Chronic - by Rebecca Dimyan (Paperback)

About the Book

"A memoir of illness and healing"--Cover.

Book Synopsis

In this powerful debut, Rebecca Dimyan details her experience with endometriosis, a chronic disease which effects one in ten women worldwide. This painful condition takes an average of seven years to be diagnosed and has no proven cure. Most women will undergo multiple surgeries, take countless painkillers and other drugs, and will still endure regular pain and other complications. With honesty, vulnerability, and sometimes humor, Dimyan explores the ways the condition has impacted her experiences, her body, her pain, and her joy. She takes her audience on an emotional journey through her teenage years, early twenties, and into her thirties as she becomes a professional woman, wife, and mother. Dimyan blends research, anecdotes, and advice as she shares the relief she's found through alternative treatments and holistic medicine. Chronic isn't just a story about one woman's illness--it is a memoir about all the pain, pleasure, heartbreak, friendship, love, and hope she experiences on her path to healing.

Review Quotes

"With research, perspective, humor, compassion, and emotional insight, Dimyan explores the tracks that endometriosis leaves on her body, life experiences, and her spirit, offering an essential addition to the literature of women's pain. Comparing the constant burden of pain to 'running drunk with a stack of china, ' her story's weight is compounded as doctors and others minimize it. This innovative and generous book is equal parts memoir and treatment diary, offering the reader hope and companionship as well as reframing the pain experience." --Sonya Huber

About the Author

Rebecca Dimyan is an award-winning writer whose nonfiction essays and short fiction have appeared in national and international print and online publications including Vox, Gastronomica: The Journal of Critical Food Studies, xoJane, The Mighty, 34th Parallel, and many others. Her book Chronic: A Memoir is forthcoming from Woodhall Press, and her debut novel Waiting for Beirut, which was a finalist for the Fairfield Book Prize, will be published by Running Wild Press in 2023. Rebecca teaches writing at several colleges in Connecticut. She is a writer, editor, teacher, and conference director.