The pain of isolation when one has chronic illness (and moving beyond that, too)

This is a page among the archive navigation tabs that I’m republishing today as it has links to pieces that many people often ask about. 

The isolation and sense of abandonment many people deal with when sick with protracted withdrawal illness. (and other chronic illnesses)

This is a collection of posts that were all very popular and broadly shared among people in protracted withdrawal illness on community boards. I also still get people writing to me and asking me to remind me where they can find them on the blog. In fact the reason I’m making this page here now is because both yesterday and today two different people wrote to me asking me for the links to these pieces.

I wish isolation and the feeling of abandonment was not so common when we are ill, but it is and it does help to know that we are not alone in this phenomena so I’m sharing the posts I’ve done on the topic here.

There is both validation for those who feel abandoned here and also hope and inspiration that it will pass and we will all be better people after we regain our health and perspective.

• In the near absence of friendship…
• When I think of my relationships I have no regrets
• When Friends Disappear During a Health Crisis
• Living with chronic physical illness, why are we invisible?
• This is what it’s like

More recently I added a post in which I’ve come to have compassion on some of the painful behavior our loved ones show in the face of our illness:

●  Are your heart and mind open to others?

Also in time as our souls heal we can learn to cope better and better with the limitations our bodies still have:

●  Living well while being sick

●  When you’re ill: how can you ask for help?

A collection of links:  Information and inspiration for the chronically ill

These archives  now span close to five years. They are a record of a time in my life when I was learning and transforming at a rate unlike any other time in my life. I say this as a way of disclaimer. In the earlier years of this blog I am processing shock and dismay. In the early years I am undisputedly angry. I have worked out much of that and see things in a much less judgmental manner now. This continues to evolve. I sometimes want to take down old posts because they no longer convey how I feel, but I realize that they may still be helpful to people who are going through something similar now. The journey got me to where I am today, it’s just odd to have some of it in writing here for all to see.