I was wondering if some of you would be interested in participating in a support group (well, topic, actually) for chronic health issues ? It'd be somewhere for us to share our feelings, thoughts and to feel understood. I don't know mods' policy about triggers, so we should probably keep potentially stressfull things under a tag. Please post if you're interested.
I'd be up for it. I have enough chronic health issues that my list of doctors is starting to look like a players roster for a sports team.
I can't speak for the other mods, but I'm not seeing any concerns at the present time. I'm sure if something comes up, one of us will deal with it at that time. I believe we recently had a thread where members were discussing mental health issues, so if you wanted discussion on this topic, you could probably either continue that one, or start a new one dedicated to your specific topic, as appropriate.
@The Good Shepard : thank you for the insight ! Would you mind us using a spoiler tag to hide things that would be, well, "sensitive" ? Well, I'd have said "yes" but we should better respect our mods' guidelines here If I remember well, there's the Mental Health Stigma thread that's still open. Now, that being said...I do suffer from a couple of chronic health problems, but what brought me to create this topic is my husband's health... ;_ ;
I'm T1 diabetic, have been just over 19 years and will probably have it till I pop my cogs whenever that is.
Sure, if you would like to do that, that's certainly not a problem! I'm not entirely sure what you may be thinking about as sensitive, but I guess my only caution would be (and I'm sure you already know this, but just to cover the bases) anybody can still read spoiler-coded text, so don't put anything there you wouldn't want as public knowledge. One thing I'm not entirely sure about, though, is if you're referring to medical-related imagery. I don't know if you were even thinking along those lines. I'm not sure what our protocol would be regarding something like that, but I can bring up the question with the other mods and admins, if you would like.
@The Good Shepard : no, not imagery. I was just thinking about, for example, in-depth description of pain, of chemotherapy, of surgical procedures...That sort of things. Some people may need to vent about what they're going through, but not everyone can tolerate reading it. Or certain subjects can trigger painful memories or/and anxiety in readers. So that's what the tag woud be used for : to avoid exposing people to something they wouldn't feel at ease with.
We’ve discussed serious mental health issues here before. And I had a long medical thread (actually a series of long threads) of my own here years ago when I was sick, and FWIW no one ever suggested that my being pretty graphic about my illness and treatments might be a problem. I also used to help moderate a health forum elsewhere, and we very rarely used spoilers there. Honestly, I really doubt you’re going to need them here. But it’s nice that you mentioned the option, just in case.
Well, if there are some members interested, maybe we can get the ball rolling. Like I said, I have my own health issues, but I learnt how to deal with them over time. What worries me more nowadays is my husband's health. He's been experiencing all the symptoms of gastroparesis (delayed stomach emptying) for more than 2 years, but we're still struggling to get him diagnosed. In addition to the long lasting wait, there is basically no information about that disorder in our country. So I had to suscribe to American FB groups in order to find support and accurate information. Not to mention the body-shaming my husband is going through : most doctors shrug at him and say "It's because of obesity" instead of prescribing exams...We had to be extremely aggressive to have the minimum (endoscopy, scan) done !
Sorry to hear that. I hope you find a good support group on or off-line. As for me, I have Type 2 diabetes, which I manage well for the most part, except for a slightly elevated A1C. My acid reflux can be a source of distress sometimes, but I can always manage it with proper diet. I take medications for anxiety, so I'm in good health (not excellent), all things considered.
I got the results of my latest HAb1c yesterday which was 65 and roughly the same level it has been for 18 months, although, still the lowest I've had it in the last decade.
@Dimesdan : I'm afraid I'm not familiar with what you are talking about...Is it good news that the level's low ?
I am in so much pain because I went shopping today I have bought a Fitbit and I hoping to get back up to doing 10000 steps a day which I was managing two years ago. Today I managed to get up to 7100 but I am paying for it now.
Well. There are two trains of thought 1. What does not kill you just keeps trying to kill you.. 2. What does not kill you makes you stronger.. So since I am a number 2 type I have lots of strengths to offer.. I am Well and ready to support When and where I can..
Correct. Very specifically: If you are experiencing thoughts of injuring yourself or others, please do not post about it here. That's not to be insensitive, there's just a very big liability issue for the board. If you are having those thoughts, please discuss them privately with someone, or if you are in the US, please call 1-800-273-8255. Lord knows I've got a host of chronic health issues. Let's see... - Recovering alcoholic since 2009 - Diagnosed with major depression in 2009 and generalized anxiety disorder in 2013 - Had one heart attack - Was treated for bipolar disorder before some other specialists changed the diagnosis - Nearly died two years ago from a botched diagnosis (I lost the ability to walk; my doctor thought it was something autoimmune, turned out that I had 13 blood clots in my chest and legs and was literally days away from death), am now on lifelong anticoagulation therapy for PE / DVT (and failed warfarin and riveroxaban, yay) - Spent 67 days in the hospital total between 2016 and 2017 - Suffer from recurrent episodes of pseudogout, which means at the age of 33 I am looking at early-onset arthritis, possibly within the next year I'm a hot mess.
Timby you are an amazing surviver omg I know how to survive you are amazing... Yeah though there are suicide support lines in most countries so we should not cover that problem and let the hot lines that are trained in crisis interventions do it.. I was. WAS.. Suicidal since 12 years old till I was 52, I am 54 and like a year plus with out the suicidal idealization going on.. So I guess i know all the numbers to call.. I will talk PM too for support.but. i don't intervene.. As 20 years without crack and almost 28 years not doing crystal.. I have some 12 step experience.. Peace