The Stress of Chronic Health Conditions from the Other Side of the Road in Remission

2 Kings 20:6 - I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.

​In past posts I’ve written about the stress a patient goes through while battling chronic pain or an illness, but what about the other people in their lives? What do they go through when they are on the other side of the road?
 
Chronic health conditions cause obvious anxiety to the one going through them. But have you ever thought about what a patient’s family and friends go through?
 
Let’s say your loved one receives the worst of news and they are diagnosed with a fatal disease. Sometimes the patient is even given a time line for how long they will live. Maybe they’ve been told that they only have seven months to live.
 
The whole family now gets involved trying to make the best out of what time they have left. Perhaps a family vacation is planned or the patient decides to take everyone for one big shopping spree.
 
They offer hugs and consolation.
They are told how much they are loved.
They are told how hard it will be without them.
But they also laugh together.
Talk about happy memories and funny stories.
And show just how much they love the one who is about to die.
 
They walk beside the person who is dying and then the stress begins to pour on them because they only have so much time left with them. The stress is difficult as the patient is taken to one appointment after another.
 
The family drives them to their treatment appointments.
They offer to pick up prescriptions and food as they need it.
They hold them tightly as never before all the while wondering is this visit the last time they will see their loved one alive?
 
So, they’re all walking from the light into a dark tomorrow. But then the unimaginable happens. They are at a doctor’s appointment to review the growth of their disease. The doctor has a smile on his face as he gives the news – the treatment has been going so well that they now have one to three years to live and perhaps even longer.
 
The patient and their loves ones are now both on the other side of the road in remission. So how do you figure out how to live your life now? In whatnext.com’s article, “You’re in Remission: What’s Next?” it provides suggestions on how to live your life, because getting back to a normal life is challenging. A few of their ideas include keeping your expectations moderate in the beginning; don’t expect your life to be the same as it was before treatment; and how to cope with your new normal.
 
Take a look at the Bible verse above. King Hezekiah was very ill and was about to die. He asked God for forgiveness and God believed he was truly sorry and added fifteen more years to his life. God does sometimes extend our lives. Don’t just be fearful of the amount of time your doctor says you have to live. Things can change and you’ll find yourself on the other side of the road in remission.

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