We would all like to feel that improvements in our health are continuous and can follow along a positive trajectory. Some of us spend many months doing the right thing. We visit the doctors, take our prescribed medication, get adequate rest, and invest a lot of energy into assuring that our condition stabilises. The least we can hope for is that we make some progress.

My experience with a setback came about early in my journey. I had been out of ICU for several months. My energy and strength had improved. I had my medication and time on an oxygen tank reduced. My parents had just been out to visit. My morale was high, and I was already formulating new goals.

Then the day after my parents flew back home, my rheumatologist had told me that my active kidney disease had come back and that I would have to go back to the original high dose of chemotherapy and steroids. I felt crushed. Backwards was not a direction in which I ever travelled, particularly when dealing with my health. I felt defeated.  It was as if the villain I thought I had vanquished in the first film had re-emerged to take its revenge on me in the sequel.

What I learned from that experience was to simply expect the unexpected. In other words, don’t be tied to the outcome. There are several ways to be prepared for the bumpy road that is a chronic illness. I began focusing on the present moment with the awareness that there are things about life that I can control, my mindset is the most important.  Now instead of being misguided and thinking that recovery is always a straight line, I am mentally prepared that flare-ups and relapses can be a factor with a major illness. The key is not to be caught off guard. Taking the following steps will help you prepare better and re-establish some sense of control.

1. Avoid catastrophic thinking

Experiencing a flare-up can cause many of us to think in terms of worst-case scenarios. Doing so will only create more intense feelings of anxiety, which will encumber you from making clear and effective judgements. Identify the middle ground instead of thinking in all or nothing terms. Is a flare-up that disastrous or is there still some hope?

2. Externalize the situation

Another way to help you stay clear-headed is to ask what advice you would give to a close friend if they were experiencing a flare-up. This externalizing approach will enable you to think less emotionally and more objectively from a third-party perspective.

3. Establish what you can control

You may not always be able to control test results or reoccurring symptoms. All you can do is focus on the aspects you still control to stack the odds in your favour and prepare for the possibility of a setback.

Take stock of what is going on with your illness. Consider the following 5 factors and make a list with two columns. In column A write what you cannot control; Column B is what you can control.

4. Patient education

The more you know about your condition, the more empowered you will be to avoid potential triggers of a flare-up. You will also be better prepared in knowing the most effective ways to respond to a flare-up. Patient education can include conversations with a medical expert, reading books about your condition and visiting websites related to your condition.

5. Learn from previous experience

This will help you to identify if any behaviours and other factors may have triggered your illness before. Also, think about what has worked or not worked previously. Repeat helpful habits and try to avoid those which caused you setbacks.

6. Healthy behaviours

There is no guarantee that exercise and good nutrition will prevent a flare-up. However, depending on the nature of your condition, it may decrease the chances of a flare-up. At the very least it will not hurt you.

7. Establish safety nets

It may involve building a support system which may include close family and friends, medical experts, and support groups. This is anybody who can provide you with helpful medical information, emotional support or take on physical responsibilities if you are too weak.

8. Formulate contingency plans

Planning and goal setting are great ways to re-establish a sense of control, build confidence and feel enthusiastic. It can be highly demoralising to see those plans or goals derailed by a flare-up. Contingency planning can help to buffer you against disappointment.

What modifications, abbreviations or alternative goals would be okay with if your symptoms were to remerge? Is there an acceptable timeline in case you have put your plans on hold?

We invite you to share your feedback with us. Have you tried any of these before? Have you tried anything different? What has worked for you? What has not worked?

Is there anything else you would like for us to cover?

Please like and share this page

Our website is www.illnesscoaching.com

Find our page on Facebook under MPower Illness Coaching, where you can join our community. You will see have a recorded video version of this blog on our YouTube Channel. MPower Illness Coaching

As always, if you are experiencing any severe medical or psychological symptoms, we always recommend you speak directly to a qualified professional.

Thank you for checking in with us and we’ll see you again soon.