This section is dedicated to expectations and their realistic management. We think it is helpful and necessary to have realistic expectations both about how long it will take to recover, and what final outcomes are reasonable to expect.
We try to describe what is reasonable to expect if things go according to plan. This is not an exact science and we hope that most of what we produce in this section will be added to by the experiences of patients and carers as time goes on.
The meaning of ‘short’, ‘medium’ and ‘long’ term in absolute times varies greatly across the many different conditions we cover; the approximate times in days / weeks / months / years will thus be specified for each condition.
When reading the various entries in this section, please read the information wisely: the descriptions are based on statistical evidence and, in some instances, other empirical data. Statistics do not apply to individuals and are not directly applicable to predict exactly what will happen to you. However, knowing what tends to happen, averaged over a large cohort of cases, is useful to get a general impression and to set expectations at realistic levels. This in turn, avoids frustrations and disappointment later on.