Transition in Chronic Illness - Understanding Transition

When we move further through the transition process, sometimes our old life no longer makessense and we no longer find satisfaction in the things we once thought were important. Duringtransition, we are forced to look at who we are, what we are doing and where we are going. Weoften need to let go of our familiar past. This means we are often faced with uncertainty…People have often said to me that nothing is for certain in anyone’s life and Ifind this so diminishing of the sharp contrast between the uncertainties thata person with chronic illness faces and the uncertainties of a person living alife without chronic illness. I think to myself ‘they don’t understand and howdare they!’ The uncertainty I live with now is absolutely incomparable to theuncertainty I lived with when I was healthy. Uncertainty then had a totallydifferent meaning to my life.KerryIt has been very freeing in a way. I have learnt through this group that it is OKthat I have a chronic illness, that it’s OK that I need to have a sleep through theday. It has also been confrontational at times to really look inside yourself andface facts. I wouldn’t have missed this opportunity for anything.I’ve learnt that I can take control of my illness and make suggestions to myspecialist and ask questions and disagree if I want to. I’ve learnt that its ok forme to have a day of staying in bed if that’s what I need. I’ve learnt that I’m a lotstronger than I give myself credit for.MichelleExperiencing Tough TransitionsTransition is the way we respond to change. Changes can be chosen or forced. They can bringexciting opportunities, or tragic and irretrievable losses and any state in between. We are alwaysengaged in transition, it is just that many changes in our lives we experience as positive. Examplescan be the changes we experience when we find a partner, have children, or land a new job.Throughout our lives we are often engaged in transition. Someone once said ‘isn’t transition justlife?’ Yes, transition is life, but sometimes we experience tough transitions where changes areunwelcome and threaten the status quo of our lives. They cause disruption to every aspect of life.There may not be a discreet start or end point in the transition process because all humans on aregular basis face changes.Life is for living and that is what we all do, according to what is happening to usat the time.Judith2Transition in Chronic Illness | Booklet 11 | Understanding Transition