Free Downloads You Don't Look Sick!: Living Well With Chronic Invisible Illness
You DonÌt Look Sick chronicles one personÌs true-life story of illness and her physicians compassionate commentary as they journey through the four stages of chronic illnessÛGetting Sick, Being Sick, Grief and Acceptance and Living Well. The authors address such practical aspects as hiring a doctor, managing chronic pain, coping with grief and loss of function, winning battles with health and disability insurers, countering the social bias against the chronically ill, and recognizing the limitations of chronic illness care and charting a path for change and more. This warmhearted resource helps you focus on building a meaningful life as opposed to a life of frustration and fear. This book is thoroughly revised and updated based upon feedback from readers of the first edition. The authors have added a new section on Grief and Acceptance, address the passage of the Affordable Health Care Act and Dr. Overman has added practical travel tips that bring organization and focus to each phase of the journey. Designed for people at all stages of the chronic illness journey, this book is also illuminating for caregivers and loved ones. "
Paperback: 200 pages
Publisher: Demos Health; 2 edition (December 17, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1936303426
ISBN-13: 978-1936303427
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.4 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #228,968 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #54 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Diseases & Physical Ailments > Chronic Fatigue Syndrome & Fibromyalgia #514 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Professionals & Academics > Medical #1142 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Women's Health
I excitedly pre-ordered my copy last year and it arrived just after its release date the beginning of this month. As I read through this great guide to illness I found so many explanations of thoughts and feelings I hadn't previously been able to put into words regarding the nature of chronic illness and its effects.The book is written by Joy H. Selak and Steven S. Overman, MD - a patient and her doctor. Having both views represented in the same book is invaluable. One can not only empathize with Joy, the patient, but can gain beneficial insight into the thought process of doctors and great tips on how to navigate the medical world by one of its own. After reading this great reference I feel so much more at peace living with chronic illness. I think a lot of that is due to how Selak and Overman break up chronic illness into phases that one experiences, then explain and advise the reader on how to navigate each stage. The phases are Getting Sick, Being Sick, Grief and Acceptance, and Living Well.Selak illustrates her own experiences of living through each phase with multiple chronic issues, and explains how she continues to cope and live well despite her illness. Alternatively, Dr. Overman discusses how he helps his patients through each phase, offers tips on how patients can maximize their experiences with their doctors, and explains how to build a team of medical professionals to get the most out of one's treatment.I cannot recommend this book enough to those who are currently living with chronic illness as well as the friends and family of the chronically ill. It is my new favorite resource and I am sure I'll reference it many times to come.
I think this is a good book on living with chronic illness for a lot of chronically ill people. This book was written by Joy and her rheumatologist Dr. Overman. Joy's chronic illnesses started in the 1980's steadily worsening over time. Joy has multiple chronic illnesses like most of us. Joy and Dr. Overman came up with the Four Phases of Invisible Chronic Illness. I found that most of them overlapped in one way or another. Good advice was given throughout the book a lot of it useful for everyone that is chronically ill. Joy has multiple chronic illnesses like most of us. Joy also felt that a holistic like type of approach was better for her which I had trouble understanding when Dr. Overman gave her medication that helped her but she felt a stigma against taking. I liked the part of the book about grief and acceptance of your illness. That you have to mourn for your old life like a death and find a new path that your body can handle. I feel stuck in many of the phases portrayed in this book but this one is the worst for me. I started to get sick in my late teens and it got progressively worse until I have become completely disabled. I mourn for a life I never got to have. That is something very hard to get past. A part of the book I do not agree with is that Joy believes that she has gotten sick for a reason and that her illnesses are a blessing. I would not wish what I have on my worst enemy and it feels very far from a blessing. This is a good read. I think it will be helpful for a lot of people. I do not think you have to believe in all of the book for it to be helpful to you. I will be rereading it this book. The second time through I think you can take even away more from a book of this kind.
