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Chronic Illness ResourcesBooks/Ebooks
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But God, Wouldn’t I Be More Useful to You if I Were Healthy? (Chronic Pain and The Christian Life) by Esther Smith
*Just the Right Dose: Your Smart Guide to Prescription Drugs & How to Take Them Safely by Marijke Vroomen Durning RN This guide will answer the most common questions about taking your medications safely. Highly recommended!
*Living a Healthy Life with Chronic Conditions: Self-Management of Heart Disease, Arthritis, Diabetes, Asthma, Bronchitis, Emphysema, and others by Kate Lorig, RN DrPH; Halsted Holman, MD; David Sobel, MD; Diana Laurent, MPH; Virginia Gonzalez, MPH; and Marian Minor, RPT PhD. This book is a treasure trove of information on how we can maximize our functioning level so we can do more of the things we want to in life. Most of the chapters focus on issues common to various diseases like pain, fatigue, and deconditioning from decreased activity levels. It also covers communication, sex and intimacy, managing your own care and planning for the future.
*Take Back Your Life: Find Hope And Freedom From Fibromyalgia Symptoms And Pain by Tami Stackelhouse. Strategies to help you manage fibromyalgia. This book requires thoughtful work on your part to find what works for you, since everyone is different. You can read my review here.
*The Fibromanual: A Complete Fibromyalgia Treatment Guide for You and Your Doctor by Ginevra Liptan M.D. “The most up-to-date, comprehensive treatment guide to fibromyalgia, by a renowned physician who herself has the condition.”
*The Fibromyalgia Coach: Feel Better, Change Lives, and Find Your Best Job Ever by Tami Stackelhouse. This second book by Tami discusses how to find work that doesn’t make your symptoms worse.
*The Patient’s Playbook: Find the “No-Mistake Zone” by Leslie D. Michelson. “He has devoted his life’s work to helping people achieve superior medical outcomes at every stage of their lives. His real-life stories impart lessons and illuminate easy-to-follow strategies that will enable you to become a smarter, better health care consumer—and to replace anxiety with confidence.” You can read my review here.
When Chronic Pain And Illness Take Everything Away: How To Mourn Our Losses (Chronic Pain And The Christian Life) by Esther Smith
Websites
StartYourRecovery.org provides information about recovery from alcohol and drug abuse. “We work with leading experts in effectively treating substance use issues to offer people a single source of relatable, reliable information at any stage of their recovery journey.”
Chronic Babe is a fun and helpful resource. Jenni is warm and knowledgeable and adds fun to living a life with chronic illness. I enjoy her AWAP Wednesday videos very much. AWAP means “as well as possible.” Her site always cheers me up.
The Mighty is a website filled with reader submissions about various aspects of dealing with chronic illnesses, disabilities, and mental illnesses. This site is filled with the voices of others struggling with similar struggles and sorrows. I find it to be an honest and useful place to visit!
Patient Advocate Foundation “Since inception in 1996, our staff has diligently worked to continually improve services available to patients as they tackle the challenges associated with a chronic, life threatening or debilitating diagnosis.” They offer assistance with health insurance, paying for medicine, and helping you get the health care you need.
U.S. Pain Foundation “The mission of U.S. Pain Foundation is to educate, connect, inform and empower those living with pain while also advocating on behalf of the entire pain community. As a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to serving those who live with pain conditions and their care providers, U.S. Pain Foundation helps individuals find resources and inspiration.” Their site has resources for living with pain, and help finding specialists and clinical trials.
Courses
http://www.mecfsselfhelpguru.com/ Julie provides coaching, and Meditation, Mindfulness, and Relaxation courses online. I’ve taken one of her courses and found it very helpful!
Planning and Forms
“More than just an advance directive, Five Wishes brings a holistic approach to a living will by including an individual’s care and comfort choices. It provides a means to legally document your choices for medical treatment, comfort, and care wishes.”
