Overcoming Fears When Living with Myositis

I read an article about people living with myositis. "Those with a rare chronic illness like myositis not only live with existing fears -- they often find themselves facing new ones" (Hunter). This article talks about common fears found in people with myositis. These common fears are the fear of loss of control, fear of dependency, fear of isolation or abandonment, fear of change in appearance, and fear of stigma. All these fears make them feel unwanted, not needed or useful, and not confident or motivated about anything. If I had any of these fears and the symptoms that come with them, I would see no reason to carry on and would find it hard to keep wanting to live and fight this disease. This article also talks about the ways they cope with the fears. It talks about how all these people need self-esteem boosts, feelings of acceptance, and even just the knowledge of what they are fighting. This annoys me because in this age of free messages via e-mail, I think doctors need to be sending their patients information about this disease. Also, when the doctors send them messages, it gives the patients a sense of belonging and acceptance since they are talking to them. If the patient is not diagnosed with the disease, friends and relatives, in my opinion, need to have some common sense and talk to their friends and family who they think might be struggling with something. I know diseases like this are definately tough, but they can be easily beaten.

Hunter, Angela. "Overcoming Fears When Living with Myositis." 07 May 2007 03 Feb 2009 .