Plagued by illness

I know that in life there will be sickness, devastation, disappointments, heartache - it's a given. What's not a given is the way you choose to get through it all. If you look hard enough, you can always find the bright side. - Rashida Jones
I know from personal experience, that when you suffer from a chronic or rare condition, you are faced with questions, challenges and comments about your illness and your capabilities on a daily basis, be it by those generally interested, making sense of all the information or by misplaced sentiment.   At the other end of the spectrum you are faced with those who simply avoid any association with you, or someone else who is ill or suffering.

In western society as a whole I feel there is a distinct fear and stigma attached those you may categorise as 'sick'. A sustained avoidance of people whom are suffering or ill either through ignorance, fear of becoming ill yourself or the emotional incapability of putting yourself in a less than perfect situation to attend to sometimes needs, dates back to 5th century and gives rise to the phrase 'to avoid like the plague.'
I often wondered why there was such a huge divide between Doctors, nurses and carers who make it their duty in life spending their days making others happier and more comfortable and those, as I discovered, that unknowingly break your heart by their notable absence.
So what is the fear all about? Is it death? Is your 'sickness' too much of a reality that shatters ideals of a perfect world, that interfers with personal bubbles of warmth, comfort, health and energy?

Or do they judge you?

With hindsight you know that these people are not your true friends, but when you are ill you are lonely and isolated. Not only are you disconnected from the outside world but you lose all knowledge of the lives that once encompassed you daily, those little inane little bits of fact, gossip, what people have done with their day, conversations and debates that you fed your brain with, things you completely took for granted and considered a small part of your world, become huge unattainable objects when you are ill.  You are now separated, without choice and have lost control.  What many fail to realise while they blindsight themselves from the uncomfortable realisation that people get ill is that they have choice, choice that a healthy body offers and a choice they often take for granted.
Being unwell and being in hospital, especially for a long period of time, is one of the most wrenching and psychologically draining experience you can go through. For me it was a sensation of being trapped, imprisoned, the canulars in my arms handcuffs and the doctors my Gaolers. Every ounce of mental capacity is spent focusing on getting through each minute, hour and day just to cope at that time unaware of any consequences afterwards.   Three years on I understand that it was all necessary to save my life and all part of a process, but those six months of being incredibly ill and entrapped in a endless cycle of sickness, medicine, hospitals, hair loss, bedpans, sickness, bruised veins and needles took its toll mentally and resulted in a form of PTSD.  Again something that I had no choice but to to accept and to deal with.
So to those out there avoiding that hospital visit to see a elderly relative or that trip over to see a friend who's having a hard time, while you have that niggling voice that says 'ugh i just can't be dealing with it' remember the freedom's that you have and they don't.  Because trust me, while you can't be dealing with it for a 1 hour visit, they are dealing with it everyday, and don't have an ounce of choice in the matter.