I think that the world is made up of many different types of people. So although there are going to be people who will judge you and think badly of ME, there will be others who won’t (and of those, there will be some who understand more or less immediately, and others for whom it will take time, but once they get there, it’ll be wonderful). And you won’t know which one they are unless you give them a chance. Which I know is really hard when you’ve gone through the trauma of living with the illness & being hurt.
Of my friends, I have some friends who stopped talking to me altogether when I got ill. I had friends who said such horrible things. And I didn’t expect it of them. But I also had friends (much fewer in number, but they exist), who stuck by me, accepted what I’m saying without question, and to this day they remain my friends.
I was in a relationship when I got ill, and I’m still with that same person. And even if, for whatever reason we do not remain together. I would always measure who comes after, by the actions of my current partner. Because he shows that people
do exist who will accept me and my illness - who can cope with it enough to stay, even once they know
all the scary and the hard parts of it. I’m not saying he’s perfect or that we don’t have arguments, because we definitely do! But I trusted him with it all (I had to), and in the end he accepted me as I am, and he expected nothing in return. I couldn’t do or even say much, especially during my most severest days when I could not do much of anything at all - and that went on for many years. There was no change in his willingness or need to want to help. And on my better days, he doesn’t expect any more even if I’m feeling better.
You said that you find it hard to trust someone unless they show empathy and understanding of ME. Thats understandable and fine, as long as you allow them time to work through that understanding and empathy. Because like Kitty says, sometimes that understanding doesn’t come straight away & it takes time to develop. Especially in intimate relationships.
I just think that if one person I know could do all that.. so could other people. It means there are other people like that out there. And it could be the new people you have been meeting! You can’t really know unless you give them a chance to show you who they are. I know that since you’ve been hurt and living with trauma, it’s so hard to do that, but these people do exist.
It is the same with therapists. You won’t know how they are with you, unless you give them a chance. Therapists are taught not to judge / jump to conclusions and to fully explore how an illness feels for you and what happens to you… if they don’t do that, they’re not a good therapist.
I know all of this is easier said than done. And it doesn’t negate all of the most difficult and awful experiences that chronically ill people have experienced. But I truly believe there are good people out there, maybe it’s harder to find them and a lot of people show their true colours when we become unwell, or when they hear you’re unwell.. but the good ones are still there. I hear about them, selfless partners and really kind and loving people, people who stay and people who care, in chronic illness circles quite a bit.