What is a chronic disease?
- Could I have a pending illness festering inside my body, waiting for the right time to expand?
- Is there a possibility that I might develop a disease over the next few years?
- Can that be avoided?
- If I am genetically predisposed to a chronic illness, such as diabetes or hypertension, will I have the disease for certain?
Maybe you felt anguish as these questions rose during sleepless nights or deep meditation. There’s nothing wrong with your mind to go there, in the dark places. In fact, it’s a good thing to start wondering about these things. There are many chronic diseases that many of us are struggling with:
- Multiple sclerosis
- Heart failure
- Diabetes mellitus
- Autoimmune thyroiditis
- Colon cancer
- Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- Atrial fibrillation
- Parkinson’s disease
- Dementia
- Schizophrenia
- Stroke
- Acute myocardial infarction
A chronic affliction can also be present through the following:
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- High blood pressure
- Vertigo
- Back pain
- Bloating
- Anemia
- Burnout
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Acid reflux
- Constipation
- Acne
- Hair loss
Experiencing any of these symptoms (and many more) for a prolonged period may signify a chronic illness. Chronic afflictions usually negatively impact health and quality of life.
Many of us think that we are sick the moment a doctor makes a diagnosis and then recommends a medical treatment. Nothing is further from the truth. We are dealing with a disease the moment we start having episodes or symptoms like the ones mentioned above.
Unfortunately, we all develop different kinds of diseases at some point in our lives. Some are very serious; some recover after 10 days of antibiotics. Some affect our mobility or memory, while others require surgery or even lifelong treatment. Most require a complete 180-degree change of lifestyle and behaviors, while others need less than that.
The only certainty is that moment will eventually come if it hasn’t already.
The question at hand is not IF, not even WHEN, but how are we going to deal with that when the moment comes?
- Are we going to be taken off-guard and be completely overwhelmed?
- Are we going to deny it and fight with all our might?
- Are we going to withdraw and feel sorry for ourselves?
- Or are we going to resort to drugs or give ourselves total control over the divinity of our community and loved ones?
A minority of us who would have had the courage and awareness to face the truth will think ahead and accept the facts. Planning and, at the same time, making peace with what may come will help us have the resources to carry on. It might even enrich our lives even further.
Getting a terminal, irreversible, chronic, or malignant diagnosis isn’t the end. Maybe just the end of a dream…