Remission Quest
eBook - PDF

Remission Quest

A Medical Sociologist Navigates Cancer

  1. 232 pages
  2. English
  3. PDF
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

Remission Quest

A Medical Sociologist Navigates Cancer

About this book

As a medical sociologist, Virginia Adams O'Connell long studied the healthcare system and people navigating illness. Then, in 2019, she confronted her own reality of being diagnosed with primary bone lymphoma. "Since my diagnosis, I joined a club of current and past patients that I never wanted or intended to join," she writes with both candor and poignancy, adding, "But we can collectively work to make it the best club it can be."

In the course of diagnosis, treatment, and recovery, Adams O'Connell lived through theories she had researched and applied her sociological ideas to help make sense of her personal experiences. Remission Quest chronicles how the reality of living with cancer changed her perspective on what she had studied. Adams O'Connell found her knowledge illustrated and enriched her sociological analysis of our medical institutions and that her own illness narrative shone new light on her theories.

With moving prose, Remission Quest captures the emotions of having cancer and dealing with elaborate medical systems, learning how to be a "good patient" while also managing indescribable fear and fatigue, and confronting questions about the meaning of life. Adams O'Connell's experiences are both personal and universal. They provide inspiration, compassion, and understanding.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings on the Perlego website. Your subscription will stay active until the end of your current billing period. Learn how to cancel your subscription.
At the moment all of our mobile-responsive ePub books are available to download via the app. Most of our PDFs are also available to download and we're working on making the final remaining ones downloadable now. Learn more here.
Perlego offers two plans: Essential and Complete
  • Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
  • Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Both plans are available with monthly, semester, or annual billing cycles.
We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1 million books across 1000+ topics, we’ve got you covered! Learn more here.
Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more here.
Yes! You can use the Perlego app on both iOS or Android devices to read anytime, anywhere — even offline. Perfect for commutes or when you’re on the go.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access Remission Quest by Virginia Adams O'Connell in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Medicine & Medicine Biographies. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Contents
  2. Acknowledgments
  3. Introduction
  4. 1. Pursuing the Diagnosis
  5. 2. Adopting the Sick Role and Interpreting the Prognosis
  6. 3. The First Outpatient Infusions
  7. 4. Adjusting to Physical Changes
  8. 5. Role Strain and Fatigue with a Capital “F”
  9. 6. Being a “Good Patient”
  10. 7. The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad War Metaphors Used to Describe the Cancer Experience
  11. 8. The Challenges of Interacting with Family, Friends, Neighbors, and Acquaintances and Responding to “How Are You?”
  12. 9. Touch and Treatment
  13. 10. Inpatient Infusions
  14. 11. Intimate Strangers
  15. 12. The Last Infusion, Ringing the Bell, and Posttreatment Damage and Anxiety
  16. 13. Belonging to a Club You Never Wanted to Join—A Virtual Support Community
  17. 14. Returning to Work and Then, the Pandemic
  18. Conclusion
  19. Notes
  20. Index