Reviews tagging 'Chronic illness'

What Doesn't Kill You: A Life with Chronic Illness - Lessons from a Body in Revolt by Tessa Miller

39 reviews

bookishpip's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring sad slow-paced

4.0

I was really excited to read this book - I’d never heard of any memoirs that detail life with IBD, a condition that I have and have struggled with deeply in the past few months. Being mid-flare up and being off work for a few months with IBD, I couldn’t think of a more perfect time to read this.

I expected that the book would resonate, but I didn’t anticipate how much. There were so many nuances and intimacies of my own life that paralleled in ways that I didn’t expect - for example, basing my identity around her career, being profoundly impacted by the loss of her father, and the daily mental hurdles that accompany the physical ones. As a result, this book has had a profound impact on me. 

The reason I’ve given this 4* rather than 5, is because I feel that, at the start especially, the book oscillated dramatically between being a memoir, a self-help guide, and an essay critiquing the American healthcare system, which made it harder to follow. Also, large sections of this book are very specific to experiences within the US. This in itself isn’t a bad thing - the author does a great job of reminding the reader that her experiences are rooted within just that, HER experiences as a white, thin, cisgender woman living in America. But it did mean that, as someone not living in the US, large sections devoted to teaching the reader about how to apply for insurance didn’t apply. (But I’ve never been more thankful to have the NHS!)

Overall, I’d love for everyone to read this. This book was validating in so many ways to me as a chronically unwell person, and I think healthy folks could learn a lot about our experiences in these pages.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Ableism, and Chronic illness

Moderate: Drug abuse and Alcoholism

elsea_readingelsea's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Medical trauma, Medical content, Sexual assault, Ableism, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

laurenkimoto's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

4.0

Why isn’t heart wrenching an option for the mood of the book??

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Chronic illness, Rape, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcoholism, Body horror, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

chronicallyplotting's review against another edition

informative reflective slow-paced

3.0

This is a slow paced memoir of Tessa's struggle to get diagnosed and treated with Crohn's Disease. It also highlights how the disease has affected her family, work and romantic relationships. 
Overall good memoir. A little political at times. Author also offers very little insight to help others struggling with chronic illness or the healthcare system. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Excrement, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, and Sexual assault

internationalreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Excrement, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Grief, Self harm, Sexual assault, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Domestic abuse

the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

This was a compelling, honest look at life with chronic illness. I felt seen and heard as a person with a disability while I read Miller's recounts of her life. This book gave me a lot to reflect on in my own experiences and beliefs about (dis)ability and a meaningful life with a chronic condition, while also validating me for the fears and emotions I experience. 

If you are chronically ill or disabled, I especially recommend this book to you.

This being said, please note the trigger warnings as this book may be difficult to read for some people. Miller discusses the abuse she experienced from her alcoholic father and drug-addicted ex-boyfriend, the nitty gritty of Crohn's (including detailed references to excrement, blood and vomit), medical trauma and ableism of many kinds, and sexual assault. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Grief, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

Minor: Fatphobia and Racism

wickedgrumpy's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

3.0

I find myself torn about this book.

I think the thing that frustrates me is that the intended audience switches between the chronically ill, those who are close to chronically ill people, and anyone who is curious about what it's like to live with chronical illness.  To me, that is too broad of a scope.  Since I fit into the first category, I find myself irked when the tone shifts to address the others.

That is to say, it's partly a memoir, partly a self help book, and partly reference material.  I do think that there are some parts that are beneficial and good, but there are others that are so bizarre that I struggled to finish it.  Also, reading it might be a triggering experience.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Self harm, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Blood, Addiction, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Excrement, Eating disorder, Drug use, and Confinement

gracegeeks's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, Ableism, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Grief, Medical content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Vomit, Excrement, Emotional abuse, and Drug use

rhia_a's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad

4.0

As someone who has been chronically ill from a young age but had it go from mostly functional to mostly incapacitating in the last few years, this was a relateable read... sadly. I feel seen now but if the book had existed a few years back in my darkest times, I would have found it cathartic, oddly comforting and informative (it still is those things) - it could have led to easier 'aha' moments along the grieving process. I wish the author well on her journey and hope that it's an easier ride for her from here on out.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Chronic illness, and Sexual assault

eeenou's review against another edition

informative reflective medium-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, and Chronic illness

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Excrement, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Death of parent, Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicidal thoughts