Have you ever been really sick but your doctor was not able to put his finger on what you had?
It might have been an invisible illness.
An invisible illness causes pain and harm. But like a malicious ghost, it cannot be seen.
Examples are chronic fatigue syndrome, lupus, fibromyalgia, Crohn’s disease and sarcoidosis.
Unlike other chronic conditions, invisible illnesses don’t show themselves in obvious ways, even to physicians. And they may take years to diagnose.
Sarcoidosis, for example, is a disease marked by an over-active immune system that harms tissues and organs. On the website Sarcoidosis News, Kerry Wong writes about her experience with the disease, and notes that she tries to hide the symptoms from her husband:
“I’d said something about being able to function while in pain without anyone noticing, and he simply said he could see it….It’s comforting that he knows me so well, but disheartening that I couldn’t shield him from it.”
Faking it
But friends and relatives of suffers might have the opposite reaction. They might chide the patient for faking an illness or being a hypochondriac.
The Mayo Clinic website says, “Invisible, chronic illnesses cannot be observed simply by looking at a person.”
What kind of symptoms are we looking at?
The website Very Well Mind says,
“Because there is no one accepted medical definition of invisible illness, there is a long list of conditions that may count as such.”
FirstLight Can Work With Invisible Illnesses
If you need non-medical care at home, contact FirstLight Home Care of Deerfield/Lake Forest. Their workers have the experience and training to sympathize with those who have invisible or chronic ailments.
Non-medical home care is often just the thing for those patients who need the extra help at home, especially if they are recovering from surgery or other acute care procedure.
As far as payment sources, FirstLight welcomes private pay, long-term care insurance, veterans’ benefits, such as Aid & Attendance, employee assistance programs/back-up care, workers’ comp, and other types.
If your loved one needs non-medical care, whether at a medical facility or at home, why not choose FirstLight Home Care? Visit FirstLight of Deerfield/Lake Forest, or call 224-880-6555. Their office is in Libertyville, and they have caregivers in Lake County and northern Cook County, IL.