In Sickness and in Health: Coping with Chronic Illness in Marriage

"...in sickness and in health...until death do us part." Most married couples have pledged these words to each other, but how many really know what it entails? "Sickness" often conjures up visions of the flu, pneumonia, broken bones, cancer or diseases related to old age. But what happens when a spouse becomes chronically ill, or when a chronic illness causes a severe shift in the relationship dynamics?

The best way to cope with chronic illness is to come up with a plan for handling it before an illness occurs. This can be accomplished through discussions about how different aspects of the marriage will be handled. Are both partners open to therapy or third-party intervention? Is third-party intervention approval required by one or both partners? How will financial difficulties be handled? Talking about how chronic illness may affect your relationship before marriage may save the marriage later on down the road, should chronic illness to occur. But, if you are already married or are currently dealing with chronic illness, there are still things that can be done to alleviate the stresses that come with it.

Very few marriages survive the chronic illness of a partner, simply because most people are unprepared for coping with chronic illness. However, there are ways to cope with chronic illness in a marriage, and one of them is to be able to empathize with what the other spouse is going through. Chronic illness affects both partners in many different ways and on many different levels. It can drastically affect a couple's financial life, strain their emotional bond, and alter their intimate relationship.