Surviving and Thriving with an Invisible Chronic Illness
An important antidote to the dogmatic ‘kale and vitamins’ tone of most ‘self-help’ literature.”
—Alexa Tsoulis-Reay, senior writer, New York magazine
Popular blogger Ilana Jacqueline offers smart and savvy advice, humor, and practical tips for living with an invisible chronic illness.
Do you live with a chronic, debilitating, yet invisible condition? You may feel isolated, out of step, judged, lonely, or misunderstood—and that’s on top of dealing with the symptoms of your actual illness. Take heart. You are not alone, although sometimes it can feel that way.
Written by a blogger who suffers from an invisible chronic illness, Surviving and Thriving with an Invisible Chronic Illness offers peer-to-peer support to help you stay sane, be your own advocate, and get back to living your life.
This compelling guide is written for anyone suffering with an illness no one can see—such as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia, multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), Lyme disease, lupus, dysautonomia, or even multiple sclerosis (MP).
This book will tell you everything you need to know about living with a complicated, invisible condition—from how to balance sex, dating, and relationships to handling work and school with unavoidable absences.
You’ll also learn to navigate judg-y or skeptical relatives and strangers and—most importantly—manage your medical care.
Suffering from a chronic illness doesn’t mean you can’t live an active, engaged life.
This book will show you how.
Medical Gaslighting: A Guide to Help You Recognize It, Prevent It, and Fight For Your Life
In February 2023, Ilana’s latest project was acquired by BenBella Books for publication.
Medical Gaslighting: A Guide to Help You Recognize It, Prevent It, and Fight For Your Life is a guidebook that teaches women how to be heard in the exam room, where they are often at a dangerous disadvantage due to medical bias.
Have you ever gone to see your doctor with a concern or symptoms that you wanted answers about? Did your doctor dismiss you, refuse to investigate, or fail to provide adequate answers while insisting your symptoms are all in your head? Medical gaslighting happens to women every day in America and for many: the result is devastating.
A critical diagnosis is missed…
A disease, infection, or cancer is allowed to spread…
Life or limb, vision or hearing can be lost…
A patient can be shamed into dismissing a future emergency…
A patient can die due to lack of intervention or diagnosis…
If this has happened to you, I want to hear your story. Please consider sharing the information below with me for potential inclusion into the book.
You can send the following information to IWasNotHeard@gmail.com.