Hearing Diagnosis of a Chronic Illness

by Jeannette E. de Langis

Oftentimes when someone is diagnosed with a chronic illness it changes their entire life. What has happened from one day to the next? What happened between yesterday and today when you received the dreaded news? The label you were given changes everything. Why does that label have so much power?

You were experiencing a lot of symptoms and seem to manage from day to day, but when you receive a label, that all seems to change. Researching the illness opens up a lot of understanding of things you have gone through, but it also opens up a pattern of thinking that fits you into that “box” of the illness. You look at all of the prognosis information and suddenly feel very powerless.

The only thing that has happened since yesterday is you were given a label. Now your thinking dooms you to the fate of the label you were given. What if that “label” was wrong? How do you think you would progress. It is imprinted in your mind that you have this illness. It makes sense since you have had some strange symptoms and this label seems to fit. This information and knowing changes how you see yourself. All of a sudden you are not someone with a few aches and pains and unexplained symptoms but now you are in a category and have a label.

It is so important not to give up your power to any diagnoses. Everyone is unique. Everyone reacts differently to a disease or chronic illness. It doesn’t mean that you are doomed to the fate that others have with this disease. None of us have any guarantees in this life. We could be taken out on the freeway in an instant.

It is the quality of your life that is important. If you died today, would you have regrets? Could you say I have lived a full life? I had a patient once who had very bad heart disease. His father died of it at 54, and he was turning 54. He went from his bed to the balcony to the living area of his home and was virtually waiting to die at the age of 54 like his father did. He did this for over two years. His fear crippled him. His “label” crippled him. Yes, he did have very bad heart disease, but what about living? He forgot to live his life and sat around waiting to die.

Do not give up your power to any diagnoses. Yes, it is important to get care and research ways to minimize the effects of the illness, but do not forget to live your life. Do not give the disease your power. We all have our own unique healing abilities. We chose illness to help us learn about ourselves. It is meant to take you on a path of self-discovery. Do not give up your power to it. It is simply a tool to discover who you truly are in the scheme of things.