Missed and Dismissed Voices

Alexander Segall, PhD, is a professor emeritus, research affiliate at the Centre on Aging, and a senior scholar in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at the University of Manitoba.

• AcknowledgementsPrefacePart One: Illness and IdentityAn Exploration1. Understanding Our Sense of HealthinessThe Mystery of Good Health: Some Initial ObservationsThe Meaning of Good HealthAlternative Interpretations of Self-Rated HealthHealth and Everyday LifeWounded Storytellers: Personal Accounts of Health and IllnessThe Healthy Self: Life Stories We Tell Others   Collective Case Studies: Finding Common Voices in Illness Narratives                                 2. Maintaining a Healthy Self-IdentityLearning to Live with Chronic IllnessDaily Pain: An Invisible but Constant CompanionThe Decision to Disclose: Making Private Suffering PublicStriking a Balance between "Carrying on" and "Giving in"Preserving One’s Personal Sense of Healthiness                        Part Two: Living with Medically Diagnosed Chronic DiseasesAn Unrelenting Assault on the Body and Self3. Chronic Disease as a Disruptive Life EventBiographical Disruption: A Core Concept in the Study of Chronic IllnessDifferent Levels of Assault: Interruption, Intrusion, and ImmersionVisible and Invisible Aspects of Chronic IllnessThe Burden of InvisibilityChallenges Facing These Wounded Storytellers: Being Heard    4. Life Stories about the Invisible Impact of Chronic Disease: Some Missed VoicesIntroduction: The Chronic Diseases SelectedCase Study One – DiabetesA Brief Description of the Disease The Impact of Diabetes on Everyday LifeA Common Life Story: Jim’s Illness Narrative AccountCase Study Two – Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)A Brief Description of the DiseaseThe Impact of IBD on Everyday LifeA Common Life Story: Helen’s Illness Narrative Account Shared Storylines: A Summary       Part Three: Living with Medically Unexplained Physical SymptomsDiscounted Stories of Sickness and Suffering 5. Contested Chronic Illnesses: Uncertainty and the Quest for CredibilityUnderstanding Sickness: The Presence of Disease and the Experience of IllnessHidden Health Problems that Are Not Only Invisible but Also Do Not Meet the Medical Definition of DiseaseNegotiating Contested Terrain: Dealing with Medically Unexplained SymptomsAdopting the Sick Role: Contending with a Crisis of Credibility and Gaining LegitimacyChallenges Facing These Wounded Storytellers: Being Heard and Believed     6. Life Stories about Uncertain and Invisible Chronic Illness: Some Dismissed VoicesIntroduction: The Chronic Conditions Selected Case Study Three - FibromyalgiaA Brief Description of the Illness The Impact of Fibromyalgia on Everyday LifeA Common Life Story: Janet’s Illness Narrative AccountCase Study Four – Chronic Fatigue SyndromeA Brief Description of the IllnessThe Impact of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome on Everyday LifeA Common Life Story: Gail’s Illness Narrative AccountShared Storylines: A Summary Part Four: The Lifelong Pursuit of HealthinessMeeting the Challenges7. Making Sense of Sickness: Explanation and AdaptationSelf-Management of Hidden Chronic Health ProblemsOngoing Chronic Illness-Related Work, Everyday Life Work, and Biographical Work   Repairing a "Spoiled" Social Identity and Reconstructing a Healthy SelfSupportive Social Networks and the Health of Older AdultsManaging Chronic Illness in Later Life                         8. Health across the Life CourseA Life Course Perspective on Chronic IllnessAdvancing Age and Declining Health: Double JeopardyMaintaining a Personal Sense of Healthiness as We Age: A Will to HealthLiving Well with Hidden Chronic Health Problems: The Quality of Later LifeHealthy Aging: Some Concluding ThoughtsNotes   ReferencesIndex