Doing Well at Being Sick: Living with Chronic and Acute Illness

by Wendy Wallace

If you or someone you know struggles with an acute or chronic illness, this book is a must. In it you will find much-needed help, hope, inspiration, and practical advice. Only a person who has walked the walk could write such a book, and Wendy Wallace more than qualifies. Over the past 20 years, though her body has suffered from a mind-boggling onslaught of afflictions, her spirit has grown strong. Wendy has gained many practical insights into the different issues that arise when illness becomes a lifestyle. Doing Well at Being Sick will encourage you and help you make wise choices, deal effectively with life in the face of illness, and glorify God in the midst of your circumstances.

240 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2010

Reviews

[Rhonda Gayle]

My thoughts after reading Doing Well at Being Sick:
Wendy Wallace is truly an inspiration to readers. Having chronic illness myself and being forced to quit teaching at age 49 and go on disability was very discouraging. I actually am dealing with grief at the things my illnesses have "cost me" or caused me to give up. Wendy knows what I'm feeling and she discusses feeling the same things in her book as she deals with her own private health issues. She gives wonderful counsel on how to use your energy wisely, plan for bad days, be productive on good days, navigate the medical system, communicate effectively with medical professionals, accept help from friends and family, save our energy, and more. This book made me feel some hope and it made me feel like I'm not alone in this. She also addresses how to pray and rely on scripture to get through each day as well as how to incorporate fun and relaxation into each and every day. I highly recommend this book to others who are dealing with chronic illness for themselves or family members they care for.

[IrenesBookReviews]

Wendy Wallace knows what she is writing about! Using her very personal experiences of dealing with health issues over many years, she writes very practical advice for anyone that is dealing with an illness or knows someone who is. You will take away many lessons from this very realistic book. From what to expect at the doctors’office to what to say to those going through an illness, this book is filled with valuable advice.

The best advice the author offers is to draw closer to Christ while dealing with your illness. For those who have a family member it is important to lean on the Lord and remind your loved one that the Lord is their best friend, especially during these hard times.

I enjoyed this book and gave it 5/5 stars because it is has very practical advice and is written in an open and loving style.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the copy of this book I enjoyed reading. I gave an honest review based on my opinion of what I read.

[Charity Tinnin]

3.5 stars

[Chelsea]

This is not a typical book I would read. However, I have been battling multiple chronic illnesses for nearly all my life, and this book was like a miracle in my hands. As of late, I have been having a lot of spiritual doubt. The worst is that chronic illness affects your family and friends as well, and having heard my father say, "If there was a God, why would you still be sick?" seemed to pull me down into my doubt even more. When I saw this book, I thought I would give it a try. I'm not the most spiritual person, but I do have an intimate relationship with God. I have found that I do tend to rely on him most when I am in a bad situation, and this book even confirmed the theory that most people do the same. What I didn't expect from this book was to be so informed. The best thing I probably took away was how to create a daily list--multiple lists--of whatever needs to be done, how your health is, etc. Another thing was to treat yourself daily. This, I tend to forget, especially since I am typically caught up in volunteer work or helping other chronically ill friends. I'll remember it from now on.

The reason I said this book was like a miracle is that, because of my depressed mood lately and worsening symptoms, I needed something to guide me in the right direction. This book did exactly that. While I could have done without the tiring last chapter of scriptures, I still found a few that I will take to heart.

I'm grateful that this book is available, and will be having my mother read it next.

*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

[Becka Book Girl]

At age 47, Wendy Wallace suffered a sudden onslaught of what developed into a lengthy series of both acute and chronic illnesses which have repeatedly threatened and drastically altered her life. This book is part memoir, part how-to-adapt, part education, and part pep talk.

It’s the first book I picked up after being diagnosed, at age 47, with chronic illness myself earlier this year, and while I did glean a fair amount of useful information from it, this would not be the first title I would recommend to someone who has just learned he is facing a treatable but incurable disease, for two reasons based on my own reactions while reading it. First, I felt weak and ashamed for feeling distress over my condition in light of the far greater magnitude of Ms. Wallace’s difficulties; and second, I had not at that point reached a level of acceptance at which I could be open to the repeated admonitions to always be thankful, to pray not for myself but for the nurses caring for me in the midst of a medical crisis, to remain alert and vigilant in monitoring my own care, etc.

The book does, however, contain a great deal of practical advice and wisdom regarding adjustment of priorities, innovative ways to manage everyday tasks, and revising expectations and goals to fit current limitations. It could certainly be a useful reference for someone past the initial shock of diagnosis, or for a family member or caregiver of someone navigating chronic illness.

[Gail Welborn]

Doing Well at Being Sick, by Wendy Wallace, Discovery House Publishers, 2010, ISBN-13: 978-1572933873, #10.99 http://doingwellatbeingsick.com/biogr...

What do you do when your body betrays you and no longer works as it once did? Wendy Wallace faced and continues to face that challenge. In Doing Well at Being Sick she teaches others how to overcome and rise above experiences of acute or chronic illness.

After enduring several heart attacks, lung, skin and bladder cancers, lupus and many other illnesses, the author struggled with serious health issues multiple times for over twenty years. This book draws on those experiences to share with readers…Full Review: http://tinyurl.com/7jdf9te