[peanut]

Your best bet is still support groups and speak to those in the same kind of circumstances. I know first hand that doctors don't help too much with support or advice on how to cope with illnesses in general. Getting info from people who has the same condition is really the first port of call, it's those that you can learn from and gain some valuable information in more ways than any of us can because all we can do is speculate and imagine, which wouldn't be the right way to go about it.

Try doing it yourself, what would you think it would be like to have another illness, say cancer, brain tumour, or something as trivial (yet not nice) as Crohn's disease etc, you can't really can you, all you can say is 'that's bad'.

Unless you'd like to hear from everyone 'Oh I wouldn't be able to cope' or 'that must be terrible' which some do (not saying you are though) to gain the sympathy vote etc and take the attention route.

---------- Post added at 00:03 ---------- Previous post was yesterday at 22:37 ----------

On another note but only taking my own experiences into account, your illness or any illness doesn't really come into it.

Coping is a personal thing as I said before, years ago I coped a lot different to how I cope now, time does take its toll when you're sick for a long time. But on the otherhand it's a gradual process, but by then you're seasoned and battle hardened I suppose. Most of the time it's not the actual illness that you get annoyed with its the change of lifestyle, the things you can't do or take for granted like everyone else.

To start with you can experience anger, the why me thing etc, but that does go the more you learn to accept things, then you adapt and things become normal, not normal normal but your own standards of normal, you take the good days with the bad days and you make the most of the good days as and when you can.

Friends and family also adapt, they also go through it with you and they should accept it as much as you do, you need that to make allowances to a point where you never have to worry nor make excuses for your illness. And never take those around you for granted.

Then there's long term, time changes everything in a way. Psychologically wise it is draining so you have to look down other avenues for help, but help never comes to you, you have to decide for yourself what the needs are and take things the best way you can via your GP and other specialists.

The bottom line is your mental health, keep positive, try to live as normal as you can within your own means and never turn help away if it's offered. Accept the bad days as best as you can and look forward to the good ones.