Everyday Randomness

Use Your Blog To Connect

I don’t have severe health problems like a lot of my blogging friends do, but now I can relate to them in a small way understanding exactly why it is they feel the need to blog about their health problems.

It helps them to feel like they are not alone in this world with the issues they face on a daily basis.  It gives them a chance to connect with other people experiencing the same problems, and it also gives them a place to vent about what’s going on with the illness.

When I finally decided to write my post about the boils I’ve dealt with for years I knew it was going to be something gross that a lot of people wouldn’t want to read about.  I finally just needed a place to vent because it’s not exactly something I want to talk about with my family and friends.  When I have discussed it with people before I’ve always gotten weird looks and then treated like something was seriously wrong with me.

Since writing the post I’ve been overwhelmed by the number of emails from other people who are experiencing the same thing.  Most of them have been trying to get a diagnosis for years while others never really thought about it as something could be wrong with them.

Most of the people who have contacted me are women, some of them people I already know and connect to through blogging, and I’ve also had a few men email me.  One guy has been so worried because he thought he might have an STD.  He’s been afraid to go to the doctor about it, and now he’s scheduled an appointment because he has connected with someone who can talk to him about his issues and help him deal with the element of fear.

All those emails have proven to me that sometimes the best way to find your own support group is to write about it.  Other people will share their own experiences with you, and together you can all connect and help each other through it.