Learning Sickness: A Year With Crohn's Disease (Capital Discovery) by James M. Lang

When English professor Lang was first diagnosed with the inflammatory bowel ailment Crohn's disease, he was at an age--26--when most people feel immortal. He had had a history of good health despite poor dietary habits; now he was told there was little he could do to alter the course of the illness. In the first few years after diagnosis, he behaved as before, and flare-ups were mild and quickly responsive to prescribed medications. The honeymoon ended when he was 33, and the disease almost completely disabled him. Forced to learn what it means to be sick, he grappled with issues of diet, alcohol, the limitations of pharmaceutical intervention, and communicating with doctors. And he came to grips with God, family, truth, and personal responsibility. His frank, intimate chronicle of the worst year of his life details suffering the pain and the ignominy of a severe bout of Crohn's, and it shares invaluable, hard-earned wisdom about how anyone with a debilitating disorder may learn to accept the cards he or she has been dealt and get on with living. Donna Chavez
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Owner Reviews, Ratings, Comments and Criticism
James Lang reminded me of all the pain, fears and heartaches that most Crohn's patients experience in the early stages of Crohn's disease. I've lived with Crohn's and its realities over 30 years since being diagnosed in college, and Jim covers all the bases. As an English professor and author, he skillfully addresses the multiple bathroom visits, constant early denial, self diagnosis (it's just indigestion), travel paranoia, and middle of the night hospital trips. They should give frequent flier miles for IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) hospital stays. Most importantly, he personailizes the effect that chronic illness has on many aspects of life - family, marriage, friendships, faith, career, and self confidence. "Learning Sickness" will benefit anyone who has or knows of someone with Crohn's disease, Colitis or almost any other chronic condition. It just doesn't go away. Fortunately, we have some people like Jim Lang, brave enough to share their story.