Women and Fibromyalgia: Living with an Invisible Dis-ease

Dr. Keddy captures the patient's experience of living and coping with suffering in the poignant interviews with twenty women who have fibromyalgia, herself included.-Dr. Jock Murray, medical humanities and neurology professor, Dalhousie University Medical SchoolFibromyalgia, a musculoskeletal condition characterized by widespread chronic pain and fatigue, specific tender points, and sleep disturbance, is a major medical and social concern for physicians, employers, workers' compensation boards, and the insurance industry. But what about those who suffer from the condition? Drawing on her own experiences as well as the stories of twenty other women living with the challenges of fibromyalgia, Barbara A. Keddy, RN, PhD, discusses current theories of causes and types of treatments. She also speculates about why this condition is more prominent among women than men. By sharing these stories, Keddy highlights the invisibility of the daily difficulties fibromyalgia sufferers face. With its uniquely personal perspective, Women and Fibromyalgia validates Keddy's experience and offers hope for her and others that they will someday take back control of their bodies.

Barbara A. Keddy has been a nurse, medical sociologist, university teacher and researcher, and is currently a professor emeritus. Her research over the past ten years, in addition to living with fibromyalgia, has given insight into this mysterious condition. She lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Please visit www.womenandfibromyalgia.com.