Just Fine: Unmasking Concealed Chronic Illness and Pain

Like others have written, JUST FINE is a gift to all those impacted by chronic, invisible illnesses and pain. Chronic Fatigue (CFIDS) has been my challenge and teacher since my symptoms began more than 30 years ago. JUST FINE, written beautifully by a therapist surviving her own chronic illnesses, says everything I needed to know THEN when little was known and we were told it was a "psychological problem". The book reassures me - even NOW when we recently found out there are at least 5 genetic markers (see the CDC website) - that I am and have been doing MORE than "Just Fine" with the "luck of the draw" biologically & with the life circumstances that may have contributed to triggering my illness. The photos and narratives of "people with..." function like a "support group in a book" and I KNOW that many readers may not have a group available or be able to reach one because of the limits often imposed by the illnesses themselves. I appreciate the participants' courage in speaking about often stigmatized experiences, while also knowing many of us are longing to be asked by someone who is truly willing to hear us. We continually search for language that can describe our often fluctuating experience: Carol Sveilich and her interviewees have done just that! I have given this book to clients, friends and family. I look forward to any more writing Sveilich will do in the future, as she clearly has more to say that would be worthwhile to read - to "listen with your eyes".

Everybody has a story. As editor of a newsletter, it's not unusual for me to receive an e-mail or letter requesting that I review a book for possible inclusion in our publication. After all, we target a market specifically for those with chronic pain. Most of the time, I'm happy to at least look but I do so with optimistic skepticism. Our readers have a lot to deal with already. If I can't endorse a book, in my editorial opinion, I opt out of giving it published space. My first criteria is that a book should "do no harm" in its effort to do good. I also prefer to give the space to books, which warrant attention. Just Fine deserves both space and attention. In her own words, the author states the uniqueness of her book: "There is an absence of resources that examines an individual's outward appearance and how it runs contrary to their pain, symptoms, and inner world." While the 336 page book is divided approximately in half, the theme of dealing with appearing "normal" despite how you feel runs consistently from beginning to end. In the first half, the author's revelation of what it is like to uncover and ultimately accept a diagnosis and the limitations, changes and medical challenges that come with that diagnosis - despite looking fine - is unlike any other book I've read. The author's own black and white photographs of people she's interviewed and whose stories are included will greet you in the second half. Stop and look at the faces. The fact that you cannot "see" what disorder they have is what Just Fine is all about. In Chapter One, "why seeing is not always believing", the author explains, "Human nature, for the most part, is visually oriented. We believe what we see and often make character judgments based solely on visual perceptions. But, what happens when the person who appears healthy, energetic, and just fine to family, friends, and coworkers, is quietly suffering from chronic pain or the challenges of an ongoing illness?" This point continues to be painstakingly revealed in the personal stories collected and shared by the author from others who live and deal daily with these chronic illnesses. The idea that someone can look fine and not feel as good as they appear seems an unlikely paradox. Often the first exchange between two people is, "Hi, how are you?" followed by, "You look great!" Should a person admit their "secret" suffering and/or pain and risk that too familiar look of skepticism? The author strikes further to the core of the matter: many struggle to live as "normal" as they look and rationalize the consequences when they cannot. She says it simply, "One may recover from the shock of an illness but not from the illness itself. This is where it is essential to develop and utilize new skills". The more disabling the disorder, no matter how invisible, the more your life will change. How will it change and what can you do about it? The author's two decades of counseling experience shines through, especially in the storie

This is a well-written, well-researched book that exposes many of the difficulties experienced by people who have illnesses with no readily visible symptoms. The book is light on descriptions of specific conditions, which works to its advantage since it is less about any particular illness than about the experiences people have in common when their illnesses are masked by an outward appearance of health. This book is not only a resource for individuals with concealed chronic illnesses or pain, but also for their loved ones, for health professionals, and for mental health professionals. What Sveilich unmasks in this book is not only the hidden face of chronic illness, but also the harm caused by our appearance-obsessed culture.

Just when I thought no one truly understood what I was going through comes this phenomenal book that not only tells it like it is, but SHOWS it like it is. The use of photographs to show the reader how deceiving looks can be is a wise move on the part of the author. Not only does JUST FINE contain cutting edge coping tips, unique resources in both traditional Western Medicine and Alternative healthcare, and helpful hints from people who live with a variety of chronic health challenges, but the book offers hope and practical advice for those who appear one way but feel very differently. I can't recommend JUST FINE highly enough. I live with several chronic conditions including ARTHRITIS and chronic fatigue syndrome. I also experience frequent migraine headaches. This book is a must-read for every person living with chronic symptoms of any kind, including DEPRESSION. It is also a great book to hand to physicians, nurses, family members, and complementary healthcare professionals. I can't say enough about it. Get this book! You'll be glad you did. KUDOS to the author...a counselor who lives with several chronic illnesses herself....for writing this definitive guide and resource for the millions who battle chronic conditions and illness on a daily basis, but who appear "just fine" to the people around them.

We all want to project a healthy visage to the world, but a very strange thing happens when chronic hidden pain wears down our insides without necessarily manifesting itself on the outside. Some of us pretend to be our outsides, and often that leads to despair. Some of us may feel we have to justify our illness, our appearance, our emotional balance and that can lead to bitterness. Carol Sveilich has given our insides a voice and a face, mediums of expressions we may have suppressed. She has, therefore, given us hope.