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ashpanda88's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
4.0
This book should be required reading for anyone working in the medical field so they can understand how their assumptions and gaslighting affect their patients' quality of life. It's also an important read for anyone struggling to advocate for themselves when pursuing treatment for chronic illness.
alreadyemily's review against another edition
4.0
This book is alarmingly relatable and only reinforces the sneaking suspicion that's been slowly dawning on me: that no one in the medical field believes me, nor particularly cares (especially since I'm not seeking to get pregnant) and that I, too, may have to figure it out myself - if I can.
I wish every doctor would read this book. Especially all the ones that have implied (or outright stated) that I'm of an age when I should give up on having good health and learn to live the rest of my life with dysfunction and fatigue. That kind of talk started when I was 29.
I wish every doctor would read this book. Especially all the ones that have implied (or outright stated) that I'm of an age when I should give up on having good health and learn to live the rest of my life with dysfunction and fatigue. That kind of talk started when I was 29.
dedempsey's review against another edition
5.0
I am so grateful to have read this book. I saw myself in its pages — I felt validated, sad, angry, bitter, called to action, hopeful, seen. It is indescribably exhausting to articulate and justify your pain over and over to family, friends, coworkers, doctors, nurses, receptionists, MRI techs, insurance reps...the list goes on and on. Even having the opportunity to fight that fight is made possible through enormous amounts of privilege, which I recognize, as Abby Norman does. This book has reassured me that the fight is worth it. You know your body better than anyone, no matter who they are or what degrees they hold.
A new all-time favorite and one I’ll revisit for sure.
A new all-time favorite and one I’ll revisit for sure.
adourables's review against another edition
5.0
great & informative. perfect for people with no medical knowledge or with some. Would recommend for any women or (man looking to go into health profession)
callie_13's review against another edition
4.0
Highly recommend.
I enjoyed the way the personal narrative is woven with scientific and literary examples.
Trigger warning of Eating Disorder -bulimia.
A harrowing account of an intelligent and resourceful woman trying to be heard.
Has made me rethink how to approach the medical field.
I enjoyed the way the personal narrative is woven with scientific and literary examples.
Trigger warning of Eating Disorder -bulimia.
A harrowing account of an intelligent and resourceful woman trying to be heard.
Has made me rethink how to approach the medical field.
10_4tina's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.25
I happened on this one somewhat randomly when browsing my library app. I expected a little more science, more resolution, and solutions. That's not really what this is. This is memoir through and through. The format and the subject matter were sometimes hard to read through, but both factors also made it gripping. The writing feels so personal, like a friend's Marco Polo message. Though the topic was totally different, there were similarities in vibe to Educated by Tara Westover. As someone with chronic pain, medical mysteries, and gynecological troubles, I resonated deeply with Norman's experiences, making it harder, yet more motivating to read. The ending is so real, but disappointing too.
*Warning: There is more sex content in this memoir than I had anticipated. Do with that as you will.
Parts I wanted to underline:
Chapter 2
-"I began to introduce myself as: I used to be Gilda Radner"
-What came first, the illness or the depression? Was being sick making her depressed or was being depressed making her sick?
Chapter 3
-The narrative seem to be that if a woman is both sick and anxious, she is sick because she is anxious not anxious about being sick.
Chapter 5
-normal functions feel abnormal and people experience a constant barrage of unnerving feelings that in reality are just their bodies doing what bodies do
Chapter 6
-Oliver Wendall Holmes (poet and physician)
-"You're either brilliant or the most well-educated hypochondriac I've ever met"
Chapter 7
-If you were to really listen to women who have had ovarian cancer speak, you'd find that it wasn't so much that the disease process was silent, but that they were.
-Pain Tolerance vs. Pain Threshold
-Almost overnight we went through puberty and so did the internet (90's kids)
Chapter 8
-I realized that the hole itself had never been what was keeping me in it; it had been my reluctance to stand up.
-I could either try to live my life the way I'd wanted to where I would continuously fail because I was asking too much of my body or I could design an entirely new life.
-On the other side of hope
Chapter 9
-She was insistent that my need for answers was more than likely what was causing me problems, in her view, I needed a philosophy to help me cope.
Epilogue
-I felt very time worn and I conflated exposure with wisdom and durability with maturity.
*Warning: There is more sex content in this memoir than I had anticipated. Do with that as you will.
Parts I wanted to underline:
Chapter 2
-"I began to introduce myself as: I used to be Gilda Radner"
-What came first, the illness or the depression? Was being sick making her depressed or was being depressed making her sick?
Chapter 3
-The narrative seem to be that if a woman is both sick and anxious, she is sick because she is anxious not anxious about being sick.
Chapter 5
-normal functions feel abnormal and people experience a constant barrage of unnerving feelings that in reality are just their bodies doing what bodies do
Chapter 6
-Oliver Wendall Holmes (poet and physician)
-"You're either brilliant or the most well-educated hypochondriac I've ever met"
Chapter 7
-If you were to really listen to women who have had ovarian cancer speak, you'd find that it wasn't so much that the disease process was silent, but that they were.
-Pain Tolerance vs. Pain Threshold
-Almost overnight we went through puberty and so did the internet (90's kids)
Chapter 8
-I realized that the hole itself had never been what was keeping me in it; it had been my reluctance to stand up.
-I could either try to live my life the way I'd wanted to where I would continuously fail because I was asking too much of my body or I could design an entirely new life.
-On the other side of hope
Chapter 9
-She was insistent that my need for answers was more than likely what was causing me problems, in her view, I needed a philosophy to help me cope.
Epilogue
-I felt very time worn and I conflated exposure with wisdom and durability with maturity.
thequeertoad's review against another edition
I will be returning to this. Extremely relevant but a bit too hard to read rn and also, a bit too gender binary for me, although i expected that going into this given the title of the book.
hollyway's review
3.0
Abby Norman is a good writer but the overall product of this book is a little underwhelming. I don't mind a book that straddles the line between educational and memoir but in this case I feel it would have been a lot stronger if it had just chosen a lane. Endo has been a part of my life for over a decade so the chances of me learning something new from this were low, but I still could have enjoyed it as a memoir if it had been more focused in that direction. As it is, it's not bad, but it wouldn't be my go-to recommendation for someone wanting to learn about endo/women's health.