I've been catching up on the blogs that I love and discovered this really thoughtful and interesting post by Helen (of Pens & Needles) on the subject of guilt. She considers whether people with chronic illness contribute (knowingly or unknowingly) to making others feel uncomfortable about our illness. She suggests that the only way to move forward is to explain your illness and "try not to flinch." I think i's a really insightful post. If you've ever felt guilt or shame from dealing with social attitudes toward sick people, I highly recommend reading this post.
Thanks for the link! I know this is something a lot of us think about. I'm still struggling with getting better at disclosing without the guilt and awkwardness. I'm definitely better than I used to be, though!
ReplyDeleteI actually used your "try not to flinch" technique this week! I just got new insurance so I had to get labs done at a lab I had never been to before and I was wearing a brace on my hand when I went. When the lab tech asked me what I did to my wrist, I just said "I have RA and my wrist and thumb joint are acting up." And you know what? It wasn't so bad. Actually kind of liberating to not say something vague like "oh, I'm having some trouble with it." So thanks for the idea. ~;o)
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