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Sick
Sick: A Life of Lyme, Love, Illness, and Addiction | Porochista Khakpour
37 posts | 29 read | 68 to read
In the tradition of Brain on Fire, an honest, beautifully rendered memoir of chronic illness, misdiagnosis, addiction, and the myth of full recovery that details author Porochista Khakpour's struggles with late-stage Lyme disease. For as long as writer Porochista Khakpour can remember, she has been sick. For most of that time, she didn't know why. All of her trips to the ER and her daily anguish, pain, and lethargy only ever resulted in one question: How could any one person be this sick? Several drug addictions, three major hospitalizations, and over $100,000 later, she finally had a diagnosis: late-stage Lyme disease. Sick is Khakpour's arduous, emotional journeyas a woman, a writer, and a lifelong sufferer of undiagnosed health problemsthrough the chronic illness that perpetually left her a victim of anxiety, living a life stymied by an unknown condition. Divided by settings, Khakpour guides the reader through her illness by way of the locations that changed her courseNew York, LA, New Mexico, and Germanyas she meditates on both the physical and psychological impacts of uncertainty, and the eventual challenge of accepting the diagnosis she had searched for over the course of her adult life. With candor and grace, she examines her subsequent struggles with mental illness, her addiction to the benzodiazepines prescribed by her psychiatrists, and her ever-deteriorating physical health. A story about survival, pain, and transformation, Sick is a candid, illuminating narrative of hope and uncertainty, boldly examining the deep impact of illness on one woman's life.
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allureofbeauty
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rather_be_reading
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Good but not great. Good gracious she had alot going on. I wanted her to get more in depth about her Lyme.

45 likes1 stack add
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rather_be_reading
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Book 50

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Megabooks
Sick: A Memoir | Porochista Khakpour
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Pickpick

This is Porochista‘s journey to a Lyme Disease diagnosis. The book is sectioned into the many moves she‘s made - LA, NYC, Baltimore, rural PA, Leipzig, and Santa Fe. But she also discusses how her relationships with her parents and various men have invalided or helped her illness. And of course she talks about the (familiar to us with chronic illness) bouncing among doctors and healers and the incumbent frustrations. Definitely recommend! ⬇️

Megabooks This would work for #iran #readingasia as the author was born there and lived there in childhood until immigrating to the US. I didn‘t mention in the main review, but her Iranian identity is a major theme in the book as well. @BarbaraBB @Librarybelle 3y
Cinfhen Oh, that‘s good to know regarding #ReadingAsia21 3y
Librarybelle Great review! 3y
See All 16 Comments
BarbaraBB This sounds very interesting. Such a nasty disease. 3y
kaysworld1 Hey hun can you tag me in the post of the #newyearwhodis im going book shopping today see if I can pick any up i can get on audio xxx 3y
Crazeedi Lyme is such an insidious disease too. Sometimes you dont even realize what the Dx is till too late. I have 2 friends, one permanently disabled-he lost hearing, balance and many problems, the other had to undergo infusions of antibiotics for months. And he wasnt dx even after the standard tests, which many times arent sufficient. 3y
Megabooks @kaysworld1 done 👍🏻 3y
Megabooks @Cinfhen yes! 👍🏻👍🏻 3y
Megabooks @Librarybelle thanks! 😃 3y
Megabooks @BarbaraBB it was! And yes, very bad. 3y
Megabooks @Crazeedi I am so sorry about your friends. It truly is terrible, especially in PA. The author had to pay out of pocket for a $2500 Lyme test to get diagnosed and she also had to undergo infusions and take over 100 pills a day for awhile when her disease was active. I don‘t understand why they can‘t make an affordable human test for Lyme when we have one for pets. We also have a Lyme vaccine for dogs. 3y
Megabooks @Crazeedi the book was supposed to be a woman‘s triumphant return to health, and while she did get healthy after her deep treatment in Santa Fe, she then traveled extensively to promote a book and was in a car accident that reactivated her Lyme. Truly insidious! 3y
Crazeedi @Megabooks you said exactly what we have talked about endlessly, there are vaccines for other diseases, and how many billions given to pharma for covid. And how many hundreds of thousands of people have been devastated by lyme. I guess the financial incentive isnt there? Its disgusting. My husband had lyme twice now, fortunately we realized early and was treated quickly. 3y
Megabooks @Crazeedi I could go on and on (seriously) about why pharma and research dollars go where they go. But all I will say is the most profitable thing a drug company can develop is a pill you take every day (cholesterol meds, antidepressants, pain killers) and convince doctors to prescribe it to a whole lot of people. Vaccines, antibiotics, etc. aren‘t good for the bottom line because they cost a lot to develop and may never be profitable. ⬇️ 3y
Megabooks The Covid vaccine got fast tracked because a whole lot of people in and whole lot of places have died in a short period of time, but there are diseases who have killed as many if not more people over a longer period of time that may never have a vaccine or clear treatment protocol. (edited) 3y
Crazeedi @Megabooks you've said it better than I ever could. 100% exactly correct. It disgusts me 3y
99 likes5 stack adds16 comments
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Megabooks
Sick: A Memoir | Porochista Khakpour
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Jumping (spinning 😉) on board! I put in four of my nightstand books. #indecisivemonday

