chronic illness and how it has changed their nursing care as a result. I feel like I am being subtly attacked for trying to gain more knowledge and grow as a nurse. It is not wrong for me to want to gain knowledge; any proficient nurse does the same on a regular basis.

Your right there is a large stigma about people with CI the worst being that thay just want to ( live off the state and not work and Are druge seekers) none of this is true so it's best just to forget what you have been told about people with CI thay are the same as you but in pain !

xtxrn, ASN, RN · Nov 13, 2011

I feel like you assumed that its my personal opinion that people with chronic illness are lazy and selfish ect. I'm sorry if that's is what you think, but it was not my intention at all. If you re-read my post you will realize I said I am looking for more knowledge because I am always faced with a negative stigma of CI. As I said in my original post I DO NOT believe this stigma. I want to learn about how caring for patients has changed other nurses perceptions of chronic illness and how it has changed their nursing care as a result. I feel like I am being subtly attacked for trying to gain more knowledge and grow as a nurse. It is not wrong for me to want to gain knowledge; any proficient nurse does the same on a regular basis.

No- it's never wrong for you to want to gain knowledge :)

This is what people with CIs face EVERY day- that is a perspective that maybe you could use in figuring out your own views on it - that's all. Not meant as an attack- but a way for you to see what it's like when those who really don't give a rats exit hole about the human behind the diagnosis deal with people with chronic disorders. My point about thinking about how you'd want to be regarded still stands, though- that can help with finding your own beliefs fairly easily :up:

There are slugs that happened to be disabled- I believe they'd be like that no matter what their lot in life. And, there are those who seem to come through all they go through with incredible grace and success...and they are rare, but often amazingly inspirational. Gives us regular 'gimps' something to look up to

I sincerely wish you well as you figure this out for yourself. :up:

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Nov 13, 2011

I think it's safe to say that most people, especially those of us over the age of 40, live with some form of chronic illness. Hypertension is a chronic illness. Arthritis is a chronic illness. Diabetes is a chronic illness. So is depression.....rhinitis.....migraine......neuropathy......coronary artery disease.......edema. IOW, if you live long enough, you're apt to come down with one or another chronic illness.

What we DO with our chronic illnesses is up to us. We can think of ourselves as chronically ill, or we can choose to see ourselves as basically healthy people who happen to have a couple of medical problems. For example, I have DM II, HTN, arthritis, asthma, chronic nasal congestion, and sleep apnea, among other things; still, I think I'm pretty healthy because I can do what I need to do, and most of what I want to do. I'm very rarely sick with colds or flu. And I don't spend a lot of time worrying about what I CAN'T do anymore because I'm never going to be 25 again, even if I were to get my weight down to normal and had all the help I need to get everything else back in fighting trim.

I'm not saying that people with chronic illness who are in intractable pain or emotional distress aren't trying hard enough. We have all seen and cared for folks who live in true misery every day of their lives, and they deserve everything medical technology can offer. But so much of what ails most of us can be improved by our refusing to allow it to define us---e.g., we shouldn't call ourselves "asthmatics" or "hypertensives": instead, we ought to think of ourselves as people who fight asthma or work to control our blood pressure.

Just my two pence worth..... :twocents:

xtxrn, ASN, RN · Nov 13, 2011

I agree with that mindset, %100.... I wish it actually made it easier to move without pain :)

SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN · Nov 13, 2011

As the population ages, and since the 1960s, when the ability to revive folks after MIs was invented, more and more of what we see is chronic, not acute, illness.

vanburbian · Nov 13, 2011

"Cardiac Cripples"

kids · Nov 13, 2011

Hi! As a student nurse I'm still trying to figure out my own attitudes an beliefs and how they affect my nursing care. I find I am always faced with the stigma of people with CI being lazy, selfish, incompetent ect and its not right to label an entire population by a very minute minority. I have very limited experience in working with patients with CI, and I'm trying to get more knowledgeable about it. I was just wondering, for those of your who have worked with patients suffering from a chronic illness, how would you say your perception of chronic illness has changed due to the experience? Also, what did you learn about yourself as a health care professional when working with these patients?

The phrasing of your post makes it sound like home work.

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Nov 13, 2011

The phrasing of your post makes it sound like home work.

That's exactly what I thought.... :rolleyes:

Originally Posted by verivici

Hi! As a student nurse I'm still trying to figure out my own attitudes an beliefs and how they affect my nursing care. I find I am always faced with the stigma of people with CI being lazy, selfish, incompetent ect and its not right to label an entire population by a very minute minority. I have very limited experience in working with patients with CI, and I'm trying to get more knowledgeable about it. I was just wondering, for those of your who have worked with patients suffering from a chronic illness, how would you say your perception of chronic illness has changed due to the experience? Also, what did you learn about yourself as a health care professional when working with these patients? end quote.

In caring for these patients. I always cared for them with the utmost respect and caring. I was taught by my parents to NEVER judge a book by it's cover. How could I possibly know the details of some one's life enough to pass judgement?! I do not know what demons or burdens they bear or have bore to cause their demeanor. I would think "How would I behave if I walked a mile in their shoes?" It's about compassion for your fellow man and something I find lacking amongst the young and beautiful club.......EMPATHY. I would ask myself.....would I want to change place with them? and then treat them with all the respect anyone would deserve whether they were the Queen of Sheba or a skid row bum.

Now as a disabled nurse who is very unaccustomed to being dependent on others. I am sadden

by the attitude and mistreatment by medical professionals and to some extent the general public. I am of a rubenesque physique due to varying dosages of prednisone to 100mg a day as well as 1 to 2 GRAMS IV for an a auto-immune disorder and I will tell you.......Telling me to get up and move around more to "take off a few pounds" and if I wasn't "obese" I could get around better and look at the distinctive rash over my face and arms and make comments about contagious people shouldn't be in public and having nursing staff roll their eyes and be impatient with my slow progress

or my LONG list of meds. :angthts:

I will tell you now.......To those who think if I just lost a few pounds so I could move better remind ourselves that If I could get up you'd better run because IF I catch you...

after making that comment you will be getting an ear full. To those who look at my skin remember that even leprosy has a cure however terminal ignorance does not!:spbox:. And to those young perky fresh nurses who believe that all illness can be avoided with exercise and good eating habits :angthts: let me ell you this......It's all a conspiracy and you too will grow OLD.......

.....so my advice is......

There but for the grace of God go I........:redpinkhe