Multiple Chronic Conditions, A Combination of Different Chronic Con...

We are gradually approaching the weekend again and for so many people, it is that time of the week when they get to relax after the intense stress of the week, but for someone like me, it is another opportunity to carry out my home-service business, hopefully, I am able to get a client this weekend as this will help put some extra money in my account. So, I attended an event this week and a man was speaking about how he was diagnosed with about three serious ailments at once, everyone shouted, only you? I started to read about what could make someone have three different serious ailments at the same time, then I found out, there was a scientific backing to it and of course, a scientific name for such an occurrence and it is one that gained knowledge that I will be sharing with you today, of course with proper references as I do not claim to be an expert of any sort.

What I am talking about is, Multiple Chronic Conditions(MCC), when someone has MCC it means the person is living with two or more chronic conditions at the same time. The conditions may not even be directly related to each other. The most shocking thing for me is that it isn't even so rare, as one out of three adults suffers from these multiple chronic conditions.

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Certain conditions are actually known to cluster together more frequently than expected, take a look at this combination for instance, depression alongside stroke, then Alzheimer's disease, another example is HIV/AIDS or tuberculosis, then associated with CVD. With the forming of these clusters, healthcare expenses increase greatly, sometimes requiring specific specialist access for each case, several hospital admissions with emergency cases are not left out, with all the physical and emotional stress, it is only expected that the quality of life of the patient will deteriorate the more, financially, it becomes wrecking, inability to work and adhering to several prescribed medications may just be too much to handle.

The number of Americans who have these multiple chronic conditions has significantly increased through the years, published research has mentioned that half of the American population suffers a great deal from chronic illness, resulting in disability and several death cases. We define chronic conditions as conditions that last above a year or even extend further, and require ongoing care if it also limits daily activities, examples of chronic diseases, definitely not limited to these ones are; respiratory diseases, heart disease, arthritis, cancer, diabetes, and dementia.

As normally expected, as there is a diagnosis of an additional chronic condition for patients, health quality becomes significantly reduced. They are known for constant hospitalization, usually, for ambulatory-sensitive conditions, they are as well highly vulnerable to suboptimal quality care as there is a report of receiving conflicting medical advice, and duplicative tests alongside more services, this makes care coordination even more difficult, but it cannot be pushed away as there is an increasing need for adequate attention for cases like this.

The psychological and physical impact of MCC depends on the type of combination of disease and the severity of their co-existence, and the age of the patient. There are voluntary organizations that would most likely volunteer to help out with those with MCC, as they are often unable to do things for themselves and the children may not have the opportunity to support them in their own homes either because of work or other personal reasons. What makes the case even more technical is the frequency of hospitals and admissions in healthcare systems.

Remember I mentioned earlier the use of different specialists, and patients' clinical care gets more complicated as a result of miscommunication between primary and secondary care.

With all of the stress involved with multiple chronic conditions, patients get tired very fast and are often seen giving up as they are unable to keep up with the intense stress and associated problems. The truth is, it is still possible to live a long and fulfilling life even when you have been diagnosed with multiple chronic conditions, of course as long as they are managed appropriately, these six (6) tips would help people who have MCM cope with their condition more appropriately.

Build a relationship with a care partner to help you remain accountable.
The physicians regardless of how professional and caring they are, they cannot live and go home with you, but you can select a good friend, probably a close family member or friend, who would make a good care partner, this person or these people will ensure that you are taking your medications appropriately as instructed by the doctors. In some advanced countries, insurance would cover care management services, and the care manager in charge would work directly with the doctor, maintaining consistent appointments to see how well you are faring.
Get behavioral health counseling: With all the possible associated feelings of pain, and stress, depression is highly possible, feelings of anxiety, anger, stress, and other associated negative emotions would require the help of a behavioral health counselor.
Track symptoms and progress of recovery: Either with the use of a paper and pen or a more technical approach, there are applications that help to notice your symptoms and with the result, you will be able to relate with your doctor appropriately.
Make good use of appointment times: Ensure you ask all questions on your mind whenever you get to make an appointment with your doctor, you may not remember all the questions you want to ask, so make sure to write them out so you can ask them on your next visit.
Enjoy yourself: This may be difficult considering all the emotional turmoil that comes with multiple chronic conditions, but with the little things you can do, you can still enjoy a good quality of life.

Conclusion.

Multiple chronic conditions are certainly no joke, they can be emotionally draining and depressing, having one chronic disease is enough to get one to a point of depression, speak more of now having more than one, but the good thing is, it is possible to live a happy life even with the MCM condition.