Chronically Me: Flushing Out My Life and Times With IBS: A Memoir in Comics

by Alecia Blake (writing as), Joy Spencer

While on her honeymoon, Joy Spencer was taken ill with a violent gastrointestinal episode. Her symptoms persisted long after she returned home, and she was eventually diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Chronically Me: Flushing Out My Life and Times With IBS, A Memoir in Comics, is the story of a woman struggling to live her life and find a cure, or at least some relief from this chronic and decades-long illness. Spencer puts this chronicle of her life with IBS in focus the best way she knows how - with cartoons. Through her wry look at clueless friends and relatives, at doctors with no answers and at treatments with no cures, Spencer hopes that others going through similar circumstances will find some recognition and a little laughter. This honest and funny memoir provides comic relief and comfort for anyone experiencing the frustrations of IBS, or other chronic illnesses.

Genres: Disability, Memoir

90 pages, Paperback

First published October 28, 2014

About the author

Alecia Blake’s accomplished illustration career has included work for major fashion designers, magazines and companies. Her work includes loose, flowing fashion art, children’s book illustrations and whimsical and humorous cartoons. She incorporates expressive, fluid lines and vibrant colors into her wide stylistic range. Her career in fashion illustration was featured in 201 Magazine, The Best of Bergen. In her new coloring book, Color In Fashion: A Stylish Adult Coloring Book, Alecia combines her gift for fashion drawing with exquisite, detailed backgrounds. These pages of hand-drawn intricate settings, patterns and lovely, graceful figures will delight the colorist, making the experience fun, creative and calming.
 Alecia Blake attended Syracuse University School of Art and Parsons School of Design, where she earned a BFA in Illustration. She also is the author of Chronically Me: Flushing Out My Life and Times With IBS, A Memoir in Comics written under the pen name Joy Spencer.
 

Reviews

[JanB · Rating 5 out of 5]

With this book, Joy Spencer has given us a glimpse into the world of someone who lives with the pain and isolation resulting from a chronic, intractable condition, and she does it with sensitivity, humor, and engaging illustrations. Although I don't suffer from IBS, I do have an autoimmune disease, and I found much here to identify with.

Included are the frustrations of dealing with doctors who offer less than helpful answers and treatments, the endless search for a cure (or at least relief), alternative treatments that can sometimes be a little wacky, friends and relatives who don't "get it", and the isolation that comes from living with a chronic pain condition. Joy has found the humor in a condition that is anything but humorous to live with, and I often found myself chuckling. On a more serious note, the section on helpful and not so helpful things to say to a sufferer is excellent.

I highly recommend reading this book even if you don't have IBS or another chronic condition. It's likely that at some point in your life you will cross paths with someone who does, and this book will give you a glimpse into their world. Hopefully, it will lead to compassion for those who do, something this world could certainly use more of. Plus, the book is often funny and it will make you laugh!

[Cale · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who is married to a person with a chronic illness, this was familiar but illuminating. To see the struggle through the eyes of someone for whom every day is both a new and familiar challenge, and to see the impact that the people around them can have was informative (there's a page about what would make a perfect friend that I especially appreciated seeing). The art is supportive rather than being primary here, but some of the page layouts were confusing (even with the handy arrows between panels). The story isn't the most pleasant, detailing lots of tests and unanswered questions, but that's kind of the point. While I don't suffer from IBS (and am now much more sympathetic to those who do), I can appreciate the grind of always hoping for a solution, even when there's no light on the horizon, and pushing through each day in spite of the extra worries, rules, and stresses. This is a good book to provide some quick empathy and understanding to issues people may be suffering from silently around you; definitely recommended.

[Jaclyn Hillis]

This is the story of a woman struggling to live her life and find a cure, or at least some relief from this chronic and decades-long illness.

As someone who is married to a person with Crohn’s disease, I really appreciated the insight into what it’s like living with IBS. While Crohn’s and IBS are completely different conditions, they have several overlapping symptoms. There is still so much unknown about both conditions.

Joy brought humor to her condition with her illustrations. She also captures the desperation one feels when their life is ruled by a disease and answers are nowhere to be found. I recommend this is you’re interested in seeing how people dealing with chronic diseases feel on a daily basis.

[Megan Benfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book to teach a lesson on graphic medicine and health narratives. The comics are cramped and hard to read at times, but it’s an honest, relatable, and digestible account of life with IBS.

[Sherri Bobzien · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was funny, and sadly, sad. I too suffered from a terrible gut problem for years, and can relate and sympathize with Joy! She captures the desperation one feels when their life is ruled by a disease that the medical community can't seem to get a handle on. I related to this on so many levels. The many, many doctor visits, the hope, the disappointments. When you suffer with something like IBS, the best thing you can do is try to laugh about it, otherwise you'll spend all your time crying! Loved this book.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Chronically Me: Flushing Out My Life and Times With IBS - A Memoir in Comics", is a book about one woman's struggle to find a cause and cure for this condition. Written by Joy Spencer who began a blog about her journey, experiences, and frustrations in 2012. She writes with humor and her own drawings, this a very interesting source of everything under the sun tried and in her case, failed. I enjoyed reading this in one sitting.

I won this book in a Good reads giveaway.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightfully composed and with a deep compassion for chronic illness, including a witty and joyful sense of humor that clearly has helped the author through some tough times! Chronically Me is a uniquely moving and funny memoir that is a must read for anyone who personally suffers or is close to someone who suffers from chronic illness.

[Mary Kenyon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who would have thought an entire book could be written about Irritable Bowel Syndrome? It works because it is a cartoon book. I lived with this disease for a long time, so I really "got it," and heard some of the same things from doctors.

[Clara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very reassuring in the sense that I too suffer from this condition and have tried or been told to try many things but nothing seems to work in the long term, and that is the case for the author too. It's also NOT reassuring but at least it makes you feel like you're not alone. My only regret is that it ended quite abruptly!