Book Review: Sick: A Memoir — Catherine Lanser

As I read Sick: A Memoir by Porochista Khakpour, I couldn’t help but think about the normal progression of illness:

• Step One — Symptoms
• Step Two — Diagnosis
• Step Three — Treatment
• Step Four — Cure or Remission
• Step Five — Follow Up and Repeat?

Depending on the disease, each step can speed by or linger. For well-known diseases these steps proceed logically from one to the next. For Khakpour, who was ultimately diagnosed with Lyme disease, the progression took years and continues today.

I didn’t know much more about Lyme disease before reading the book, other than it was caused by ticks. I remember my parents checking me and my siblings for ticks each night when we would stay the week at my Uncle Al’s cottage on the border of Wisconsin and Michigan. I also give my dog a flea and tick preventive each month and do a half-hearted scan for ticks on my ankles after any day hikes I might take.

I have only heard of one acquaintance who has had Lyme disease and know it is hard to diagnose. Until reading this book, I had no idea of the range of symptoms and how devastating it can be. Khakpour isn’t exactly sure when she contracted the disease but has been sick for much of her life.