Battling chronic illness means constant trade-offs. No matter how hard you try, you are always giving up something to gain something. You are always choosing side effects over symptoms, function over pain, and they are tough choices every time.
Do you take a medication that relieves pain but causes nausea?
Do you take medication that reduces swelling but exhausts you?
Do you take immunosuppressants to improve pain and overall symptoms but risk easy infection and painful injections?
Do you relieve pain but lose mental function?
Do you continue to work even though it progresses your disease?
Do you stop working to try and stay healthier but deal with judgement, backlash, and guilt?
If you have new pain do you fight for tests or ignore it until it becomes a problem?
Do you have surgery to help with pain or forego it because of possibly horrendous complications?
Do you push yourself or become a hermit?
Do you cut out every possible food that *might* cause pain or do you enjoy yourself a little bit?
Do you put your faith and trust in Eastern Medicine, Western Medicine, no medicine, or God... or a combination?
Do you give up your ovaries to improve your quality of life?
Do you give up your hobbies to reduce good and bad stress?
Are you straightforward about your illness with people you date, employers, friends, or do you keep it to yourself?
Do you try to be completely independent or do you rely on the help of others?
Do you ask people for help and risk seeming like a burden?
Do you complain about your illness or do you put on a brave face?
Do you give up and let it control your life or do you try to ignore it and struggle to have some control?
Do you take anything to bring your pain to 0-1/10, but that also causes you to sleep 20 hours a day, or do you opt for functionality and pain you can handle?
Do you try and raise kids even if you risk their health and yours, or do you give up the idea of raising children to focus on your own health?
Do you try to plan ahead for the progression of your illness(es) or do you live in the moment and ignore potential consequences?
Trade-offs and consequences.
There is no 'right' answer. Just what is right for you - what you are prepared to go through. What you can feasibly handle.