Customer Reviews

Living Well with a Hidden Disability: Transcending Doubts and Shame and Reclaiming Your Life

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is an excellent book about the realities of living with a hidden disability and loving someone who is disabled. I heard the author give a book talk recently and I was impressed by her groundedness. She is not interested in blaming the ill person and addresses the real issues of trying to work, having a social life, dealing with doctors and just plain trying to make it through a day. This is the best book I have read on the subject and I have read many.

I find the book to be a great resource, providing helpful and much-sought advice regarding living with chronic pain. I can identify with many of the author's vignettes about how to deal with others, how to deal with the medical profession and how to deal with my difficulties of living with a seemingly invisible condition. It is reassuring to know that there are others who also struggle with chronic conditions; their life experiences provide insight and clues into how to continue to strive to live a full life no matter how much pain or illness is there.

I have chronic fatigue syndrome and people constantly make insensitive comments, such as suggesting I'm depressed or stressed out. The author of this book validates that conditions like CFS are real even if other people question the problem. There are tons of helpful suggestions about how to deal with insensitive remarks from others, and how to still feel good about yourself even if you are ill. I also like the focus on the possible environmental causes of health problems which isn't talked about very much. I learned some good advice about reducing my exposure to chemicals, and I've already instituted some of these.

Taylor and Epstein do an incredible job of sensitively addressing the particular issues faced by those with disabilities that are not obvious to others, and those who care for them.
Different ways to deal with emotions, spouses, children, co-workers, friends, finances and doctors are just a few of the topics.
The authors intersperse anecdotes, and keep the tone consistently friendly and empowering.
This is a book that you'll go back to for encouragement along what can be a very lonely path.

I've had migraines since I was a teenager, and I wish I had a dollar for everytime someone told me I should just relax or that I was some sort of stress case. I've always felt that I was damaged to be so weak as to have a chronic health problem. I felt s relieved while reading this book! The author seems to really understand the agony of having physical pain that other people can be so cavalier about. I really got a lot out of this book and really liked the chapters on relationships, work, and self esteem. I'd definitely recommend anyone who has an invisible illness to check this one out.

Finally a book that validates my experience of living with a chronic illness! The author understands how frightening and frustrating it is when you're sick and no one understands! I've shared it with one friend who has lupus and another with MS, and they both loved it!

This is a terrific book for anyone with a hidden disability. The book is very well written and is coming to you straight from someone who knows themselves how difficult it is to live with hidden disabilities. It is very thorough and deals with different personality types and situations.

As a previous writer wrote for everyone who made a silly suggestion to me regarding my sleeping problems (not understanding its severity) I would have filled up enough pages to write a book. She talks about the many different types of responses one recieves with a hidden disability and nails it so eloquently.

She is right there with us and offers great ideas of how to get by how to deal with Drs. Friends and Family, and Coworkers. There is so much support that a person with a hidden disability does not recieve and this book is a gift for anyone with one as it really is helpful.

Ms. Taylor's book is as needed now as it was in 1999. Fortunately a lot of attention has been paid to making places wheelchair accessible, etc. but this book really brings the shame and doubt of hidden disability into the spotlight. A "hidden disability" and piece of shame that wasn't addressed, though, is the kind people feel who can't 'settle down and do just one thing.' ...

I immediately felt a kinship with the authors when I began reading this book. They truly understand the feelings of one who has a chronic illness; the guilt, pain, embarrassment, solitude, inability to explain our situation well, being a burden, and then, more guilt. We are no longer who we once were. Medications cause confusion, loss of words, and brain 'fog' that can further diminish our self-esteem. We want to shout out that we ARE intelligent, used to or can at times be articulate, tired of being patronized by doctors, made to feel that we are complainers, etc. I still refer to this book whenever I am restricted to bed and feeling the need for some inspiration and understanding. Thank you to the authors!

I have spent sizeable chunks of my life in guy mode, ignoring pain that was gradually taking over more and more of my life. I was pleased to pick up this book, which spoke clearly about the issues and pain I had been going through and provided very useful help with managing the symptoms and, probably more importantly, the people in my life. Kudos also for the web sources provided at the end of the book, which are pointing me to ways to discuss (finally) my pain with my doctor and others. I'd strongly suggest this book to anyone thinking about the way they are managing anything from constant minor aches to more significant sources of pain in their lives.