Crohn's Disease & Ulcerative Colitis Support Group
Crohn's disease is a systemic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) of unknown cause, that results in chronic inflammation of the intestinal tract. It can affect the entire gastrointestinal tract from mouth to anus, and can also cause complications outside of the gastrointestinal tract. There is no known medical or surgical cure for Crohn's disease, but there are many medical...
I ran into this article this morning and wonder what others think. It specifcally mentions colostomy patients. But as we all fall into the category of chronic illness I thought others might find it interesting.
I started to just post the link but this is short. Hope they forgive me for posting the entire thing. ;-)
Acceptance of Chronic Illness Helps People Move On
TUESDAY, Nov. 10 (HealthDay News) -- For chronically ill patients, giving up the hope that they will get better may actually lead to more happiness, U.S. researchers suggest.
"Hope is an important part of happiness, but there's a dark side of hope. Sometimes, if hope makes people put off getting on with their life, it can get in the way of happiness," Dr. Peter A. Ubel, director of the Center for Behavioral and Decision Sciences in Medicine at the University of Michigan Health System, said in a university news release.
He and his colleagues studied patients who'd just had a colostomy, which means their colons were removed and they had to have bowel movements in a pouch outside the body. At the time of the surgery, some patients were told the procedure was reversible and they'd have a second operation in a few months to reconnect their bowels. Other patients were told the colostomy was permanent.
The patients were followed for six months, and the researchers found that those without hope of regaining normal bowel function were happier than those with reversible colostomies.
"We think they were happier because they got on with their lives. They realized the cards they were dealt, and recognized that they had no choice but to play with those cards," Ubel said. "The other group was waiting for their colostomy to be reversed. They contrasted their current life with the life they hoped to lead, and didn't make the best of their current situation."
The study, published in the November edition of Health Psychology, also may explain why people whose spouse dies often recover better emotionally over time than those who get divorced, the researchers said.
That's because people whose husband or wife dies have closure, while those who get divorced may still have hope for some chance of reconciliation, they explained.
More information
The American Psychological Association has more about chronic illness and mental health.
Link:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20091111/hl_hsn/acceptanceofchronicillnesshelpspeoplemoveon;_ylt=AoKe3cJySpXx2pRQB0wlFfF0fNdF
I started to just post the link but this is short. Hope they forgive me for posting the entire thing. ;-)
Acceptance of Chronic Illness Helps People Move On
TUESDAY, Nov. 10 (HealthDay News) -- For chronically ill patients, giving up the hope that they will get better may actually lead to more happiness, U.S. researchers suggest.
"Hope is an important part of happiness, but there's a dark side of hope. Sometimes, if hope makes people put off getting on with their life, it can get in the way of happiness," Dr. Peter A. Ubel, director of the Center for Behavioral and Decision Sciences in Medicine at the University of Michigan Health System, said in a university news release.
He and his colleagues studied patients who'd just had a colostomy, which means their colons were removed and they had to have bowel movements in a pouch outside the body. At the time of the surgery, some patients were told the procedure was reversible and they'd have a second operation in a few months to reconnect their bowels. Other patients were told the colostomy was permanent.
The patients were followed for six months, and the researchers found that those without hope of regaining normal bowel function were happier than those with reversible colostomies.
"We think they were happier because they got on with their lives. They realized the cards they were dealt, and recognized that they had no choice but to play with those cards," Ubel said. "The other group was waiting for their colostomy to be reversed. They contrasted their current life with the life they hoped to lead, and didn't make the best of their current situation."
The study, published in the November edition of Health Psychology, also may explain why people whose spouse dies often recover better emotionally over time than those who get divorced, the researchers said.
That's because people whose husband or wife dies have closure, while those who get divorced may still have hope for some chance of reconciliation, they explained.
More information
The American Psychological Association has more about chronic illness and mental health.
Link:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20091111/hl_hsn/acceptanceofchronicillnesshelpspeoplemoveon;_ylt=AoKe3cJySpXx2pRQB0wlFfF0fNdF
-
Look at what my best friend did with my picture!
-
We all have 24 hours in a day. How we spend these hours is important. Watching a little bit of a video about how sitting affects us made me aware of how much sitting and laying down I do. Gonna have to work on that.Your turn. Tell me another truth.
Frankly, I think acceptance of the disease period is key. Hope is subjective and means different things to different people. I always hope I can stay in remission. If I don't, I'll deal with it. But while I'm hoping for it, I'm pretty freakin' happy.
Acceptance and hope are not mutually exclusive. You just have to be realistic about what you're hoping for.
My cousin's husband was diagnosed with U.C. a few years ago when he developed an obstruction and had to have a colostomy. It was reversed a few months later. He then had to have another some time after that. He was on a roller coaster. However, from how he talked, and ate at family reunions, I do not think he accepted his illness. He behaved as if he ignores it, it will go away. My personal opinion is that his doctor had a lot to do with this behavior. He went to the one I saw when I first got sick. This doctor repeatedly told me diet has no affect on U.C. He also believes in surgery to "cure" Crohn's. Last summer I did convince him to see another doctor. I hear he is doing better and remaining stable so maybe he has accepted it now.
Without acceptance you can't learn to deal with it in a healthy way.