When There Is No Cure: How to Thrive While Living with the Pain and Suffering of Chronic Illness

by Craig K. Svensson

How do you live well when the physical foundation of your life is crumbling? This is the challenge for millions who live with diseases for which there is no cure. These incurable ailments produce a life of constant pain, fatigue, numbness, dizziness, and other debilitating symptoms that create chronic suffering. Can you thrive in life while experiencing the suffering persistent sickness provokes? In When There Is No Cure, Dr. Craig Svensson guides readers to a path of thriving when life’s journey includes an incurable ailment. Drawing on his expertise as a pharmacist-scientist, as well as a fellow sufferer with several incurable diseases, he helps patients steer through the twists and turns of life with chronic illness.

Genres: Nonfiction, Health, Personal Development

222 pages, Paperback

Published December 4, 2018

Reviews

[Keri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Okay where has this book been my whole life?!? I have had this on my to-read list for quite some time, and I am thrilled I finally picked it up and dove in.

Such a practical must-read for anyone experiencing long-term pain, suffering, or chronic illness. Dr. Svensson gives fantastic how-to guidance on how to deal with the plethora of doctors, opinions, emotions, and appointments that accompany chronic illness, as well as emotional guidance on dealing with the fall-out of ongoing suffering and uncertainty. (And all from a heart and life that has lived well through chronic illness and suffering himself - that's a biggie to me in advice-rich books like this one.)

I would highly recommend this not only for those who suffer, but also (and perhaps especially) for caregivers and loved ones as well, as I feel it helps explain a chronic sufferer's experience and concerns, as well as gives practical tips on approaches that help alleviate pain - and approaches that do NOT.

This will now be my go-to gift for any friend who receives a difficult diagnosis - or is on a path of chronic suffering even without diagnosis.

I only wish I had read it about a decade sooner. Would have assisted my journey in many ways.

Do yourself a favor - and maybe read this BEFORE you personally encounter chronic suffering in yourself or someone you love. It will prepare you well for the road ahead - or to walk well with those already on the journey.

[Dax · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a plethora of good information that Dr. Svensson speaks to throughout the book. Some sound advice for who to tell and why, how to be pragmatic but not let pain consume your whole life, and much more. Much of this feels a bit like a pipe dream about choosing doctors and getting many opinions.; clearly Dr. Svensson has much better health care access than I do. That being said there is much good here and I truly appreciate that he left his faith to the very last chapter. It allows for those reading the story to get the advice they need without feeling like it comes from a missionary. You still get what is clearly an integral piece to the author but can skip it if Christianity isn't your thing or worse you've been wrong in the past by those who call themselves Christians.

[Allison Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is arguably one of my favorite books. As someone who both works with patients, had Dean Svensson in college,and has chronic conditions of my own, this book give me some additional insights of how to care for my own patients as well as my own conditions. I have no doubt that if I were to read this again, I would further benefit from it. Would recommend this book to anyone in the healthcare field at a minimum, patients with chronic illnesses, and loved ones of those with chronic illnesses. So essentially, everyone.

[Marney Rausch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last few chapters were the most helpful for my situation.