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candybear said:
I am curious how others handle this.

I have a chronic physical illness. I am a member of forums for the particular form of it that I have. I found the place shortly after I was dx'd in June of last year.

For awhile it was OK, but lately I find myself unable to go there. I have the mildest possible form of the problem. Other than some intermittent pain and swelling, and the need to avoid certain foods, I take my two pills a day and get on with my life. You wouldn't know I even had this if I didn't bring it up.

I have quit going to these forums because everybody else there is in horrendous shape from the illness. Most of them are on disability because of it; they are almost totally nonfunctional and have had all kinds of physical horror stories from it -- uncontrolled seizures, heart attacks, vision and hearing loss, you name it. It can do all these things, but it hasn't to me (so far -- knock on wood).

Periodically, I need to go there to ask a question. But I feel very uncomfortable and VERY guilty for showing up only to ask a question. I feel even worse for going there because it's kind of a "who's sicker" competition, and I'm not sick! In fact, I'm doing so well that at my hematologist visit last week, he told me to come back in a YEAR! These folks are doing constant visits to assorted specialists, etc. It makes me feel bad for being "well."

I bet you were wondering when I was going to get to the point. Here it is: How do you deal with this? Because it happens to me here, too, and I feel guilty about that too. There is one forum in particular here that I find it terribly hard to go into when I'm feeling "well," because other people's pain makes me feel bad for doing OK. It's easier to commiserate, and to be helpful, for me, anyway, when my mood is in the dumper too.

Am I weird? Am I nuts? Am I evil and uncompassionate? How do I get past feeling terrible for being healthy? Anybody got ideas, pass 'em on.

CB

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I think you are very entitled to receive the help and assistence you require at any given time. I consider myself well. I like to discuss my emtions and mood swings but i dont consider that makes me unwell. I am a humanbeing having human problems from time to time and I think that means we're all part of the "club"??