Acknowledgements
Preface
Part One: Illness and Identity
An Exploration
1. Understanding Our Sense of Healthiness
The Mystery of Good Health: Some Initial Observations
The Meaning of Good Health
Alternative Interpretations of Self-Rated Health
Health and Everyday Life
Wounded Storytellers: Personal Accounts of Health and Illness
The Healthy Self: Life Stories We Tell Others
Collective Case Studies: Finding Common Voices in Illness Narratives
2. Maintaining a Healthy Self-Identity
Learning to Live with Chronic Illness
Daily Pain: An Invisible but Constant Companion
The Decision to Disclose: Making Private Suffering Public
Striking a Balance between “Carrying on” and “Giving in”
Preserving One’s Personal Sense of Healthiness
Part Two: Living with Medically Diagnosed Chronic Diseases
An Unrelenting Assault on the Body and Self
3. Chronic Disease as a Disruptive Life Event
Biographical Disruption: A Core Concept in the Study of Chronic Illness
Different Levels of Assault: Interruption, Intrusion, and Immersion
Visible and Invisible Aspects of Chronic Illness
The Burden of Invisibility
Challenges Facing These Wounded Storytellers: Being Heard
4. Life Stories about the Invisible Impact of Chronic Disease: Some Missed Voices
Introduction: The Chronic Diseases Selected
Case Study One – Diabetes
A Brief Description of the Disease
The Impact of Diabetes on Everyday Life
A Common Life Story: Jim’s Illness Narrative Account
Case Study Two – Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
A Brief Description of the Disease
The Impact of IBD on Everyday Life
A Common Life Story: Helen’s Illness Narrative Account
Shared Storylines: A Summary
Part Three: Living with Medically Unexplained Physical Symptoms
Discounted Stories of Sickness and Suffering
5. Contested Chronic Illnesses: Uncertainty and the Quest for Credibility
Understanding Sickness: The Presence of Disease and the Experience of Illness
Hidden Health Problems that Are Not Only Invisible but Also Do Not Meet the Medical Definition of Disease
Negotiating Contested Terrain: Dealing with Medically Unexplained Symptoms
Adopting the Sick Role: Contending with a Crisis of Credibility and Gaining Legitimacy
Challenges Facing These Wounded Storytellers: Being Heard and Believed
6. Life Stories about Uncertain and Invisible Chronic Illness: Some Dismissed Voices
Introduction: The Chronic Conditions Selected
Case Study Three - Fibromyalgia
A Brief Description of the Illness
The Impact of Fibromyalgia on Everyday Life
A Common Life Story: Janet’s Illness Narrative Account
Case Study Four – Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
A Brief Description of the Illness
The Impact of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome on Everyday Life
A Common Life Story: Gail’s Illness Narrative Account
Shared Storylines: A Summary
Part Four: The Lifelong Pursuit of Healthiness
Meeting the Challenges
7. Making Sense of Sickness: Explanation and Adaptation
Self-Management of Hidden Chronic Health Problems
Ongoing Chronic Illness-Related Work, Everyday Life Work, and Biographical Work
Repairing a “Spoiled” Social Identity and Reconstructing a Healthy Self
Supportive Social Networks and the Health of Older Adults
Managing Chronic Illness in Later Life
8. Health across the Life Course
A Life Course Perspective on Chronic Illness
Advancing Age and Declining Health: Double Jeopardy
Maintaining a Personal Sense of Healthiness as We Age: A Will to Health
Living Well with Hidden Chronic Health Problems: The Quality of Later Life
Healthy Aging: Some Concluding Thoughts
Notes
References
Index
