Once in a while, I get a phone call from someone who found my blog or an article I wrote or is a friend of a friend of a friend. She or her partner has been living with pain or illness and is looking for guidance. Today, I was contacted today by the well partner of a woman who was recently diagnosed with CRPS (complex regional pain syndrome). He wanted advice, ideas, help, hope, anything.
As we spoke, I realized I have three messages that I tend to emphasize. Here they are:
- There is always room for hope.
- Keep searching. If one approach doesn’t work, find another one. There is always something else to try.
- Find the great doctors (and practitioners). Good just isn’t good enough. Find the great ones. And, for me, the great ones are often those who are both clinicians and researchers.
What key messages or lessons do you offer to others (or to yourself and your partner) that keep you going or serve as anchor points for living with illness?
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