Hi there! I have created this group because I am wondering if there are women out there, like me, who have partners with a chronic illness and are working out how to care for her and take care of yourself at the same time. My partner has Crohn's Disease. We have been together for 11 years, and she is affected more and more by this illness. During the first five years of our relationship, she was minimally affected by it, but it has continued to worsen and she experiences chronic fatigue, headaches, joint and muscle aches and much GI distress.
The point of this group, however, is not to talk about her or about Crohn's disease, but to talk about taking care of me, and women like me who are trying to stay emotionally healthy while living with a chronic illness.
I am healthy, want to stay active, sometimes full of energy. I am in a totally different gear from my partner. She does encourage me to do things, but sometimes it is hard. Sometimes I feel like it all takes too much energy...to care for her, for the house, and then to try to muster the energy to make plans with others to go golf....go to the gym, go bike, etc. If I don't, though, I run the risk of depression and the risk of holding resentments within my relationship for what I am not doing for myself.
It is a difficult dance, and I wonder if this rings true for anyone else.
Please post and maybe we can find and support one another in this process....