Thank you to whoever posted about this first!

CuriousG I really enjoyed this book 3y
Megabooks @CuriousG it is really good! I‘m close to finishing it. Today, if I don‘t get too distracted. 3y
85 likes2 comments
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Megabooks
Sick: A Memoir | Porochista Khakpour
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A memoir about chronic illness while I‘m going through an active phase of my chronic illness? I think so. We‘ll see if this works for me. #bookmail

I also got some new floating shelves in the mail...wonder why I need them...🤔😂

#memoirgals @Cinfhen

WorldsOkayestStepMom Chronic illnesses suck. I'm dealing with a massive pain flare too. 3y
Megabooks @WorldsOkayestStepMom I am so sorry! They do suck. My thoracic outlet syndrome is all flared up. 3y
JennyM Sending hugs, Meg 😘 3y
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Megabooks @JennyM thanks, Jenny! 💜💜 3y
Reviewsbylola I‘ll have to stack this. I‘ve realized recently that I just tend to ignore my own chronic illness, especially the hand it plays in my anxiety and mental health. 3y
Megabooks @Reviewsbylola yes, so far she‘s covering a lot of important bases from stress in childhood to the role that adult vices play to the struggle to get doctors to understand/believe. I‘m finding it very relatable. I‘d also be remiss not to mention this excellent book, which really helped me understand my pain and also the role being a woman plays in chronic illness. 3y
Megabooks @Reviewsbylola and also, I‘m sorry you have health problems too. It sucks it just f***ing sucks! 3y
Cinfhen This sounds like it could be helpful, Meg 💓💓💓sorry that you‘re all dealing with chronic pain @WorldsOkayestStepMom @Reviewsbylola 3y
Megabooks @Cinfhen thanks Cindy. 🥰🥰 I used to avoid pain memoirs but I‘m finding them more helpful than I used to. 3y
Reviewsbylola Mine doesn‘t involve pain, luckily. Just a lot of other funky symptoms. @cinfhen. It‘s Graves Disease, with my thyroid, and I‘ve struggled with it basically my whole life. I usually just ignore it but it‘s gotten to a point where I really have to examine the issues it‘s caused and try taking a different approach, I think. 3y
Reviewsbylola Thanks for the rec Meg! 3y
Cinfhen I know we‘ve discussed your chronic illness before @Reviewsbylola I‘m happy to hear you‘re thinking of dealing with it instead of ignoring it 😘 3y
Cinfhen Sometimes knowledge really is power, Meg. Although you are definitely an informed patient 💜 3y
Megabooks @Reviewsbylola it is so hard to do the right thing for your body sometimes because many times it is difficult to make life adjustments, etc. for whatever reason. Sending support! 3y
Megabooks @Cinfhen yes, that‘s part of the reason I‘m happy to have so much medical knowledge! The author has CDC reported Lyme Disease plus multiple problems from car accidents. I‘ve always suspected I may have had erlichosis (another tick borne disease) based on a tick I missed for awhile and speciated based on my location and the tick‘s morphology. 🤷🏻‍♀️ when I became symptomatic, I got my doctor to call in the appropriate course of doxycycline, ⬇️ 3y
Megabooks @Cinfhen but maybe it‘s stuck around. 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️ I probably know more about tick-borne illness than 95% of human doctors. Very well covered in vet school. 3y
Cinfhen You‘re like Dr. House ....I think you can diagnosis the hell out of most medical mysteries 3y
Reviewsbylola I think the hardest part for me is understanding how my anxiety ties into my Graves Disease and how to keep that balance between the two to mitigate symptoms on both fronts. 3y
Megabooks @Cinfhen as far as parasites, yes! I always do well with those episodes. I‘m pretty good with tumors and odd symptoms too. But otherwise, no. Plus, I‘m nicer! 😉😃 3y
Megabooks @Reviewsbylola yes, the thyroid can be sneaky when it comes to moods. I think we‘re still discovering a lot about the endocrine system and how it effects other aspects of health, especially in women whose other hormones can fluctuate during the month and through pregnancy. Women are still deeply underrepresented in many, many health studies. 3y
britt_brooke Hope you‘re feeling ok, sweet friend! 3y
Megabooks @britt_brooke thanks Britt! I‘m doing better than I was last week, so that‘s good. 💜 3y
Anna40 💛 3y
102 likes7 stack adds25 comments
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bookishbitch
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Pickpick

