A Delicate Balance: Living Successfully with Chronic Illness

by Susan Milstrey Wells

Book Overview

Learn practical advice for living with a chronic illness in this thoughtful, compassionate collection of coping strategies from those who have experienced similar challenges.

Chronic physical illnesses--such as lupus, Sj gren's syndrome, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, inflammatory bowel disorders, Lyme disease, interstitial cystitis, and multiple sclerosis--take their toll on every aspect of a person's life. Though millions...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0738203238
• ISBN13: 9780738203232
• Release Date: July 2000
• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Length: 312 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.3" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

One of the best of this kind.

If you have a chronic medical problem, and you want to prove you can go on working, get this book; if you need to get a disability retirement and you want to prove that you are entitled to it, get this book. If you just want to know that somebody understands, get this book.

One of the Best Chronic Illness Books on the Market

This is an incredibly well written book with a balance between narrative insights and valuable technical information. The author is quite candid in her personal experience with chronic illness and the resources at the end of the book are excellent and not the usual "run of the mill". I love her quote about the importance of first person narratives. "For those of us who are ill, chronic illness sets us apart. But when we read about the experiences of others, we realize we are not alone and that healing is available to all of us, regardless of our disease." While Wells includes the usual information about good doctor/patient relationships and the importance of spirituality and alternative methods of healing, her real strength lies in her incredible ability to get the emotional heart of the various aspects of being chronically ill. I found her chapter "From Denial to Acceptance and Back Again" to be amazing in its clear articulation of the emotional stages of chronic illness and the profound isolation that can result from that experience. Everyone with a chronic illness should read and keep this book in their personal health library.