Invisible Illnesses: Patient Stories By cover art

Invisible Illnesses: Patient Stories

By: Invisible Illnesses: Patient Stories
Listen for free

  • Summary

  • Living with a health condition that isn’t clear for the world to see can be isolating, lonely and frustrating. Listen to hear the personal stories of patients who have medical conditions with symptoms that are often unseen. With as many as 96% of chronic illnesses being without clear physical symptoms, it gives the chronic condition community a voice. For those who have to explain their conditions all too often, it’s a chance to raise awareness of what life is really like for them. An opportunity to let others see a snippet of what their condition truly entails.  Invisible Illnesses provides a platform for patients to connect, share experiences and show support. It helps those who feel unseen, be seen. The unheard, be heard. The misunderstood, be understood. In every episode, you’ll hear from someone with a unique story to tell. A patient story that isn’t just about the condition that they have, but that’s about their life, thoughts, feelings and experiences too. Their life beyond an illness that doesn’t define them, yet does need to be recognised and better understood. Get ready to have your eyes opened.
    © 2022 We are COUCH LTD. All rights reserved
    Show more Show less
activate_primeday_promo_in_buybox_DT
Episodes
  • 8: Episode 8: Gerry & Daniel-Young Onset Alzheimer’s

    8: Episode 8: Gerry & Daniel-Young Onset Alzheimer’s
    Mar 18 2022
    “It’s not the end of the world, just the beginning of a new.” Today we talk with Gerry and his son, Daniel, about Young Onset Alzheimer’s. Gerry shares how his diagnosis gave him a new purpose in life, and how he managed to gain back his self-confidence by helping promote dementia awareness.

    Jerry and Daniel are father and son. Jerry was diagnosed with Early onset alzheimer's at 55 when Daniel was just 15.  02:15 When getting diagnosed Jerry didn't notice anything himself, it was his family who recognised something was wrong, subtle changes in Jerry, problems with short term memory. Temperment started to change, more aggressive and argumentive.  03:50 After 16 months of tests and seeing different professionals, Jerry was diagnosed with Early Onset Alzhiemers.  04:25 Daniel noticed his dad was in denial about forgetting things. He would get angry at little things that he never used to annoy him.  04:55 Jerry used to be a quite laid back person, and one of the major changes was that his patience seemed to have disappeared, espically with the children which was quite a sad time for Jerry.  05:50 Daniel said- "It's not easy to go up to someone and say i think something is wrong with you, espically when it's your dad".  07:20 Jerry about how he felt when he got diagnosed- "When i got the diagnosis of Alzhiemer's i was quite relieved that there was actually a diagnosis and i wasn't just being stupid."  08:20 Jerry talks about what happened immediately after he got diagnosed-  "The world looked at me as a different person completely that day when i got diagnosed, I had to give up my job, i lost all my work collegues that i had worked with for over 30 years. I lost close friends, personal friends that i had been with for lots and lots of years. It was quite a worrying time." 08:48 How it felt for Jerry to lose his job- When you lose your job, you lose a lot of your self confidence, your belief in yourself. You feel as though your not contributing to society anymore." 09:50 Daniel explained how he was feeling and how his dad didn't talk about it with the rest of the family.  10:35 Jerry explains the turning point for him in his journey where he started to feel happier and he talks about how he met Ruth MCcabe and how she contributed to making his expierence better. Helped Ruth do Dementia presentations which helped build up his confidence again. 12:40 Discussion about what information is missing about early onset alzhiemers for the general public and what should people be more aware of. Discussion about the misunderstandings people have about early onset.  14:55 Katie- Does the lack of education and understanding influence friendships? Jerry discusses his expierence. Jerry explains how it has helped him make lots of new friends as he enjoys spending time with people who are in the same situation as him.  15:25 Discusses how he helped form the support group STAND. Group made up of people who are living with YOAD and their families/carers/supporters. 20:00 Daniel discusses how he deals with his dads symptoms.  24:00 Daniel and Jerry discuss how Daniel and his sister use humour to help them deal.  26:00 Jerry discusses how he deals with YOAD and having young children. "They get the brunt of my lack of patience".  27:30 Daniel tells us about how he handles it with his friends and how his friends have been supportive of him and his dad. "Younger generation nowadays are more accepting".  29:20 What does the future look like for Jerry and Daniel? They discuss what they are expecting for the future. "Don't plan too far ahead", Daniel- "There's always that part of me, thats's like is dad going to be alright when i get home?".  31:45 Jerry tells us about his new hobbies he's taken up. For example, poetry. "Never would of dreamt of doing when i was full time". 33:50 "As a group we have written a fun book called the recipe of life, articles from members of the groups, poems etc.". 35:20 Jerry reads us one of his poems called 'Alzhiemer's is'.




    Show more Show less
    41 mins
  • 7: Episode 7 Thekla- Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

    7: Episode 7 Thekla- Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
    Mar 11 2022
    For the first year after her diagnosis, Thekla had lost all hope and felt she was waiting on her deathbed. As time passed, Thekla realised that she had a lot to live for, and continued to push through life with a spring in her step.
    Show more Show less
    30 mins
  • 6: Episode 6 Tina- Crohn's Disease

    6: Episode 6 Tina- Crohn's Disease
    Mar 4 2022
    When it comes to #Crohnsdisease, it's not just the physical symptoms that can impact someone's life. As Tina explains, her Crohn's diagnosis had social and cultural impacts too. To find out more about Tina's story, take a listen to our podcast.
    Show more Show less
    33 mins
Biographies & Memoirs Social Sciences Science
Show more Show less

What listeners say about Invisible Illnesses: Patient Stories

Average customer ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.com reviews

Amazon reviews
No Reviews are Available