A book club read. I found this to be told and written well. Sometimes a story makes you grateful for the life you have. This is one of those times. Sadly many of these stories about health issues don't have a tidy ending, because the issues are ongoing. Also sad are how many ways the health care system can fail you. I look forward to chatting about this one in book club.

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bookishbitch
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Our next book club pick.

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bibliocurl
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Book 1- Sick: A Memoir by Porochista Khakpour #Deweys24hourreadathon #Deweyapril 📚

balletbookworm Oh I love that one. 💖 5y
18 likes1 comment
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samjmitchell
Pickpick

he first 80% of the book is Porochita‘s life in her teenage years until her thirties. She dates, drinks, and does a lot of drugs. She doesn‘t ever feel quite right. She‘s always sick. A doctor mentions Lyme disease but she never pursued it. It goes from her being sick to better multiple times. Finally, she meets some friends that insist she needed to get help. The last 40 pages were 5 star for me, you just have to get there. 4/5.

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captainpunchmerica
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Pickpick

This book is beautiful and haunting. The author‘s candor is amazing as is her perspective on herself and on her illness.

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captainpunchmerica
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This book is raw and revelatory and a great way to lose track of time on your lunch break

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Natasha_Huey
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Pickpick

"Sick" is not trying to be anything other than the truth. I really appreciated this window into the day to day experience of someone with a chronic illness & how the intersections of identity influence whether our pain is believed. It took my mom over 11 tries to get diagnosed with lupus & not "it's all in your head." This book is such a necessary mirror to many unspoken cruelties of being chronically sick in this country & I'm so grateful for it.

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tholmz
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Pickpick

Really a frustrating, upsetting read. I have nothing but admiration for Khakpour, who is not living an easy existence. I thank her for sharing with us.

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Charysselya
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An apt read as I recover from hysterectomy and continue on my journey with endometriosis and fibromyalgia. Still adjusting to the words that finally explain so much.
#womenspain #sickness #chronicpain #hysterectomy #recovery

bookishbitch Have you read Ask me about my uterus yet? It is another good one. 5y
Charysselya @bookishbitch yep! It‘s actually what led me down my diagnostic path. I rec it to everyone I can. So thanks for rec it to me ^_^ 5y
11 likes1 stack add2 comments
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abbylibrarian
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Having a great audiobook improves my life so much! I have more energy for exercising, cleaning, and running errands so I can listen! (I am enjoying SICK more than I thought I would. Memoirs make great audiobooks and the narrator does a great job.) #memoir #medical #audiobook

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BarbaraTheBibliophage
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Pickpick

The author details her harrowing experience trying to find an solution to chronic illness. Along the way she moves all over and dates a bunch of folks. This is the way young single women live, yet she finds few answers in her hunt for wellness, love, and career. The book is heartbreaking. Some parts are nearly interminable, and I‘ll bet that‘s just how she felt. Lyme disease is no joke.

