When you're chronically ill:

When you're chronically ill as I am, as I myself am an EDS3 sufferer, it's hard to know when you need to call for an Ambulance/see your GP.  For example:

1.  When every second of your days and nights is just endless pain all over - how do you know when a new problem is serious to the point of calling for an Ambulance or seeing your GP.  

2.  When one side of your body has it's own problematic areas & the other side has different problematic areas - how do you know when a new problem is serious to the point of calling for an Ambulance or seeing your GP.

3.  When the meds your on, often for life, have certain side effects - how do you know when a new problem is serious to the point of calling for an Ambulance or seeing your GP.

4.  When you get flare ups of certain symptoms on the regular - how do you know when a new problem is serious to the point of calling for an Ambulance or seeing your GP.

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I have ALL of the above.

I'm in pain all day, all night, various parts of the body which shift to other parts of the body within minutes.  It's endless & crippling.  I can't remember the last pain free moment I had, let alone pain free day.  The ONLY time I will know a pain free day is when I'm dead.  EDS is something your born with, though diagnosis tends to happen late, I was 31 when diagnosed.  There is NO cure & it results in endless problems in every part of the body.

My left side is problematic for: shoulder, elbow, lower back, hand (due to Essential Tremor), knee (due to Varus deformity), lower leg & foot for swelling (during cold weather).
My right side is problematic for: shoulder, lower back, stomach, knee (due to Varus deformity), foot for swelling (during cold weather, not usually as bad as left).

I'm on Propanolol for my Essential Tremor.  I'm on Gabapentin for Nerve Pain (different from Chronic Pain) aspect of EDS3.  Nerve Pain - when a simple touch by someone else feels like a burning red hot poker impailing us.  Chronic Pain - being constant sharp/dull INTENSE pain everywhere, ALL the time, that over the counter meds do absolutely nothing for.  Side effects of both include i.e. stomach/adominal pain, nausea/headache etc...

I get regular flare ups, where for several days a particullar painful problem is intensified LOADS.

How do you cope (if you ARE also chronically ill)?  How do you think you would cope with these problems (if your NOT chronically ill)?