We Are Not Alone: Learning to Live with Chronic Illness [Paperback]

Sefra Kobrin Pitzele (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 9, 1986

This is an essential layperson-Ys guide to coping with chronic illness-- or the 50 million Americans who suffer from diseases such as arthritis, diabetes, and multiple sclerosis, and for the people who care for them.

With firsthand insights of one who has been there, Sefra Pitzele details every phase, from the frightening onset of disease through the process of readjustment to the successful adaptation to new norms. She addresses the issues that most concern the chronically ill: dealing with relationships; participating in sexual activities; helping your doctor help you; managing pain and depression; maintaining humor and dignity; more. She details adaptive living strategies from new ways to shop and cook to ingenious modifications at home and at work. There are nationwide listings of helpful organizations, support groups, products, and services. 44,000 copies in print.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

-_This is a book about redesigning your life . . . about how to live better, not just differently.-" --Sefra Kobrin Pitzele

We are not alone offers inspiration and practical living strategies to millions of Americans suffering from chronic illnesses s

About the Author

Sefra Korbin Pitzele is Secretary of the National Sjogren's Syndrome Association and serves on the Operations Committee of the Minnesota Chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America. She is co-founder, co-publisher, and Vice President of ADVANTAGE: A Magazine for People with Chronic Health Conditions. She is often the featured speaker at healthcare conferences and on radio and television shows.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Workman Publishing Company; 1 edition (January 9, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0894801392
• ISBN-13: 978-0894801396
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,068,003 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My All-Time Favorite Book for Dealing with Chronic Illness, March 14, 2001

By 

Shelley L. Ensz (Edina, MN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: We Are Not Alone: Learning to Live with Chronic Illness (Paperback)

As webmaster of Scleroderma from A to Z (sclero.org), a 550+ site that is available in 11 languages, I have read dozens of health and medical books. This remains my #1 personal favorite due to Sefra's practical advice for learning how to understand and cope with chronic (and often baffling!) illness.

Sefra spoke several times for our state scleroderma organization. She was always lively, entertaining, and a huge hit with the crowd.

Sefra passed away last year, right after another surgery. It never feels right for someone so geniuine and full of life and love, and a comforting shoulder, to be so suddenly gone from our midst.

Thankfully, she left behind her words, her wisdom, and her wit to keep us company. Please get this book. Read it and cherish it, and you will know, for sure, that you are not alone when it comes to dealing with chronic illness.

24 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good description of grief; contains practical information, November 13, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: We Are Not Alone: Learning to Live with Chronic Illness (Paperback)

Pitzele, who has two chronic illnesses, has really put together a very informative and readable book. I liked her lists and her description of where to put things in the grocery cart. This book should be read in tandem with Cheri Register's Living with Chronic Illness--Register does a better job of handling the emotions, while Pitzele does well at practical matters. I also liked her book One More Day, a meditation book for chronically ill people. One drawback--Pitzele seems to be hard-nosed in dealing with feelings, discussing how people should pull themselves together and be adults. I think there is a time for going through one's emotions, and that is why I recommend reading Register's book alongside.

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent!, May 22, 2011

By 

Lynne M. LaBianca "pocket pooh" (Rhode Island) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: We Are Not Alone: Learning to Live with Chronic Illness (Paperback)

The best tell it like it is book on Chronic Illness I have seen yet. To the point. We don't need a lot of jibber jabber, what we need is good facts and feelings from others and that's what this author gives us. She suffers herself and that makes the best author to write this type of book.