People may not realise it, but feeling lonely and feeling alone are two very different things. Feeling lonely is when you feel like you don't have people around you/friends, or you don't have a social life - lacking. Feeling alone is when you feel like you're the only person in the world - on your own. For most people, being on their own is a god send; it gives them a chance to do things that they couldn't do before or just some peace and quiet.
I felt very alone this time last year (Mar/Apr 2012). I was having a major flare-up of my arthritis and it felt like the world was going on without me. I didn't feel lonely because I always had my family or friends to chat to. Okay, there is a big difference when you live 200 miles away from everyone, but Skype makes things a bit easier. Anyway, when you have a chronic illness like arthritis (I didn't have Crohn's at the time) and all your friends are all healthy, you start to feel like you're the only one who has something wrong with them. My friends don't understand that I can't walk for very long, and I don't think they'll ever understand. My boyfriend and best friend have even said that they can't empathise because they have never felt what I feel. I ended up having to have counselling because I just felt so down and alone.
It's silly really what you end up feeling. I'm sure that people who don't have chronic illnesses feel similarly occasionally, but when you don't know anyone else who goes through you do and who knows what you are going on about, it really does feel like you are the only one in the world with the problem.
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