I don't know any higher praise for a book than to say I cried in recognition while ready most of it. This is THE book I wish I had so many years ago.
If you have been newly diagnosed with any number of chronic and invisible illnesses, from cancer to diabetes, to mental illness, you will want to read this book. It focuses on the thoughts and emotions we experience with a chronic illness. You will *not* be lectured to or told to believe in something ridiculous. Instead, Ilana holds your hand and offers comfort and hope.
I wish I could give this book 6 stars! A truly remarkable and heartfelt book!

Disclaimer: I was given an ARC of "Surviving and Thriving with an Invisible Chronic Illness" through NetGalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

This is the perfect guide book to help new patients survive and thrive in spite of chronic illness! I even found helpful tips for myself, even though I've been living with chronic illness for 10+ years. Well written and covers a wide range of road blocks we face throughout our lives..

Invisible illnesses are hard to come to terms with mentally. Personally, I don't suffer from any of the conditions in this book but I do have a condition that causes my almost daily discomfort and worry, and changed my life from one that was very active and social to one where I'm mostly at home trying to reduce discomfort. Whether that's for life or not only time will tell but I did get to work on acceptance while reading Ilana's book. What I love about this book is that it's written by someone with firsthand experience of what it's like to battle defeatist thinking, cope with social interactions, find support, become your own advocate and *live* as opposed to *exist*. I felt uplifted and empowered by this book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this in exchange for an honest review.

This book may be helpful to others with invisible illnesses and I would be willing to look at it again in the future as it covers the problem from so many angles.
However it does not meet my current needs so I have decided to take a break from it for the present.
I was given this book by NetGalley and the publisher. This is my voluntary review.

While there is much that's good advice in this book for those suffering from chronic illness, like most of these books, Karen Duffy's Backbone being a notable exception, it serves best for those who have been newly diagnosed or for those awaiting a final diagnoses.

If you have lived with chronic illness for years, especially invisible ones, you almost certainly have come up with your own methods of coping and with your own strategies for living. While this book gives the reader plenty of ideas, if you have done this you will find additions, not huge amounts of help here.

Unhappily, like almost every book on the subject I've read, it neglects the spiritual dimension of chronic illness and suffering. Is it that we have come so far astray as a society that this is now taboo to discuss? These days as I face a flare-up of my disease, the first in nearly 20 years, I find myself longing for books that will speak to and nourish me in my illness and struggles.

This book is not it.

I have a chronic illness, Lyme disease, which is debilitating and really makes some days difficult due to the physical symptoms. On top of that, there are a multitude of feelings that I've been unable to express due to shame and hearing old messages in my mind about having to suck it up and quit whining. This book has been absolutely instrumental in helping me recognize and start to overcome the mental and emotional thoughts and feelings that are essentially roadblocks to healing. I find myself continually referring back to this very friendly, well written book when my days aren't going so well.

I requested this authoritative book because our son has three so-called ‘invisible’ diagnosed diseases, including fibromyalgia and bipolar disorder. He has other degenerative diseases as well. My husband and I have read widely about his illnesses and have a fair understanding of how he feels, but this book really added a different slant as well as knowledge.
There was a plethora of ‘tips’ arranged under different headings. There were personal anecdotes, case study stories, practical advice and more. The parts I found really illuminating were the insights into the emotional fallout that sufferers of chronic ‘invisible’ illnesses are constantly battling with. I should say that our son is a grown divorced man with two children. He lives independently, has friends and works full time at the moment. He has suffered disbelief, doubt and judgements that are not fair. He tries hard to be an advocate for his conditions, but none-the-less he is bewildered and hurt by certain attitudes. He takes loads of prescription tablets daily but he manages his illnesses well on the whole. His bosses are supportive and have tried to adjust his work load to help him manage his energy levels. His father is next in line to read ‘Surviving and Thriving with an Invisible Chronic Illness: How to Stay Sane and Live One Step Ahead of Your Symptoms’ and then hopefully our son will read it.
This is a well written and definitive book full of ideas, alternatives, suggestions, scenarios and more. It uses primary and secondary sources and the author Ilana Jacqueline herself suffers from multiple conditions. It is forward thinking and a little gem of a book for those who are sufferers, family, carers and friends who do not have personal firsthand experience of having an ‘invisible’ illness. It will help you recognise the signs of an oncoming flare up and how to support the individual who may well be fiercely independent or who may not know how to deal with what they are facing, particularly if they are newly diagnosed. I loved the humour and notice our son using similar strategies as well. Ilana Jacqueline is a well known American Blogger about these issues. She has shared her experiences and helped others in other ways than writing this ‘guide’ of advice and reflections.
I would like to thank NetGalley and publisher New Harbinger Publication for my copy, sent in return for an honest review. I hope many people read it and gain insight into ‘invisible illnesses. It’s a real shame some people are ignorant and hurtful, because, through no fault of their own, sufferers are facing enough without unkindness and guilt.

