Snow Days and the Struggles of a Friend

Today's view Outside my Window is a literal one. I am snuggled in the warm cushions of my loveseat still in my flannel pajamas and glad not to be out in the cold. Today's high temperature is to be MINUS 1 degree. And the wind chill puts us at minus 11! What??? We are in Colorado now, not Michigan. So today I will not be seeing much outside the walls of my home, and it leads me to ponder my own thoughts. So, here is another glimpse Inside My Heart. I have a friend. She is a woman I know only a little; she is in my little world but I have not had enough opportunities to get to know her. She is a lovely woman and she is facing some difficult and trying health concerns. The worst of it is she is undiagnosed. Most people do not know the anxiety of having serious health complications which affect every aspect of life. Even fewer know wht it means to have those problems and not know the reason. Undiagnosed. This status is the worst there is. Most of us can learn to face whatever it is that we must face. We are told the worst and once the shock ebbs we learn to cope. But, when we do not know what it is we are facing we do not cope well. It is a status of limbo. Fear and anxiety take hold and our minds conjure pictures of the worst outcome. Beyond that we often face a crazy thing from others. As time passes and we continue to live without a diagnosis people begin to think we are 'making it up'. They treat us as though we are a bit crazy, and cease to have compassion. So not only do we have these horrible symptoms of illness; our world shrinks and we feel as though we no longer have anyone who (whom?) we can trust and on whom we can rely. I worry about my friend. I believe that she is starting to feel this frustration and is facing it with few people who understand. She is on my mind and in my heart. I 'get it'. I know those feelings. I know that awful word. Undiagnosed. So, today I am pondering... how do I best help my friend? How do I help her face the fear and feel that she is not in this status alone? How do I best share my 8 years of experience with her? Ideas are welcome.