Today, I want to talk about something I don’t see covered much on social media, blog posts, or even in books: how chronic illness can affect your finances. Despite not seeing much coverage on this topic around the internet, I’ve seen plenty of it in the comments sections—clearly, it’s an issue.
Some may ask, how are having a chronic illness and a tight budget related? What does money have to do with it?
Well, if you’re dealing with a chronic condition like chronic fatigue syndrome like me, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
But let’s dive into a few ways your financial situation can be impacted by chronic illness.
1. Fatigue Can Make It Difficult to Work Full-Time
Yes, I know most people are tired, at least some of the time. But there’s a separation between typical fatigue from lack of sleep or long work days and fatigue from a chronic condition.
For example, if you have chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), taking a nap or getting 8 hours of sleep a night still doesn’t leave you feeling refreshed. For me, it seems like I’m constantly tired, but the severity fluctuates.
Although I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome way back when I was 20, I’ve pretty much worked full-time since then. And I struggled BIG TIME. But I had to do it. There was no other option. I had no financial support, so I just trudged through.
Unfortunately, now that I’m in my mid-40s, I’m finding it harder and harder to push myself through 40-hour workweeks.
2. Brain Fog Can Impact Your Productivity
This one is especially concerning if you do the type of work where you are paid by the project, such as in some freelance writing or editing jobs.
Brain fog affects many people with CFS, as well as other chronic illnesses. It’s not just spacing out like you may do when you’re bored at work. I would describe it as feeling like I’ve been drugged with a heavy sedative, and I can’t think or focus, no matter how hard I try. Caffeine doesn’t help.
When I have a severe episode of brain fog, the only thing I can do is try to take more frequent breaks to give my brain a rest. But taking those little breaks means that whatever project I’m working on will consume more of my day. And that means trying to put in a full 8 hours worth of work could stretch to a 10- or 12-hour day.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve tried doing that, and it is 100% unsustainable for me. I burnt myself out, which only sets you back in managing CFS.
It’s not just a problem for freelancers and independent contractors with chronic illnesses. I’ve only been freelancing for 4 years but worked for employers for 24 years prior, so I’m very familiar with working a traditional full-time job while dealing with chronic illness.
In those cases, you might be paid hourly or salary, so it may not seem like brain fog is as big of a deal because it’s not directly impacting your pay or lengthening your workday. However, it does affect productivity, and if your superiors notice and take issue with it, it could lead to job loss.
(I know that, in some cases, you can ask for accommodations to be made in your workplace due to your condition. That wasn’t my experience, unfortunately. Sometimes, people with chronic conditions don’t know what they’re entitled to ask for to help them do their jobs and don’t have anyone to advocate for them—I hope this changes.)
3. Treatment for Chronic Illness Can Be Expensive
Let’s face it, the cost of health insurance is out of control these days, even with the health insurance marketplace. The so-called affordable health care is not affordable for many, and that’s a whole other issue that makes me really sad. No one should ever go bankrupt over medical debt. It just seems inhumane.
If you have really good insurance, you may not get hit so hard by the cost of managing a chronic illness. But if you’re like most people who don’t have a stellar health plan, you could get slammed with some large medical bills while trying to find some relief from your condition.
For those of us with CFS, treatment often involves things not covered by insurance. I haven’t met too many people with CFS in the US who have had success managing their symptoms solely through conventional medicine covered by their health plan.
And, of course, treatment tends to be trial and error. So you end up spending lots of money trying different things that don’t work in the hopes of finding something that does. That gets expensive.
Chronic Illness Takes a Toll on Your Financial Well-Being
There are certainly other ways that having a chronic illness can impact your financial situation, but these are my top three.
If you’re fatigued all the time and can’t focus due to brain fog, it’s incredibly difficult to hold down a full-time job. This can affect your income. Add expensive treatment not covered by insurance to that, and you’re left with even less money.
Because of this, some people with chronic illnesses only work part-time. Others may not work at all, particularly if they’re able to qualify for disability. Either way, you’re usually not rolling in dough—unless you make a killing in your part-time work or your partner has a high income.
Based on many of the comments I see in CFS forums and social media posts, it sounds like most people with this condition are living on a tight budget. To me, that feels like adding insult to injury. You already feel like crap because of your condition, and then you have to worry about making ends meet or having enough disposable income to have a little fun every now and then.
So, that’s why I think it’s important to acknowledge the fact that having a chronic illness can create financial constraints.
Also, it’s important to recognize that it’s not your fault. You’re not lazy if your illness makes it difficult to work full-time. And you still deserve to enjoy your life.
My goal with this blog is to explore ways to make life with chronic illness feel a little better. Part of that is figuring out ways to save money on the things you need while also looking for ways to make fun more affordable.
Keep an eye out for future posts about living on a tight budget with chronic illness!
