While doing research for my book More Person Than Patient, a woman in Great Britian living with multiple sclerosis shared something with me that hit so close to home, I could almost feel the echo in my own chest. She said:

“The hardest emotional challenge—still, after all this time—is how the fear comes rushing back. The same fear I had when I was first diagnosed. Even when I know it’s just a pseudo-flare, even when I’ve lived through it before, my body tenses and my mind races. I’ve gotten faster at calming myself down, at reminding myself that this isn’t the beginning all over again. But I still have to fight it. And I just wish I didn’t.”

She went on to say she’s lucky—her flare-ups are fewer now, thanks to lifestyle changes and a lot of hard work. But that fear? It lingers. It surprises her. And it reminds her that even after years of managing her illness, the emotional residue doesn’t always play by the rules.

That’s the thing about chronic illness that doesn’t get talked about enough.  We can do everything right—eat well, rest, stretch, advocate for yourself—and still, a small symptom can pull you back into the memory of crisis. It’s not just about managing symptoms. It’s about managing yourself in the face of them.

And that work—the emotional heavy lifting—is what my book is about.

Reach out to me at gwen@gwencohealth.com if you’d like to learn more.