Talking About Illnesses

How many of you are comfortable talking about your illnesses with other people? In Finland people seem to have this weird habit of listing everything that's wrong with them, and then we have to top other people's problems. Hahaha, I have more issues than you! I know, we're a weird people.

I'd rather keep my mouth shut. I only tell people about my Meniere's disease if one or more of the following conditions are met:

It's somehow relevant to the situation at hand
I can offer information important to the other person because of my disease
It somehow affects our interaction at the moment
They ask
It comes up naturally in a conversation, never forced

I'm not ashamed to have Meniere's disease, nor will I ever apologize for it. I can't help that I have it. But I'm not comfortable talking about it just because. I'm not telling you about my disease to get sympathy points from you, because frankly, I don't need them. I'm also not seeking any attention with this - I get enough of that when I have to ask people to repeat themselves due to not being able to hear them the first time. And I have a feeling once I get my hearing aid, number 4 on that list will happen a lot.

Even though talking about Meniere's disease is not my first choice of conversation topics, I don't mind talking about it. I'm happy to tell someone about it, who doesn't know about it, and I'm happy to fill in the blanks for someone who knows a little something. Asking is always better than making assumptions.

In light of my hearing problems I wanted to make sure Meniere's disease would get the attention it deserves. I'm only one person, but if writing this blog brings awareness to even a few people, then I've done my job :)

Comments

How Others React To My Meniere's Disease

I had never heard of Meniere's disease before I found out I have it, so it wasn't really realistic for me to expect others to know what was going on with me. When I started telling people I have MD, the most common replies were: "Okayyy..?" "What's that?" "Neverheard" "A what disease?" "Ooh, what a cool name!" Yep. My chronic illness does have a cool name, I do agree. It's sad how Meniere's is so little known. My friends were interested in learning about it, but since my disease is pretty well under control and it doesn't have a direct affect on anyone besides myself, they tend to forget about it. They'll ask things like: "What was the name of that condition you have, again?" "You had some ear thing, right?" "Are your ears all better now?" I don't take it personally if someone I know forgets the name of my disease or if someone remembers the name but doesn&

Who Am I?

Launching a new blog is always exciting. I love blogging, and have been doing it since late 2010. If you want to check out my lifestyle/travel blog, click here . I have shared thoughts about my Meniere's disease over there, too, but decided creating a new blog dedicated to the subject made more sense, because I have a lot of thoughts and things to say. I'm excited about this blog, and looking forward to really getting it started. So, naturally, I want you guys to get to know me. My name is Iira, and I'm a 27-year-old business student from Finland. I'm on my last year of studies, and to be honest, I have no idea what I will do after graduation. I'm pretty good at winging it... eyeliner, and life. I currently work as a personal assistant and hope to move abroad at some point. I love traveling and writing. Simple things make me happy. Besides my business studies I've taken on Finnish sign language classes, and I love it! I'm also independently studying Am

What I Want You to Know About Me and My Life with Meniere's Disease

If you know someone with Meniere's disease, you should read this. If you know me, and are a part of my life, then you should definitely read this. 1. It's completely fine to ask me about anything related to my condition! I would rather have you ask than make assumptions. MD is not a sensitive subject to me, and I'm happy to fill in the gaps! 2. My condition is permanent. My hearing loss is permanent. Please don't ask me a year from now if my ear is all better - it won't be. There's no cure for MD, and this is something I'm stuck with until there is one. 3. If/when I say I can't hear you, I mean it. Please accommodate to that, and speak up, or write or type what you need to say to me. Or, if you know Finnish or American sign language, you can sign to me ;) 4. When I have vertigo, please know that it's quite debilitating. If I ask you to drive, it literally means my world is spinning out of control and you do not want me operating heavy mach

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