I chose to read this book because I have loved ones who live with chronic illness every day. I have also had to make a few modifications in my life as I learned to live with Endometriosis. Thankfully in my own situation, I have figured out how to best manage it so it doesn't interfere with my daily life. However, I felt that for the benefit of others, this book could provide me with further insight.In their book, You Don't Look Sick! (second edition), Joy and Dr. Overman tell the story of the four different phases of living with a chronic illness (Getting Sick, Being Sick, Grief and Acceptance, and Living Well), from the unique and experienced perspectives of patient and physician. Living with a chronic (and invisible) illness, for many patients, often means that in addition to living with their illness, patients also have to go through the daunting task of convincing people that their experiences are, in fact, real. Sometimes this process involves seeking advice from many different doctors. Dr. Overman explains that it is necessary for the health care team to work together with a Team Captain or a Coach to facilitate treatment and care plans for the best interest of the patient. It is also important for the patient to plan an active role in their own care plan.This book takes the reader through each stage of life with chronic illness with stories of physical and emotional struggles, physician's perspectives, and careful and detailed instructions to help those currently coping with a chronic illness learn how to navigate through each of the phases in order to ultimately reach the final goal of learning to live well with an illness. Joy explains what has worked for her in order to both manage her illness and find ways to enjoy life and participate in her community. Through his caring and professional insight, Dr. Overman sounds like the chronic illness patient's dream doctor! He offers valuable professional advice that readers of this book can use and implement in their personal lives to help maintain control of their medical situation.At the back of the book, there are additional resources including answered questions about the changes resulting from the Affordable Care Act, a list of helpful medical resource websites and disease-specific associations, and finally discussion questions for patient support groups that walk through each section of the book.I thought You Don't Look Sick! was great! It was a great combination of both perspectives. This book was a very easy and quick read. I would rate their book 5 stars and recommend it for anyone who is personally suffering from chronic illness, or knows someone who is.Note: A complimentary copy of this book was provided to me from Luxury Reading in exchange for an honest review. (Click to read my full review.)
You Don't Look Sick!: Living Well With Chronic Invisible Illness Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and the Yeast Connection: A Get-Well Guide for People With This Often Misunderstood Illness--And Those Who Care for Them Despite Lupus: How to Live Well with a Chronic Illness Living Well with Endometriosis: What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You...That You Need to Know (Living Well (Collins)) Living Well with Endometriosis: What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You...That You Need to Know (Living Well (Collins)) by Morris, Kerry-Ann 1st (first) Edition [Paperback(2006/4/4)] Living Well with Endometriosis: What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell That You Need to Know (Living Well (Collins)) by Morris. Kerry-Ann ( 2006 ) Paperback The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck: How to Stop Spending Time You Don't Have with People You Don't Like Doing Things You Don't Want to Do TOX-SICK: From Toxic to Not Sick TRAVELS WITH THE WOLF: A STORY OF CHRONIC ILLNESS (WOMEN & HEALTH C&S PERSPECTIVE) Prickly Cactus: Finding Meaning in Chronic Illness Medical And Psychosocial Aspects Of Chronic Illness And Disability The Psychoneuroimmunology of Chronic Disease: Exploring the Links Between Inflammation, Stress, and Illness The Ultimate Guide to Sex and Disability: For All of Us Who Live with Disabilities, Chronic Pain, and Illness The Vitamin Cure for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: How to Prevent and Treat Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Using Safe and Effective Natural Therapies Frugal Living: 55 Tips to Save Money! Enjoy Living on a Budget, Become Debt Free, and Have Complete Financial Independence (Frugal Living Books, frugal living for dummies, frugal living made simple) The Allergy Solution: Unlock the Surprising, Hidden Truth about Why You Are Sick and How to Get Well Defeat Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: You Don't Have to Live with It -- An Eight Step Protocol Don't Call Me Special: A First Look at Disability (A First Look At...Series) American Medical Association Complete Guide to Prevention and Wellness: What You Need to Know about Preventing Illness, Staying Healthy, and Living Longer ZeroZeroZero: Look at Cocaine and All You See Is Powder. Look Through Cocaine and You See the World. (Penguin History American Life)
