Living with a Long-term Illness: The Facts (The ^AFacts Series)

All long-term illnesses, whatever their diagnosis, have much in common. The difficulties and challenges that come with illness, and the strategies to overcome them, are shared by most patients. Managing an illness effectively and tackling the difficulties it causes can greatly improve how you feel and your quality of life. This book identifies the challenges posed by illness and suggests a wide variety of ways in which you might meet them. Key to this is the idea of becoming expert in managing your own illness and learning how best to deal with it. The authors accept that you know more than them about how you experience it, so that rather than telling you what to do, they offer a tool box from which you may pick the strategies that best suit you. The two authors, one a person with a long-term illness and one a doctor, combine their expertise and experience to offer a practical and comprehensive guide along your own unique journey. If you have a long-term illness, or if you care for someone who does, then this is a book for you. Cover 1 Contents 8 Introduction 12 Section 1 Long-term illness and you 16 1 What is long-term (chronic) illness? 18 2 Long-term illness as a journey 22 3 Gathering information and becoming an ‘expert patient’ 28 4 Managing disease 36 5 Managing illness 42 6 Keeping going with a self-management programme 50 7 Using complementary/alternative medicine (CAM) 58 Section 2 Managing physical/biological problems 62 8 Managing fatigue 64 9 Managing pain 74 10 Using activity and exercise 84 11 Improving your sleep 88 12 Managing bladder and/or bowel problems 92 13 Looking after your general health 94 14 Eating well and wisely 98 Section 3 Managing emotional issues 102 15 Setting goals for yourself 104 16 Dealing with problems 108 17 Building pleasure into your life 114 18 Living with uncertainty 118 19 Managing your thinking 120 20 Managing your self-esteem 124 21 Managing your emotions 128 22 Managing severe anxiety, panic or depression 140 23 Getting psychological help 148 Section 4 Managing interpersonal problems 154 24 Relationships and communication 156 25 Caring and being cared for 164 26 Improving your personal relationships 170 27 Your relationship with your doctors 176 Section 5 Managing practical problems 184 28 Improving your quality of life 186 29 Getting practical and financial assistance 192 30 Thinking about the future 196 Summary 200 Appendix 1 The DISCERN instrument 202 Appendix 2 Further information 210 Appendix 3 Papers from medical journals 214 Index 216 A 216 B 216 C 216 D 216 E 216 F 216 G 216 H 217 I 217 L 217 M 217 N 217 P 217 Q 217 R 217 S 217 T 217 U 218 V 218 W 218 All long-term illnesses, whatever their diagnosis, have much in common. This text identifies the challenges posed by illness and suggests a variety of ways to meet these. The authors offer self-help strategies and tools to enable you to become expert at managing your own illness and learning how best to deal with it Content: SECTION I - LONG-TERM ILLNESS AND YOU SECTION II - MANAGING PHYSICAL/BIOLOGICAL PROBLEMS SECTION III - MANAGING EMOTIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS SECTION IV - MANAGING INTERPERSONAL PROBLEMS SECTION V - MANAGING PRACTICAL PROBLEMS SUMMARY APPENDICES