Should I inform my family of a health condition that I was diagnosed with?

[SummersBreeze]

I was sick last summer. My GP was prompted to send me to the hospital for a test and further evaluation. I was since diagnosed with a condition.

I am going to be prone to infections going forward. I experienced a flare within the past few weeks. Thankfully I was able to identify the signs and seek help from my GP. The condition that I have can get bad though and sometimes hospital treatment is needed.

I have some siblings living abroad. I don't want to have to go to the hospital for treatment and for this to be a shock to them who are living abroad. In my mind I am thinking I wipk be better off to inform them of my condition so that if I do need to go to hospital for treatment, it won't be a huge shock to them.

What do you think?
Should I inform them or keep it to myself?

Yes of course. I have crohns disease and my family have been a huge support to me over the years

I have a condition that's not chrons but a cousin to chrons and its diverticolosis and diverticulitis. I will be prone to infections in the gut or colon going forward. My goal is to keep everything moving at all times and never to get constipated.

Who you choose to tell would depend on your relationship with them?

My DH has the same conditions you have. The only person who knows about this is me. DH has siblings who he sees/has contact with but there's never been any cause to let them know of this health issue.

Can't imagine why I would ever tell a sibling this - especially if they lived abroad & I hardly ever saw them. Your health is absolutely none of their business and you have a right to your own privacy.

If there was a genetic component then I'd inform them. I'd also inform them if it was likely I'd be needing them to drop everything and come visit me in the hospital/stay for a while to nurse me. Other than that probably not. Having said that my sis usually knows when I've been unwell because my folks tell her before I get chance!

That depends entirely on your relationship with them. We can't answer that! I wouldn't tell my family, and they also wouldn't be told if I went into hospital. You seem to think your family would find out if you were, so what I would do is completely irrelevant to you!

It's down to whether you want to.
There's no right or wrongs, just personal choice.

What do you say when they ask “how are you?”. If they don’t ask, or they ask but aren’t interested, I can see why you’d not tell them. But otherwise I would have thought it would be natural to tell them.

My dad has MS. If it’s something like that I can’t imagine not sharing it - I get that you may not be close but that’s the sort of thing you do usually share and if you see each other then I think it’s relevant.

TBH one of my dads major motivators is that we live in an extended family that’s very big on secrecy and lies for no apparent real reason but I don’t understand cloak and daggers with family either way frankly.

Why wouldn't you share it? I've got IBS d- I'm aways looking for a toilet. My family would think it was very odd if I didn't tell them why.