Customer Reviews

You Don't Look Sick: Living Well With Invisible Chronic Illness

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Having lived with a wicked case of Fibromyalgia for years, I wish this book had been around in the beginning. Until I was officially diagnosed, family and friends thought I was some kind of pathetic sympathy-seeking hypochondriac. Now they understand; but at the time, it was most definitely a case of "You don't look sick. What's up with THAT?!" I recommend this book for anybody diagnosed with a non-visible chronic illness who needs to take care of themselves, treat themselves well, and deal with all those nay-sayers who take a seeming eternity to get on-board with the diagnosis. This book is a winner!

This book had me nodding in agreement, laughing out loud, and finally crying that someone else actually understood what I have been living with. It is a mixture of personal essay from a patient's view and advice on chronic illness from a doctor's view. I will be handing out copies of this to my mother and my friends just so they understand better what life is like for me. The tone of the personal essays is both upbeat and friendly. Even in the section where she is clearly ticked-off, the anger is told from the perspective of a woman who has lived and learned. She passes on her wisdom in a "Girlfriend's Guide" style that is easy to read again and again and again... It made me feel better than any of my recent doctor's visits! Thank you Joy!

I just finished "You Don't Look Sick" and it is fantastic!! I am going to make it required reading for my Medical Family Therapy graduate students. It is the only book I know that has a clear and compelling view of the patient's process from symptoms to thriving, woven together with the physician's wisdom and voice. The process of reading the book creates for the reader an experience of collaboration and punctuates in it's evocative nature, the imperative of integrated and recursive care.

This book provides an excellent account of the struggles faced by people with chronic illness and advice for their families. Inspirational guidelines provided for finding 'peace' with the limitations placed on the lives of the chronically ill.

As one who has dealt with invisible chronic illness for years I am all too familiar with the issues with insurance coverage that she chronicals in her book. I long ago came to the conclusion that getting an insurance claim paid had less bearing on the validity of the claim, than it did on one's willingness to fight for what is rightfully yours. I have reached the point of acceptance and living well. It was wonderfully validating to read how similar our stories are, and that there is so much hope and promise for a full and productive life living with a chronic illness. Thank you, it is a very valuable book.

I have an auto-immune disease and often have trouble with folks not understanding that I am ill or how ill I am .... because "I don't look sick" , I don't have a cast on my leg, bandages... this book helps me deal with my internal dialogue and my process of dealing with some of these emotions. It has helped me deal with what to say to others as well.

This book is very helpful to one with a chronic illness and for someone trying to cope. I highly recommend that patients, doctors and family read it and be enlightened.

The book was awesome for those of us that suffer with disease's while still "looking ok". My disappointment came when I saw that I could have bought the book for $24.99 on an order form that came inside the book,and the prices on Amazon were $99.00 and used -$69.00. It sure did make it an easy decision to consider other ways to order things.

This book made my laugh, cry, feel like I was not alone.....I hope Joy writes another and soon......

I was disappointed in what seemed like a promising book about chronic illness and coping. There are more useful books out there, like "JUST FINE: Unmasking Concealed Chronic Illness and Pain" ..which is also a recent release.

This one seemed like a journal, but didn't offer a great deal of practical or unique advice other than someone's personal journey.