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

I love this book. I really love this book!I run a Facebook community for those who live with chronic pain and illness called "Attitude of Gratitude with Chronic Pain." We strive to find happiness and fulfillment and incorporate gratitude into our daily lives.THIS BOOK just knocked my socks off and is a favorite among my group members, as well!Joy Selak and Dr. Steven Overman bring such an insightful and unique perspective by offering incredibly helpful suggestions from both the patient's AND the doctor's point of view! They offer advice on the "now what?" part of our journeys with chronic pain after coming to a place of acceptance. They talk about finding that place of peace and how to treat our circumstances with grace while taking control of our own well-being.I have stickies and highlights all over this book. It's THAT good!I was fortunate enough to interview Ms. Selak for a weekly live broadcast that I do and the viewers were blown away by her comforting wisdom, beautiful insight, and how she lives HER best life with invisible illness.As far as I'm concerned, this book is essential reading for those who are willing to take steps towards healing from the emotional pain that most often accompanies the physical. I have read a LOT of books on how to best thrive with chronic illness....this one is one that I refer back to again and again and is never far out of my reach when I need a tidbit of hope. This book offers hope which can be difficult to attain when you feel you've tried everything.A favorite, for sure! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!

I think this is a good book on living with chronic illness for a lot of chronically ill people. This book was written by Joy and her rheumatologist Dr. Overman. Joy's chronic illnesses started in the 1980's steadily worsening over time. Joy has multiple chronic illnesses like most of us. Joy and Dr. Overman came up with the Four Phases of Invisible Chronic Illness. I found that most of them overlapped in one way or another. Good advice was given throughout the book a lot of it useful for everyone that is chronically ill. Joy has multiple chronic illnesses like most of us. Joy also felt that a holistic like type of approach was better for her which I had trouble understanding when Dr. Overman gave her medication that helped her but she felt a stigma against taking. I liked the part of the book about grief and acceptance of your illness. That you have to mourn for your old life like a death and find a new path that your body can handle. I feel stuck in many of the phases portrayed in this book but this one is the worst for me. I started to get sick in my late teens and it got progressively worse until I have become completely disabled. I mourn for a life I never got to have. That is something very hard to get past. A part of the book I do not agree with is that Joy believes that she has gotten sick for a reason and that her illnesses are a blessing. I would not wish what I have on my worst enemy and it feels very far from a blessing. This is a good read. I think it will be helpful for a lot of people. I do not think you have to believe in all of the book for it to be helpful to you. I will be rereading it this book. The second time through I think you can take even away more from a book of this kind.

Seeing a doctor and a patient team up to advocate for chronic illness was a delight. I don’t know how many other books have been written like this but both voices need to be heard if progress is to be made.

I excitedly pre-ordered my copy last year and it arrived just after its release date the beginning of this month. As I read through this great guide to illness I found so many explanations of thoughts and feelings I hadn't previously been able to put into words regarding the nature of chronic illness and its effects.The book is written by Joy H. Selak and Steven S. Overman, MD - a patient and her doctor. Having both views represented in the same book is invaluable. One can not only empathize with Joy, the patient, but can gain beneficial insight into the thought process of doctors and great tips on how to navigate the medical world by one of its own. After reading this great reference I feel so much more at peace living with chronic illness. I think a lot of that is due to how Selak and Overman break up chronic illness into phases that one experiences, then explain and advise the reader on how to navigate each stage. The phases are Getting Sick, Being Sick, Grief and Acceptance, and Living Well.Selak illustrates her own experiences of living through each phase with multiple chronic issues, and explains how she continues to cope and live well despite her illness. Alternatively, Dr. Overman discusses how he helps his patients through each phase, offers tips on how patients can maximize their experiences with their doctors, and explains how to build a team of medical professionals to get the most out of one's treatment.I cannot recommend this book enough to those who are currently living with chronic illness as well as the friends and family of the chronically ill. It is my new favorite resource and I am sure I'll reference it many times to come.

It was a good book for someone with a chronic illness. Let's you know you're not alone in your struggle to cope and adjust to new normal.

Informative and interesting. I would have liked more information about the author's day to day struggle with her illnesses. I thought the bit at the end about healthcare reform was awkward and not relatable. I did like the references at the end of the book which could prove helpful. I think she needed to make it more clear that we can go through the steps multiple times before learning to live well with your illness or illnesses. When money is an issue and you can't qualify for disability for some other reason than not being sick enough, you have to decide where your health care dollar could be most well spent. Still I am glad she shared some relatable thoughts and experiences even if the detail was sparse at times. I am finding it almost impossible to find a Dr. who can lead out in coordinating my care.

Very good and you can tell the writers understand the emotional roller coaster ride when you have a chronic illness and that you are grieving your losses in functional levels!

An excellent memoir about living with invisible illnesses. The author explains how difficult it is to learn how to balance rest and activity, and how drastically our lifestyles change.

A very interesting book. I could really relate to the experience and frustrations from a patients perspective.

came early,good book

Brilliant book I just wish there was a uk version! And a little more info on strategies when you can't quit your job