How to Tell Loved Ones You Have Arthritis

After dealing with your own diagnosis, the next hardest thing you may have to overcome as a patient with arthritis is breaking the news to your family and loved ones. This is a conversation that may be difficult to initiate, but it is very important in helping you to shape your life with this condition.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Physician
• Arthritis literature

Get Your Facts Straight

1. Talk to your doctor to get the most current information about your form of arthritis. Because arthritis is a general term used to describe a number of conditions with varying levels of pain and disability, it is important to arm yourself with the most up-to-date information about your specific condition.
2. Inquire about the type of medication and treatment you will need as time goes by or ask about complementary medicine and its effects on your specific kind of arthritis.
3. Pull informative literature together from your doctor's office or your local bookstore. You can ask your loved ones to read through the material and then address any questions they have after reviewing it.

Open the Lines of Communication

4. Make your discussion about arthritis a conversation, not a lecture. Listen to what your loved ones have to say and respond to their fears about your condition in a thoughtful and caring manner.
5. Address issues such as potential disability or need for surgery realistically, without "sugar-coating" the truth of these potential occurrences. With your doctor's advice and the information you have gathered about your condition, you should be able to address your loved ones' concerns regarding these often frightening situations.
6. Ask for help from a therapist or family counselor if you feel that you cannot discuss your arthritis with your family. Your doctor may be able to refer you to a social worker or other trained professional who can help facilitate this discussion.
7. Tell your family that the discussion regarding your arthritis is never closed and that they should feel comfortable in bringing up any future concerns as they come up. Addressing issues as they occur may help diffuse potential stress or tension with your loved ones.
8. Invite one or more of your loved ones to join you on your next doctor's visit if you feel it is appropriate. In this way, they can address their specific questions to your doctor.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't use an impersonal format such as email to tell your loved ones about your condition. This will make it more difficult for a open discussion about your condition to take place.