Should I tell my family?

[crystal_waters]

Whether you tell or not depends on a few things…

Your age…are you an adult or in an age range of still being a minor…if you are in the minor age range then you really should tell

How close you are to your family…are you actually close to your family?..do you see /speak to one another frequently?..do you and your family confide in one another about things?..do you feel comfortable with your family knowing your private medical stuff?

Your treatment…are you going to require a treatment that is going to make you unwell to get you better ?..is it going to be noticable that you are having treatment?..will you require stays in hospital or rides to appointments?

The bottom line is it really is up to you if you tell them or not…

Write a list of pros and cons of telling them…abd then write a list of why you want them to know and why you are afraid/not eager to tell them…and that should make it easier to decide what to do once you have it laid out before you in black and white…

God bless you.

Crystal waters

I’ve recently learned that I may have a rather rare autoimmune disease, somewhat of a “little cousin” to leukemia, but not with quite the same grim stigma. It’s not contagious, and unless I have the most severe/aggressive type, the prognosis is really pretty good - it can be managed with medications, or at worst, chemo and a bone marrow transplant. I see the hematologist next week for more tests.

On the one hand, I’m not a keeping secrets type of person, and I know that emotional support would be a good thing to have. On the other hand, I don’t want to be seen as a sympathy seeker or have people treat me differently. In my family, in particular, I’m really uneasy about changing the dynamic that already exists, as I’m sure it won’t be a positive change - it’s likely to become more strained and stressful.

Anyone have thoughts or experiences you wouldn’t mind sharing? I’m not good at asking for prayer for myself, either, but I would appreciate that, too.