Abstract

Living with a Chronic Disease: Preparation, Information, Talking and Thoughts about the Disease

Author(s):Inger Benkel, Maria Arnby and Ulla Molander

Chronic diseases have an impact on and change the lives of people with them. The chronic disease is part of coping strategies relating to the way a person thinks and acts in order to cope with a stressful situation. The study focuses on four chronic diseases: Asthma-allergy, diabetic mellitus, cancer, inflammatory rheumatic arthritis. All the diseases influence daily life in a practical as well as emotional way. The diseases may seem different, but they can all have a life-threatening component, even if the focus on this may vary in common opinion. The objectives of this article are to describe how patients with a chronic disease were prepared for having a chronic disease, experienced the information they receive if they can talk about the disease and what they think about the disease. Despite there being four diseases in this study, the result pointed to similarities between them. Talking to others about their disease can help patients cope with the situation of having a chronic disease. For all health care professionals meeting patients with chronic diseases, the knowledge from the study can be helpful when the treatment in different ways as well as practical and emotional support to help those patients live as good a life as possible.

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