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dhrachovec 's review for:
The Lady's Handbook for Her Mysterious Illness: A Memoir
by Sarah Ramey
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
I’m so frustrated on behalf of the author, and this story is representative of the frustrations women face to get diagnoses. Parts of it feels like running in a circle, not going anywhere, and I think the vulnerable narrative quality is effective if slow.
It’s frustrating however to have someone continue to ask “why weren’t these people having autoimmune disease 100 years ago or in developing countries” … because they died. The mortality rate for women without antibiotics has always been high and people regularly used to die in their early 30s from random sepsis. It feels a little short sighted and like someone’s personal doom spiral trying to make sense of her illness. (Which again, I do get.)
It’s frustrating however to have someone continue to ask “why weren’t these people having autoimmune disease 100 years ago or in developing countries” … because they died. The mortality rate for women without antibiotics has always been high and people regularly used to die in their early 30s from random sepsis. It feels a little short sighted and like someone’s personal doom spiral trying to make sense of her illness. (Which again, I do get.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma