The Things We Don't Say: An Anthology of Chronic Illness Truths

by Julie Morgenlender

Overview

Chronically ill people don't always talk about it. Until now.

Spanning different ages, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, and diagnoses, forty-two authors from around the world open up in fifty true stories about their chronic illnesses and their search for answers, poor treatment by doctors, strained relationships with loved ones, self-doubt, and more. They share the warmth of support from family and friends, the triumph of learning coping mechanisms, and finding ways to live their dreams. These stories are honest, raw, and real, and if you have chronic illness, you will find comfort and companionship in these pages. For everyone else, if you have ever wanted to know more about your loved one's experience with chronic illness but didn't want to ask the wrong questions, this book will have some answers, and more importantly lead you to a new-found understanding.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940165210587
Publisher:	Three Barrel Bluff
Publication date:	06/19/2020
Sold by:	Draft2Digital
Format:	eBook
File size:	5 MB

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part 1 | Relationships: Family, Friends, Dating, & Sex

A Flash of Blue | Shelia Bolt Rudesill

To the Friend Who Told Me that I Talk About My Illnesses Too Much | R.S. Nash

Yes, We Can: Sex and Chronic Illness | Kit Stubbs, PhD

Multiple Sclerosis: My Lost Connections | Sónia Lopes

This I Believe | Marcia Allar

One-Two Punch | Charity Cole

Part 2 | Experiencing the Emotions

Imagine | Michaela Shelley

This Is Hard | Julie Morgenlender

I Didn't Cry on My Birthday This Year | Tara A.

Chronic Contradictions | Wendy Kennar

Expecting Motherhood, Creating Self | Sarah Myers

Adventures in Snow Shoveling: January 9, 2016 | Danielle Lorenz

I Am Not My Cornea | Keidra Chaney

PTSD: The Illness I Couldn't See | Amy Oestreicher

An Echo Unheard | Deepti Dilip Kumar

Part 3 | The Medical Side: Diagnosis, Treatment, Doctors, & Hospitals

Pain | Heron Greenesmith

Going to the Emergency Department with a Chronic Illness | R.S. Nash

Miss Treated | Katherine Ernst

".. .Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen..." | Katie Hiener

The Tale of a POTSie | Bella

Chronic Illness Eugenics | chaya hazel caninsky

Pudendal Neuralgia | Atara Schimmel

The Monster Within | Annie Wittenberg

Part 4 | Acceptance: For Better or Worse

Good Morning | Kaitlyn M. Smith

Snakes & Accessibility Ramps | Alix Penn

Anxiety Is My Constant Companion | Devin Reynolds

What Is It Like? | Hannah Rembrandt

Forgive Yourself for Saying No | Glynis Scrivens

Forgive Yourself for Saying Yes | Glynis Scrivens

Grieving the Loss of Body | Bret Stephenson

The Superior Mutant's Victory Garden | Raven Kaldera

Growing Up with Asthma | Mark Ludas

Part 5 | Things We Wish We'd Known

Things Every Newly Diagnosed Patient Needs to Know | Dylan Gomez

Wishing I Had a Heads-Up on My Autoimmune Illnesses | Jamie Jasinski

Along the Way | Dess

I Wish I'd Known | Zoe A. Bateman

If I Had Known Then, What I Know Now... | Marcia Allar

Part 6 | What We Wish Folks Knew

Chronically Ill Teens | Michaela Shelley

All About the Pain | Nikki Albert

That's Why the Lady Was on Stamps | Litsa Dremousis

The Things That Go Bump...In Your Body | Lindsey M. Clouser

The Quandaries of Chronic Pain | Elin Walther

A Little Understanding | Mary Lee Evelyn Keeney

Part 7 | Others' Perceptions

No Different from Anyone Else | Glynis Scrivens

Chronic Pain Versus Masculinity | Bret Stephenson

The Importance of Representation: Why Using My First Cane Was Scary | Rebecca Bartlett

Hope's Visible in Me: How My Invisible Illness Is Actually Visible | Jessica Ward

High-Maintenance | Lindsey M. Clouser

We Don't Get Any Medals | Jane Lesley

My Journey for Answers: Because No One Will Care More About My Health Than Me | Julie Morgenlender

Acknowledgements

Bonus: How to Complete a Big Project While Living with Chronic Illness

Not All Disabilities Look the Same

About the Editor

Glossary

Index

Editorial Reviews

"At times gut-wretching, always fascinating, and sometimes humorous, The Things We Don't Say should be read by everyone." - Michael Frolichstein, Filmmaker/Podcaster, Founder of The Celiac Project

"If you live with chronic illness or know someone who does, get this book! You will see yourself in these stories, and gain new insights and strategies for living well in spite of illness." - Jenni Grover, Creative Resilience Guide, author of ChronicBabe 101: How to Craft an Incredible Life Beyond Illness

"Morgenlender has given us a gift of belonging and of connection to a universe of others who share our experience. Her authors remind us that we are not alone, that our pain and illness is real, and that it is more than okay to take care of ourselves first." - Cindy Steinberg, National Director of Policy & Advocacy, U.S. Pain Foundation

From the Publisher