Full review at www.TheBibliophage.com
#thebibliophage2018

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BarbaraTheBibliophage
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1. Benji (and then we adopted a dog who looked a lot like the movie‘s MC)
2. French Fries - shoestring preferably
3. 🤷🏼‍♀️ Long story ... not listening to music right now (hopefully only temporarily)
4. Sick is a book about a young woman finding her way in life amidst a mysterious chronic illness
5. You bet I will! 💙

#friyayintro @jesshowbooks

Bklover I sometimes have to bypass music in my life as well. 💜 6y
sprainedbrain Yes to the shoestring fries! 😋 6y
BarbaraTheBibliophage @Bklover Thanks. I‘m sure you miss it when you do! 6y
BarbaraTheBibliophage @sprainedbrain Nom nom nom. Now I want some! 6y
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everlocalwest
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Mehso-so

I am interested in the stories of people with chronic illness b/c I know nothing about medicine/health but I have many health care professionals and one medical intuitive (with a chronic illness) in my family and the debates are heavy.
I was excited to read this but ultimately felt it was more a memoir about being sick and feeling displaced by illness than a book about dealing with Lyme and medical care. Not a bad book just not what I was hoping.

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BarbaraTheBibliophage
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Library hold for this just came in ... away I go! I‘m expecting it to be a rough read, since I‘ve been through some intense Lyme treatment myself. I‘ve read the comments about her messy relationships being more prominent than her illness. Hoping i don‘t feel that way...

#nonfiction #memoir #chroniclyme #lymedisease #lymie #spoonie #chronicillness

catiewithac I really enjoyed this book, but I wish she had used this opportunity to provide more education about Lyme‘s Disease. I‘m a RN and I still wouldn‘t understand if someone just responded with “Lyme” in response to health history questions. 6y
BarbaraTheBibliophage @catiewithac Even without reading her book, I can agree with you. Lyme (Not Lyme‘s) is so complicated. If you‘d like to read more, this is my GR shelf with lots of choices. https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/3932962-barbara-the-bibliophage?shelf=lyme... 6y
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UrsulaMonarch
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Pickpick

I found this book fascinating, frustrating, beautiful, and unbelievable. The author shows so many facets of living with a chronic illness while owning her own unreliability and lack of clarity. While I was tempted at times to put the book down, I always found the writing too captivating to abandon.

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sakeriver
Pickpick

The more I think about it, the more remarkable I think this book is. So much of what we expect from a memoir, especially a memoir about illness, is narratives of healing and personal growth, tied up with a bow. But throughout SICK, Khakpour undercuts that narrative, offering no neat closures, no tidy resolutions. She demands to be seen as nothing more or less than herself. I don‘t think I‘ve ever read anything like this before.

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ShellBell1021
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Mehso-so

Slightly more about the author's trainwreck relationships than actual health issues...

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sakeriver
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Alright, let‘s do this.

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razmanda
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Pickpick

Phenomenal book, phenomenal cake. Khakpour takes the reader through years of mystery illnesses, addiction and desperation, and while there‘s not quite a happily ever after, there is resolution. Her honesty and candor are incredible.

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CuriousG
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So it is WAY too hot out to get the truck/trailer packed up without almost passing out. Taking lots of breaks to read a few pages and cool down. Although this book is going to make me even more paranoid about bugs than I already am 😕 #bugissues #stayaway #tickchecksareessential

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CuriousG
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It may have rained all weekend, but it's sunny now and this is the perfect end to a Tuesday...book, comfy chair, and a fire #naturetherapy #readingoutdoors

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catiewithac
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Pickpick

This memoir of illness reads like a mystery novel. I was eager for the diagnosis, but curiously horrified at the author‘s descent into addiction and unhealth. I have taken care of chronic disease sufferers in the hospital and have always deemed it best to listen to them. Yes, they can be demanding and particular patients, but they are the ones living in their bodies and know what works for them. This is a very personal memoir.