Surviving and Thriving with an Invisible Chronic Illness was an absolutely wonderful (and humorous) look into what it's like living with a chronic illness not everyone can see. I received a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review. This book offers not only ways to deal with the many questions but also reminds that people with chronic illness are not alone. I can honestly say that it is nearly 100% accurate as I have autoimmune disorders and deal with a lot of the same things the book mentions. I felt it was accurate and authentic. The book also touches on things like what SSI/SSD are, other support programs that may be available, how to advocate for yourself when no one else will and how to stop self-depreciation.

Lots of good information in this book. I have quite a few family members and friends who have these. I really hope people who DON'T have invisible diseases read this book, it's enlightening. Pretty comprehensive book on diseases and they are all explained and covered very well.

Over the years I've worked with people who had an "invisible condition", and I've had employers who didn't believe them. I've heard people called lazy, that their faking being sick to get out of work, and "they looked fine yesterday so I doubt anything's actually wrong."

This is the book to read if you want to prove them all wrong.

I personally don't suffer from any sort of medical condition (although I do have some mental health issues), however I do enjoy broadening my horizons and learning about these things. I think it's important for everyone to learn about these sort of things because you never know who you'll meet in life who does suffer an illness that you've never even considered before.

This is a really, really good read.

Ilana Jacqueline does an incredible job of explaining her own "invisible illnesses" and those of people she's interacted with in life. It's written as almost a self help book for people who live with these diseases, but I don't believe it's written solely for them.
For me, this book gave me insight into a world that I've only caught glimpses of, and has taught me how best to approach the subject with people who do live this way.

You’ve got to love yourself first if you’re going to expect someone new in your life to do the same.

Even though I don't suffer from any illness, I'm really really grateful that I read this. The self-help aspect of it mostly did not apply to my life, but there were still some aspects of it that are universal. All in all this was a very informative read and a topic that I think everyone needs to educate themselves on.

This is the book that everyone just diagnosed with a chronic illness NEEDS. There are tons of books with advice on medicines, therapies, vitamins, diet changes, etc. - but this is the first one I've read that addresses those big, scary issues: how can I cope with how my life changed? What can I do to help my friends and family understand what's going on? How can I get over the anger and guilt I feel when I can't do the things I used to? These are super important because, unlike most illnesses and injuries, chronic illness is NEVER GOING AWAY. So we have to learn to cope with not only the illness and havoc it wreaks on our bodies, but also the havoc it can wreak in our lives. This book is a great start.

As someone who suffers with chronic illnesses this book was a must request!
Invisible diseases are the worst, they isolate sufferers who can find it difficult to explain to those who are unaffected, that just because their symptoms and pain cant be seen, that they are massively, hugely debilitating. So many suffer in silence, feel judged, shame, isolation, and feel misunderstood and unaccepted, and thats on top of the dreadful symptoms, pain and side effects so much medication can bring.
This book offers a little bit of comfort to those people, it makes you realise you aren't alone and offers some great advice on on living within your limits, dating, relationships, friendships, work and many other topics. The fact that it is written by someone who lives with two autoimmune diseases, who has experienced first hand the hell and the isolation chronic illness brings, a fellow fighter, makes it all the more engaging and relatable.
This book will appeal to sufferers and their loved ones alike.
Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read in return for an honest review.

I really appreciated finding a book that covers general chronic illnesses and understands the struggles! Having an author who has actually gone through many of the same struggles as others battling chronic illnesses lends a great deal of authenticity that makes this book a great read. I don't normally find many of these types of books to be useful, but the topics the Jacqueline covers are actually fairly varied and actually offer good, legitimate advice. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone struggling with a chronic illness-or anyone who lives with someone with a chronic illness to better understand it.

As someone who has been accused of using her grandmother's handicap sticker, and been stared at using the motorized wheelchair at Wal-mart, this book struck home. The author is not a doctor, or a researcher or a well wisher. She has been through this, fighting in the trenches like the rest of us. My own illness is different from the author's, but it is sad to see how universal my experiences are.
This is a helpful guide for anyone with a chronic illness and it deals with it in a very realistic way. It talks about feelings I haven't seen addressed in other books, such as the stress of getting a diagnosis or when you finally do, the complicated mess of feelings that comes along with it. Reading this sort of felt like talking in a support group that I didn't know I needed. The author is blunt and honest, and if you are the loved one of someone with a chronic illness, this will likely put you in their head space and reveal some of the doubts, fears and irritants they may never be able to voice. I highly recommend it.