When you hear acute and chronic what are the first things that come to mind?
Most people think of math when they think acute and of pot when they think of chronic.
Quite simply. acute means short-term and chronic mean long-term in the medical world.
An acute illness would be one that ends after a while. The flu or a cold are great examples. Breaking your leg or similar things are more long-term but still considered acute for the most part.
A chronic illness is one that is recurrent or long-term – essentially a life-long illness. Juvenile arthritis and Still’s disease are examples of this.
Some people lump certain types of cancers in with long-term or chronic illness, like breast cancer. This is definitely fine I think. On the other hand, some people lump some chronic illnesses like Still’s in with terminal illness. While it is likely that my disease will kill me in one way or another, I prefer not to look at it like this.
Arthur, to me, is a lifelong friend. I know that sounds odd, but it is what it is. He’s dealing with me, which isn’t easy either.