CouronneDhiver I don‘t think I‘m ready for this one now, but it sounds super interesting! 6y
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marianese
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I reviewed this kickass memoir for the Minneapolis Star Tribune!

RaimeyGallant You're awesome! 6y
marianese @RaimeyGallant Aw, thanks! ♥️ 6y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Welcome to Litsy!!! 6y
See All 8 Comments
thereadingowlvina Welcome to Litsy!!! 💕👋 6y
Bookspirit 👋☺ Welcome to Litsy and Congrats on becoming a Litten!👏😊 6y
marianese @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks happy to be here! 6y
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NoFrigateLikeABook
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Pickpick

Read it.

saresmoore I want to, but I‘m scared to, but I want to... 6y
Notafraidofwords @saresmoore I can‘t. I‘m so nervous that I‘ll convince myself that I have what she has. This is no good for my anxiety. 6y
saresmoore @Notafraidofwords My thoughts exactly! Ha! And the healthcare system is generally upsetting. 6y
Bookspirit @saresmoore , @Notafraidofwords I'm also scared of reading books which might make me more depressed. You guys think so too ? 6y
Bookspirit Bravo bravehearts for reading 'sick' 👍☺ 6y
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balletbookworm
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#riotgrams Day 10 - a book that deserves more readers! Everyone, go out and buy or borrow from your library @pchza memoir Sick, that just released on June 5. A wonderfully crafted work that lays out in detail how she has survived as both a person who feels/is displaced within the world and as a person with severe chronic illness. Beautiful writing, beautiful story beautiful person.

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mrozzz
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The discussion yesterday between Susannah Cahalan & Porochista Khakpour was so good/sad/informative that it went on for double the amount of time they usually go on for— but it was well worth my sticking around. Porochista went years without a diagnosis, & even with a Lyme diagnosis in hand doctors wouldn‘t believe her or not treat her for the symptoms she came to them for, and it‘s such an unfortunate reality for so many women seeking treatment.

GondorGirl I'm so jealous of your attending this event! Thank you for letting us live vicariously through you. ❤ 6y
Dorianna I pre-ordered this book because I had to have it. I bet the book talk was really amazing. 6y
mrozzz Happy to!! I love to share with a group who also appreciates the events as much as I do @GondorGirl 💜 6y
mrozzz @Dorianna Yay! Yes it was great... I was totally lost in it. I‘ve been looking forward to both the talk and the book for MONTHS 6y
113 likes5 stack adds4 comments
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Bookalong
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This informative Memoir came out yesterday! 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
#memoir #sickmemoir #porochistakhakpour #lymedisease #newrelease #booklover #review

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Erin01
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excited to start this one - have been hearing such great things + love the cover

Crystallinegirl In a similar vein is Invisible, about women with chronic health conditions. I'm one chapter into it and it's SO GOOD. 6y
Erin01 @Crystallinegirl yes I agree - I read that one earlier this year & absolutely loved it 6y
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Bookalong
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Pickpick

🌟🌟🌟🌟/5 Thank You @HarperPerennial for sending me this ARC. Out June 5th!
A journey of illness that reads more like a detective novel. Porochista has late-stage lyme disease, but it took years for her to get this diagnosis. She felt sick for most of her life. Her body always working against her. Brave, honest, and informative. A book that needed to be written. More people need to be aware of this at times debilitating to deadly disease.

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Bookalong
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Thank to Harper Perennial for sending me this ARC. Out June 2018. Looking forward to reading it!!
A story about survival, pain, and transformation, Sick is a candid, illuminating narrative of hope and uncertainty, boldly examining the deep impact of illness on one woman's life.
#memoir #bookworm #booklover #bookish

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balletbookworm
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Pickpick

A finely wrought memoir of Khakpour‘s battle with Lyme disease and, more broadly, how the early trauma and displacement of her childhood intertwines and muddies the challenge of “putting a name” to the cause of her symptoms. A personal fascination, was the revelation that Khakpour and I are almost exactly the same age - she has lived so much more life than I, I would have referred her to as one of the “older girls” had we been at the same school.