Making Friends with Pain: Learning to Live Well with Chronic Illness [Paperback]

Elizabeth Flora Ross (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1999

Over 90 million Americans live with chronic illness. Author Elizabeth Flora, a Fibromyalgia patient, shares a candid, emotional account of life with chronic illness. Living well, she asserts, comes from learning to change our perspective. We tend to view pain as the enemy. We draw lines in the sand and prepare ourselves for battle. But expending energy in such a negative way serves no purpose. It is not the answer. She recommends that each patient learn to build a relationship with pain. Only when you begin to view pain as friend rather than foe that you can learn to live with it. This is the goal: to live well with pain, rather than in spite of it.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"My daughter and I discussed this book as we read. I learned more about her frustrations, emotions and coping skills by doing so." -- Jill Ashworth/Mother of Amy Gordon

"The author spoke my own mind much of the time. We seemed to have had such a similar experience." -- Amy Gordon/CFIDS, FMS Patient

"There is a real need today for a book like this! It is heartfelt, emotional, clearly written and insightful, and will be a great help to many people. It offers an excellent description of chronic illness from the patient's perspective." -- James Linsin/Psychologist

"This book should be required reading for everybody who lives with Chronic illness, and those who care about them." -- Lucie Staack/Diabetes Patient

"What a great book and excellent philosophy! It is a must read for health care professionals and their patients." -- Dan Kelley/Physical Therapist

About the Author

Elizabeth Flora Ross was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) in February 1998. She was discouraged at that time to find that there was little information available on the condition, and very few books on chronic illness written from the patient's point of view. So she decided to write one herself. MAKING FRIENDS WITH PAIN was her first book. Elizabeth grew up in St. Louis, Missouri and graduated from John Burroughs School. She holds a B.A. in Literature and Language from Webster University. After more than 15 years working as a marketing professional for several Fortune 500 companies, Elizabeth resigned in 2009 to care for her daughter. She is currently working on her second book, exploring her journey from proud, determined feminist to happy, content stay at home mom. In the 12 years since she was diagnosed with FMS, Elizabeth has been able to successfully manage her condition without medication, and spends most of her days pain free. She currently resides in Jacksonville, Florida with her husband and young daughter.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Sadie Books (June 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0967164125
• ISBN-13: 978-0967164120
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,530,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Elizabeth Flora Ross was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) in February 1998. She was discouraged at that time to find that there was little information available on the condition, and very few books on chronic illness written from the patient's point of view. So she decided to write one herself. MAKING FRIENDS WITH PAIN was her first book.

Elizabeth grew up in St. Louis, Missouri and graduated from John Burroughs School. She holds a B.A. in Literature and Language from Webster University. After more than 15 years working as a marketing professional for several Fortune 500 companies, Elizabeth resigned in 2009 to care for her daughter. She is currently working on her second book, exploring the decisions women raised during the second wave of feminism make concerning motherhood.

In the 12 years since she was diagnosed with FMS, Elizabeth has been able to successfully manage her condition without medication, and spends most of her days pain free. She currently resides in Jacksonville, Florida with her husband and young daughter.

Become a fan of Elizabeth on Facebook and keep up with her writing! Search for her official page, "Elizabeth Flora Ross, Writer." Then click on the "Become a Fan" button.

Follow Elizabeth's blog, "The Writer Revived" at http://thewriterrevived.blogspot.com/

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Informative, April 5, 2010

By 

Patrick Pohlmann "polo" (st. louis,mo) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Making Friends with Pain: Learning to Live Well with Chronic Illness (Paperback)

I thought this book was AMAZING!!! The author's journey was similar to mine in the fact that I too have FMS, and went through a journey to get diagnosed. She includes some helpful information on tips that she has tried and there were some that I found beneficial. It is a great book to pass along to family members and friends that are dealing with someone with ANY kind of chronic illness. I highly recommend it!

5.0 out of 5 stars At last, someone understands!, March 28, 2010

By 

Juliana Capshew "Lover of the World" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Making Friends with Pain: Learning to Live Well with Chronic Illness (Paperback)

After hungering for a book written from a first-person perspective, I found this one! I appreciate the books written by professionals, but I am tearily moved to hear someone else's journey with a fibromyalgia diagnosis and to feel like someone understands. I especially loved the chapter on relationships and helping loved ones cope with the diagnosis. I would love to give this book to every one of my friends upon diagnosis to support and strengthen them for the journey ahead. Elizabeth Flora Ross writes with compassion, insight, and grace. I hope this book helps a lot of people!

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic tool for learning to deal with pain, February 15, 2010

By 

Leslie M. Chamberlin (Macks Creek, MO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Making Friends with Pain: Learning to Live Well with Chronic Illness (Paperback)

I did not have a direct need for this book for my own pain issues, but have gifted this to various people over the years since it has been written turning to again recently for a friend. I have read it myself so that I can be an understanding friend and it has opened up healthy dialogue that I feel was really beneficial. A person that is dealing with any kind of pain, whether explained or unexplained, deals with many issues that go beyond the pain itself. This book deals with many issues that face a person going through something like that and also gives the person a sense that they are not alone. I feel there is no better gift you can give someone than that type of peace of mind. This is an easy, quick read with benefits for those going through some sort of pain and for those who love someone in that situation.