Chronic Illness: Taking Charge of Your Health

What is a chronic illness?
There are 2 main types of illness: acute and chronic. An acute illness doesn
't last very long. It goes away either on its own or in response to
treatment, such as taking medicine or having surgery. Strep throat is an
example of an acute illness.
A chronic illness is ongoing. It affects your health over a long period of
time--possibly your entire life. In many cases, there is no way to cure a
chronic illness. Diabetes and high blood pressure are examples of chronic
illnesses.

What can I do if I have a chronic illness?
It's important to understand that your chronic illness is a serious problem.
If you don't believe this, you'll never be motivated to manage your illness
effectively. Managing your illness involves making lifestyle choices and
using prescribed medical treatments to be as healthy as possible. Unless you
take care of your body, your chronic illness can cause more problems in the
future.
When you have a chronic health problem, it's easy to feel overwhelmed and
helpless, as if the illness has taken over your life. For example, you may
need to take daily insulin injections, use an inhaler or monitor your blood
pressure. However, you can take steps to control the negative effects of a
chronic illness on your health. One method of taking control is called
"self-management."

What is self-management of chronic illness?
Self-management of chronic illness means that you take responsibility for
doing what it takes to manage your illness effectively. It's important for
you to be responsible for your health because the treatment recommendations
your family doctor makes won't do any good unless you follow them. He or she
can't make decisions for you or make you change your behavior. Only you can
do these things.
In self-management, you and your family doctor are partners in care. Your
family doctor can provide valuable advice and information to help you deal
with your illness. However, the treatment plan that works best for one
person with your condition won't necessarily work best for you. Talk to your
family doctor about the different treatment options available and help him
or her create a plan that's right for you. After all, nobody knows more than
you do about your feelings, your actions and how your health problems affect
you.
As part of self-management, it's also your responsibility to ask for the
help you need to deal with your illness. This support can come from friends
and family members, as well as from your family doctor or a support group
for people with your health problem.

How can self-management help a person who has a chronic illness?
Once you've decided to take an active role in managing your illness, you and
your family doctor can work together to set goals that will lead to better
health. These goals will be part of an overall treatment plan.
Pick a problem. Take an honest look at the unhealthy aspects of your
lifestyle. Start with a particular behavior that you'd like to change in
order to have better control of your illness. For example, you might decide
that you don't eat enough vegetables, get enough exercise or take your
medicines as your family doctor tells you to.
Get specific. Once you've identified a problem, state a specific goal for
dealing with it. The more specific your goal is, the more likely you are to
succeed. For example, instead of saying, "I'm going to exercise more,"
decide what kind of exercise you'll do. Be specific about what days of the
week you'll exercise and what times you'll exercise on those days. Your new
goal might be: "During my lunch hour on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, I'm
going to walk 1 mile in the park."
Plan ahead. After you've stated your goal, think of things that could go
wrong and plan how you'll deal with them. For example, if it rains and you
can't go to the park, where will you go to walk? If you plan how to handle
problems in advance, they won't prevent you from meeting your goals.
Check your confidence level. Ask yourself, "How confident am I that I'll be
able to meet this goal?" If the answer is "Not very confident," you may need
to start with a more realistic goal.
Follow up. As you're working toward your goal, check in regularly with your
family doctor to let him or her know how you're doing. If you're having
trouble following the plan, talk to your family doctor to figure out why.
Your setbacks can be learning experiences that help you make a new plan for
success.
One of the most important things to remember is that you can change your
behavior. Even though your illness makes you feel helpless at times, if you
work with your family doctor to set goals and you take responsibility for
following through with them, you can make changes that will lead to better
health. [AAFP]