Learning Sickness: A Year with Crohn's Disease (Capital Discovery) [Hardcover]

Jim Lang (Author)

Book Description

Series: Capital Discovery | Publication Date: March 2004

earning Sickness is the compelling narrative of Jim's battle with Crohn's Disease. Diagnosed at the age of 26, Jim spent the next five years coming to terms with how to live with a chronic illness. During that time he fathered two children, earned a Ph.D., accepted his first teaching position, and launched a writing career. Jim Lang provides an absolutely unflinching look at the way the disease can penetrate into every aspect of a person's life: physical, emotional, and spiritual.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

When English professor Lang was first diagnosed with the inflammatory bowel ailment Crohn's disease, he was at an age--26--when most people feel immortal. He had had a history of good health despite poor dietary habits; now he was told there was little he could do to alter the course of the illness. In the first few years after diagnosis, he behaved as before, and flare-ups were mild and quickly responsive to prescribed medications. The honeymoon ended when he was 33, and the disease almost completely disabled him. Forced to learn what it means to be sick, he grappled with issues of diet, alcohol, the limitations of pharmaceutical intervention, and communicating with doctors. And he came to grips with God, family, truth, and personal responsibility. His frank, intimate chronicle of the worst year of his life details suffering the pain and the ignominy of a severe bout of Crohn's, and it shares invaluable, hard-earned wisdom about how anyone with a debilitating disorder may learn to accept the cards he or she has been dealt and get on with living. Donna Chavez
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"As much about a young man grappling with life's big questions as it...about being a Crohn's patient." --Library Journal, March 1, 2004

"His frank, intimate chronicle of the worst year of his life details...and shares invaluable, hard-earned wisdom." --Booklist, March 1, 2004

"The brilliance of the writing distinguishes this book." --Dr. Kevin McHugh, The Journal (Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada publication), Spring 2005 --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Capital Books; 1 edition (March 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931868603
• ISBN-13: 978-1931868600
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,105,570 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am a writer, lecturer, teacher, and musician. I write a monthly column on teaching and learning in higher education for The Chronicle of Higher Education. I am currently at work on a new book about cheating in higher education which will be published by Harvard University Press in 2013. I also write a bi-weekly blog about higher education, literature, religion, and whatever else is on my mind http://www.jamesmlang.com. I give frequent workshops and lectures on teaching and learning in higher education at colleges and universities at home and abroad, and I'm a member of the Fulbright Senior Specialist roster in higher education from 2011-2016.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars He tells it like it is, February 26, 2004

By 

J Bruce (Jaffrey, New Hampshire United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Learning Sickness: A Year with Crohn's Disease (Capital Discovery) (Hardcover)

James Lang reminded me of all the pain, fears and heartaches that most Crohn's patients experience in the early stages of Crohn's disease.

I've lived with Crohn's and its realities over 30 years since being diagnosed in college, and Jim covers all the bases. As an English professor and author, he skillfully addresses the multiple bathroom visits, constant early denial, self diagnosis (it's just indigestion), travel paranoia, and middle of the night hospital trips. They should give frequent flier miles for IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) hospital stays.

Most importantly, he personailizes the effect that chronic illness has on many aspects of life - family, marriage, friendships, faith, career, and self confidence.

"Learning Sickness" will benefit anyone who has or knows of someone with Crohn's disease, Colitis or almost any other chronic condition. It just doesn't go away. Fortunately, we have some people like Jim Lang, brave enough to share their story.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for friends and family members of IBD sufferers, January 27, 2005

By 

J. Rohr (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Learning Sickness: A Year with Crohn's Disease (Capital Discovery) (Hardcover)

For years, myself, my friends, and my family have struggled with feeling helpless as my physical and mental health fluctuate due to the unpredictable nature of IBD. Jim's book offers the heartfelt insights about coping with chronic disease that I have been either too tired or too afraid to admit to even my closest companions. While this book offers an honest voice I can commiserate with, it is a much needed resource for anyone who wants to understand what it means to be sick with IBD. I cannot recommend this book highly enough for both the sufferer and those who want to learn more.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This Crohns patient liked it!, November 20, 2004

By 

stefanie (Pa United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Learning Sickness: A Year with Crohn's Disease (Capital Discovery) (Hardcover)

As a 30-year-old who had Crohns for the past 6 years, I was interested in this book. It was well written and sweet. I often had the same feelings the author had about taking the darn pills every day and always feeling sick.
I also liked how he sat in church and prayed to feel better. I also went thru the, "Mad at God" stage b/c I was so sick and blamed him for my illness. It was nice to know that others feel the same way sometimes, and it helped ease a little of my guilt.
Great book for a Crohns or UC patient...or their family and friends... :)