Disruption And Adaptation: The Illness Experience Of Patients With End-stage Renal Disease

With the quality of life and medical technology improving in our country,chronic diseases have become a major factor damaging the well-being of our citizens.End-stage renal disease,as a chronic disease with a long course and high disability rate,causes particularly bad harm to patients.In this research,field investigations were used to collect survey data of 9 patients undergoing hemodialysis treatment and 8 relatives of patients in Y County Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine,in an attempt to explore the biological and social implications of individuals experiencing end-stage renal disease.This research has found that the patient’s illness experience is a process of "disruption" and "adaptation",which is specifically divided into three aspects: body,relationship and self.First,in terms of the body,from the first appearance of the abnormal body to the diagnosis of the disease and then to the acceptance of hemodialysis treatment,the patient has formed three different images about physical body: the body out of control,dangerous body,and sick body.Therefore,they have adopted three different physical coping strategies: trying to eliminate abnormalities,seeking to cure diseases,and establishing dietary norms.Second,in terms of self,individuals will adopt horizontal or vertical social comparison strategies and recreate their own meaning in intergenerational roles to make themselves accept the role of "end-stage renal disease patients".Third,in terms of relationship,the visit of the disease added new variables to the spousal relationship and social relationship: three changes cause many troubles to spousal relationship including the family-caring political game,sexual life blocked,and female family identity disorder;appearance that deviated from social norms,downgrading of family social consumption and restricted drinking have caused changes in patients’ social relationships.Faced with the emergence of these new factors,patients have adjusted their network of relationships in different ways.In short,the suffering of the disease makes the patient experience the daily disruption of life,but the patient,as an individual with subjective initiative,immediately begins the adjustment process to cope with the pain.