Ever felt like something was really off with your health, but doctors couldn't figure out what? Like your body was acting up, but all the test results came back normal? Well then, this memoir is for you. The author, Meghan O'Rourke, went through that experience for years - she literally had strange, raised red bumps on her arm, arranged in a circle like Braille and no one could explain what it was. Little did she know, she was starting a...
What Even Is a Disease, Anyway?
Weird question, but that’s where it all starts. We usually think of diseases as foreign invaders - bacteria, viruses or other microbes that attack the body from the outside. Nerds call it the "germ theory" model. Y’know how it goes: find the bug, eliminate it, and you've solved the disease. But that straightforward idea doesn't always work out so neatly. See, there's this whole category of conditions called autoimmune diseases that flips the script. With autoimmune diseases, the enemy is...
The Emotional Toll of Chronic Illness
As someone who has struggled with an undiagnosed chronic illness for years, O'Rourke knows all too well how emotionally draining an autoimmune disease can be. Her usual day? Endless doctor's appointments, mountains of medical paperwork, constant tests and treatments with little relief, and the isolation that comes with being constantly unwell. An emotional grindstone, won’t you say?Know what makes this worse? The American healthcare system. Calling it healthcare is practically an insult. O'Rourke was squeezed into 10-15 minute appointments, after...
The Reality of Autoimmunity
When O'Rourke first began experiencing her symptoms, she naively thought understanding her condition would be straightforward. Man, she couldn’t have been more wrong! Let’s break it down for you. See, our bodies have amazing defenses against germs. Two types work together like a team. Innate immunity is the first line - things like skin, coughs and fever that fight invaders right away. Adaptive immunity is more specialized and memory focused. It has B-cells - they produce antibodies that can disable...
The Illusion of Medical Certainty
See, diagnosis is not gospel. It doesn't solve everything and sometimes may not even be accurate. Like O'Rourke, we all crave answers, don't we? That longing for a neat label, a definitive diagnosis to make sense of our suffering. But what happened next with O'Rourke proves diagnosis can sometimes crumble under the weight of reality.A little backstory first: Heard of Lyme disease? We thought we had it figured out – a simple bacterial infection, easily detectable and treatable with a...
Healing
Healing. Such a simple concept, yet it doesn’t come so easily. Just when O'Rourke thought she was healing, some virus struck her and her young son down in the spring of 2017. And before she could relax, she was yet again stuck in the all-too-familiar web of body aches, brain fog, fatigue, and those unsettling electric shock sensations coursing through her legs. Can you imagine the frustration of feeling like you're finally turning a corner, only to be knocked back...
Chapter 8
Details coming soon.
Summary
No conclusions! Sorry. There just aren’t any neat conclusions or uplifting finales when it comes to chronic illness. O'Rourke’s journey represents the authentic, messy, unresolved nature of living with a chronic condition. It's a reality marked by fleeting glimmers of health amidst the tumult. The only conclusion is that there is no permanent conclusion, no final healing destination to be reached. Just acceptance of an ongoing tug with illness- an ever-changing reality.
More knowledge in less time
The Art of Community
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
About the Author
My name is Meghan O’Rourke, and I’m a New York Times bestselling author, poet, editor, and podcaster. My work often tackles challenging subjects such as chronic illness and grief, which can be difficult to write and speak about, of course, but also to experience firsthand.
Thank you for registering with Storise.
Your journey with books and ideas begins now, anytime, anywhere.
You can now use your registered email to log in to the app.
.png){kind=icon}
