15 Secrets Of People Who Cant Work Because Of An Illness

15 Secrets Of People Who Cant Work Because Of An Illness If you have a chronic illness, you mayknow what it feels like to be a full-time patient. Between the physical and emotional symptoms, constant doctor appointments and numerous tests and procedures (not to mention keeping track of it all), being chronically sick can become a full-time job in itself. You may find yurself needing to cut back on hours or stop working altogether due to the demands of your condition.Although this may be a necessity for your health, other people dont always understand why youre not working. They may have misconceptions that youre lazy, on vacation or so lucky but as those of you with chronic illness know, this couldnt be further from the truth. By hearingwhatits really like to be a full-time patient instead of a full-time employee, hopefully others can begin to be more understanding and less judgmental. So Heres what our community told us1. Id much rather be at work. People look surprised when I tell them that, like Im on some luxury vacation and they cant understand why I would choose reality over said vacation. They have no idea that Im home because its physically too much for me to be anywhere else. So yes, Id rather be at work because being at work means Im healthy again.2. Enjoying the good days can make you feel really guilty. As though the energy and rare moment of being functional should be used to do something productive rather than doing something fun. Logically I know that one good day doesnt mean I have to ability to hold a job, but mentally I feel like I havent earned the right to do the fun stuff.3. Its not fun and I dont have a multitude of free time. All my time is spent being sick while trying to perform the fruchtwein basic of daily activities. I wish I had the luxury of being lazy.4. Work is a loaded term. The bigger picture Working outside or inside the home for yourself or someone else, including housework/yardwork, etc In my case, my full-time job is taking care of myself and medical needs, aside from low-key housework and the occasional low-key yardwork. Also, we dont get time off, a break, or vacation from our illnesses, and subsequent appointments.5. I wish people knew how much I miss my job. I stayed far longer than I should have and probably did more damage to my body than I needed to, because it welches such an important part of my life. I lost 95 percent of my social life when I left being single and at home all day every day is incredibly isolating, not to mention how guilty you feel not doing your part. Every day I hope that Ill be able to work again someday soon there are only so many episodes of Law and bestellung SVU a person can watch.6. It wasnt a party. Contrary to what some may think, surviving being in that much pain was indeed a whole lot of work even if the reward was not monetary. Someone made the mistake of using the word lazy to me and my husband made damn well sure to explain exactly how wrong that was.7. Dis ability is a full-time job. Im a professional patient. I fill out paperwork constantly. I have to prove that my chronic degenerative disease hasnt suddenly gotten better. And my income is less than half what I was making but my expenses are the same, higher if you figure in all the healthcare copays and expenses. And no, I cant walk your dog, watch your kid, go out shopping. Some days Im barely managing to shower and if by weg Im having a good day I have my own dog, a backload of housework and grocery shopping as priorities.8. I think many people see me and because I wear makeup and fix my hair, I dont look disabled or ill. They dont see me on the days I cant get out of bed. The days I need help to take a shower or dress myself. I try to be positive even when Im in pain. I have a disease that gives me vertigo and left me deaf in one ear, partially deaf in the other. I have had spine issues. People dont see me vomiting into a waste basket while sitting on the toilet I suppose Id tell others that many disabilities are hidden.9. Trust me, I would love to hold down a regular job. I would love to be able to use the degree I will be in debt for the rest of my life for. I would like to get to the end and feel like I accomplished something rather than live day to day.10. You can have a debilitating illness and be legitimately medically disabled and still denied disability benefits by the government. You can be homeless due to your disability preventing you from working and they often still deny you (thankfully I am not homeless due to supportive family, but my lawyers office works on cases like this).11. No one realizes that a job does more for you than just pay your bills. It is part of what gives you self-esteem. When you cant work anymore, it is very hard to see yourself as worth something to people. You feel isolated because everyone is so busy with their lives they dont have time to come and see you. They can meet other friends out, but you cant do that. If you d o go out, you pay for it later. Its as hard mentally as it is physically.12. Im bored out of my absolute mind. I lovedworking and until my health got really bad, my job actually took my mind off it for the most part. Having nothing to do all day now drives me absolutely crazy. I hate doing nothing but my body is rarely up for much else.13. The guilt I feel all the time. I feel like Im not contributing financially to my marriage and our family. My husband reminds me that he would rather have me around than have me try to work a lot and wind up in the hospital. Its not even like I end up doing all the housework when Im home all day. Sometimes getting one thing done is a monumental achievement. And being home all the time can be really lonely. If I had the energy and the physical stamina to be out and work, everyday life would be more fun.14. The isolation from limited human interaction is heartbreaking. I feel like an expert level clinger when my husband comes home from work or I fina lly see a friend. The desperation is soul crushing. I honestly would work telemarketing just to be able to talk to people if I could consistently work up the energy. To be a people pleaser devoid of peers? It strips you of your personal identity.15. When I cannot work I cannot just decide that I can return. I have to wait until the symptoms subside enough to allow me to perform basic work functions. No amount of positive thinking or appearing to do better will make me functional in a way that it is beneficial to those paying me. Im doing better now and still cannot work full time or on a regular schedule. It is outside of my control. Its not OKand yet I have to accept it. Im lucky to have a flexible schedule and work from home.--This story was originally published on The Mighty, a platform for people facing disease, disability and mental illness.Related storiesInside the Mind of a Chronically Ill Person Debating If They Should Post on FacebookWhy the Invisible Scars of My Chronic Il lness Battle Matter8 Extraordinary Things You Need to Know About People With Chronic IllnessThe Most Important Thing Doctors Fail to Tell You About Having a Chronic ConditionFairygodboss is committed to improving the workplace and lives of women.Join us by reviewing your employer