

Know it's absolutely normal to go through phases of grieving after finding out you have a new chronic disease -- it might not hit you at first, but you may go through those stages of grief like denial, anger, sadness... I think it's because we are grieving for a type of life we have lost, or even a self that we think we have lost.
I think part of coping with IC is realizing we are still our wonderful selves beneath our diseases -- when I was first diagnosed, of course I was angry and depressed, but with the support of my entire family (both mine and my in-laws) I was able to come to terms with it by realizing that I am still "me" beneath the IC and that I am still valued by a lot of people in this world. It's like my diseases are my clothing -- they sit on top of me and sometimes get in my way (ever get your dress caught in the car door? LMAO

It can be hard to get to that point, I know -- the others are right though, reaching out for support from family, friends, and also here online helps. We're sure glad you are here!!

Reading up on your condition and knowing everything there is to know about it can make you feel empowered too, like you've "outsmarted" IC.

For me, keeping a journal and doing some soul-searching helped me stay in touch with my inner self, and trying slowly but surely to begin to do some of the things I liked before IC helped me keep my sense of "outer self" too. And then, also, reaching out to help others with the disease really helped me rise above it.

Again, I just want to tell you how great it is to have you here

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