Abandoned after 16% read.

I have Lyme disease, and it's awful. Occasionally, I feel the need to read others' experience with Lyme to feel a little less alone.

But Douthat is far too rich and privileged to be relatable for me. He spends the first chapter of the book talking about his picturesque life - great job, great wife, great kids, and, oh, a new home purchased for over one million dollars.

When he gets sick, he starts going to doctors - and he never even thinks about how this being a possibility is in itself a huge blessing - not every sick person can afford to see specialist after specialist.

According to many reviews, his tone stays the same throughout the book, and he never acknowledges his privilege, or the fact that, though his health might not be great, he still has it pretty darn good.

And I just can't deal with that level of self-centeredness right now. ( )

The Deep Places; a Memoir of Illness and Discovery. Ross Douthat. 2021. In 2015, Douthat moved his wife and young daughters to the Connecticut from Washington, D.C. Their plans for a calm happy country life turned into a nightmare when Douthat contracted a strange illness that left him crippled, sleepless, and twisted in pain. After months and months of doctor visits it was determined that he had had Lyme disease, and it was chronic. This is the chronicle of his struggle with the illness and how it affected him and his family. He not only struggled with the disease he had to struggle with the medical establishment. Anyone who has dealt with chronic illness would find this interesting. His detail of his medicines and the various drugs and herbs he tried was tedious at times. Not for everyone. ( )

I disagree with Ross Douthat over any things but his experience of our healthcare system and its verities parallels mine almost exactly. I have long respected Douthat for his intelligence, his principles and his courtesy but after reading of his ordeal, still ongoing, my respect has increased. His courage in telling his story and eschewing rage or any other negative emotion is remarkable. Especially if you know anyone with a chronic disease but especially one like Lyme disease which does not always respond to tests or conventional treatment, read this book. ( )

What a great read for anyone suffering from Lyme Disease or any chronic illness. The thoughts of Mr. Douthat's heart while coping with an unknown illness reached me because I suffer a chronic condition with symptoms very similar.
This book is so well written it holds the reader to it even when not reading it, and shows a person's struggle to get to the bottom of what this malady is and when will it go away?
His journey trying to solve what doctors seem unable to do, as well as raising a family, working a job, and putting on the pretense that "I'm ok" is all a struggle in his heart and mind. There were actually sentences in his book I have spoken as well. ( )

The author details his experience with Lyme disease and malingering effects for years.

That might be the synopsis, but it really does not do justice to this work. Douthat is an excellent writer, and his introspection and research regarding what he experienced, both in terms of his suffering and in terms of the medical community, is powerful.

The author does well at telling the story: moving to the Connecticut countryside; the original likely bite; antibiotics a little late; unimaginable pain. He lays out how he went through all sorts of conventional treatment but did not get much relief.

He then opened up the whole controversy regarding Lyme disease: the medical establishment's difficulties in grappling with the long-term cases and all of the sufferers, their families, and a few rogue doctors trying all sorts of things to find relief for the long-term cases. He detailed what is known about the history of Lyme disease; the conspiracy and conventional theories; the rupture between the medical establishment and the long-term sufferers; how pervasive Lyme disease long-term suffering is in Connecticut and the northeast; and how many suffer from all sorts of chronic conditions, generally in silence.

The author then details his explorations into the more esoteric therapies and products, including rigorous double antibiotics, various herbs, and even a machine to provide electromagnetic pulses. The author describes the first few years of horrendous suffering, and one is left marveling at how he wrote and worked as he did despite all that pain in 2015 and 2016. He spoke of how he began to experience some relief but still a lot of pain from 2017 to 2020; how he and his family left the countryside and moved into a city; and how he still grapples with side effects but is far more functional than before. He also spoke of his early experience with COVID-19, how it led to some resurgence of Lyme, but also ironically may have helped in some ways...and of course addresses long term COVID.

The purpose is to really grapple with the long term effects of bacteria and viruses, the medical system and its limitations, the desperation of the suffering, and how we as a society address chronic illness. A very compelling and worthy read. ( )