Welcome to Litsy!

Having just collected my fourth autoimmune disorder - rheumatoid arthritis! Yay!- I thought it was time to give this a listen. O‘Rourke does an excellent job of explaining why ADs are so difficult to diagnose, particularly in the US healthcare system. Freud, the “hysterical woman” trope, and the emphasis on treatment of acute issues all play a part. It‘s good to know that I‘M not the crazy one, finally. Highly recommended.

Chronically ill, O‘Rourke shares her struggles with finding a diagnosis to help manage her “invisible” condition which doesn‘t show up on traditional medical tests. She eloquently explained the feeling of hopelessness she experienced during her many visits with doctors, how it feels NOT to be believed, why she felt that alternative medicine held promise for her, and connecting with others in the online community as a way to feel seen. Audio is 👍

I usually avoid illness memoirs but this was gifted to me, and it‘s well written. Medicine still fails many living with chronic disease, and long Covid has demonstrated that amply. There‘s so much we still don‘t know about our bodies…

#BookNookBuddies2022 #BookSpinBingo #20in4
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This is two parts heartstring-pulling pain and philosophical pondering, combined with two parts anger and frustration. There‘s some hopefulness added in the manner of icing on the cake, but it‘s quite tentative. All in all, if a chronic illness has touched you or those you love, this book is a must-read. Extraordinarily well-done discussion of a difficult topic to capture.

Full review https://www.TheBibliophage.com #thebibliophage2022

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These came today.I love Meghan O‘Rouke‘s writing, essays,magazine & newspaper articles,her previous book,The Long Goodbye. Her stamina,grace,resolve,her tireless search for heath,her doggedness& determination in challenging the medical establishment leaves me in awe.She is a champion for all of us.
I am ready now for #sundaybuddyread in June.

Wow! I really felt seen by O‘Rourke‘s memoir about living with chronic illness. She shares her own struggles to be believed, diagnosed and treated. Alongside her compelling narrative is a general look at how medicine has largely ignored lingering conditions that disproportionately impact women. This should be required reading for healthcare professionals!

https://www.bookbub.com/blog/the-best-nonfiction-coming-out-this-spring

This was a hard but necessary read for me. Meghan, like many women, has an invisible illness. She was bounced around doctor to doctor and faced doubt and quackery both before improving enough to have children and live a relatively normal life. Like many of us with chronic illness, she has the sword of Damocles hanging over any recovery. She looks at it from her own perspective but also the larger narrative of the broken US healthcare system.

The author has written a heart wrenching raw look at life with a chronic illness.Her writing is so beautiful it makes the sadness of her illness her symptoms search for cures desperate for answers even more haunting,