"Illness Management" means the combined effects of what you, the patient does for yourself, and what I, the doctor, recommends.  Joy Selak asked me to write this book with her because of her commitment and acknowledgement of the healing partnership between patient and physician.  Joy and I have shared our stories in hopes of helping you become more successful in managing your illness.  Below are some excerpts from the book and other information from the publisher.
 

Title: You Don’t LOOK Sick!
Living Well with Invisible Chronic Illness

Price:
Hardcover - $29.95 ISBN: 0-7890-2448-9
Softcover - $14.95 ISBN: 0-7890-2449-7

Pages: Approximately 144 with index

Publication Date: April 1, 2005

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“Coming to terms with the reality of my illness was similar to accepting the death of a loved one. The life I had was gone and I had to bury it, grieve, and go on. Sometimes, on a bad day, I remember my old self and how my life used to be, and grow sad. However, most of the time, I love my life the way it is, good days and bad.”

Joy H. Selak

 

"YOU Don’t LOOK Sick! is a poignant

Seattle, Washingtons

"Joy and Steve have the insight and courage to present their stories and experiences with depth and integrity and in a very holistic manner. By weaving and blending the spiritual and material they offer both hope and courage for those with a serious medical condition who still search for a medical support system. The format of the book, the chapter summaries, the questions for discussion, and the list of resources at the end are superb."

"Chronic illness leaves one feeling adrift, unsure how to make it back to the shore of good health and a ‘normal’ life. You Don’t LOOK Sick! Liv-ing Well with Invisible Chronic Illness, tethers the reader to a buoy of possibilities. With candor and humor, Joy’s stories tell about the impact chronic illness had on her life. Dr. Overman’s perspective reveals the biases in the health care system toward those with chronic illness. Both offer valuable in-sights on how to come to terms with illness and begin to ‘weave a web of wellness.’ Through their personal accounts, this book invites us to make changes within ourselves and the systems that direct our care."

You Don’t Look Sick!
Living Well with Invisible Chronic Illness

 Joy H. Selak & Steven S. Overman, MD, MPH

About the Book:

You Don’t LOOK Sick!: Living Well with Invisible Chronic Illness chronicles a patient’s journey through the three challenging, but navigable, stages of chronic illness— Getting Sick, Being Sick, and Living Well. Joy Selak’s true-life stories and Dr. Steven Overman’s compassionate commentary help the reader focus on building a meaningful life that contains illness as opposed to a life of frustration and fear. The short chapters and straightforward language will be helpful to those who are weary and dispirited in any stage of the chronic illness experience. Accessible to patients with a variety of chronic illnesses, the book will also be illuminating for physicians, caregivers and loved ones.

You Don’t LOOK Sick! addresses such practical aspects of chronic illness as:

• Hiring a doctor

• Managing chronic pain

• Coping with grief and the loss of function

• Winning battles with health and disability insurers

• Countering the social bias against the chronically ill

• Discovering giving your gifts as a key to illness management

• Learning how to ‘step out of the box’ of illness

• Weaving your own web of wellness

• Recognizing the limitations of chronics illness care and charting a path for change

In addition to the true stories, dialogue, humor, examples, and analogy the authors use to illustrate the three stages, they provide other helpful road maps, such as suggested reading materials for learning to live well, medical Internet resources, illness-specific Web sites, names and addresses of national associations, and a bibliography of medical books by topic.


About the Authors

Prior to 1985, Joy Selak was a university instructor, stockbroker, public speaker, avid tennis player and actress. Her dream was to be a writer someday.
Over the subsequent years her health worsened and her life began to narrow. By 1994, diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis and Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease, she was no longer able to work. She later received additional diagnoses of trigeminal nerve neuralgia, cutaneous lupus and fibromyalgia.
Today Joy lives quietly with her husband in Austin, Texas and enjoys the busy, expanding lives of her six grown children. Her health is stable, but remains compromised. You Don’t LOOK Sick! is her first published book. She is at work on two novels. Dreams come true.

Steven S. Overman, a rheumatologist, is Director of Musculoskeletal Planning and Development for Northwest Hospital in Seattle Washington. He is also clinical associate professor of medicine at the University of Washington Medical School.
A Master’s in Public Health and a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar’s Fellowship deepened Steve’s commitment to help patients find confidence and meaning in managing illness. His interest in developing comprehensive care innovations for patients with chronic, painful and disabling rheumatic conditions led him to positions as medical director for a Medicare HMO, director of an Arthritis Resource Center and consultant to the USPHS concerning Disability Management. Dr. Overman has appeared on television and radio discussing arthritis care and has been selected as one of “Seattle’s Best Physicians”.
He is the father of three boys and enjoys traveling, hiking, and skiing with his family.