
It's Not as Bad as It Sounds (My Life with Ms & Fibro)
My Life with Multiple Sclerosis and Fibromyalgia (Living with These 2 Conditions and Making Life Better)
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $6.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Dawn Hartwell
-
By:
-
Yvonne Decelis
About this listen
While finishing off her degree in Gerontology at Umass Boston, Yvonne Decelis started writing about her life in the hope of showing others with similar conditions that they are not alone in the trials they face. Yvonne goes over her upbringing and life prior to, during, and after diagnosis covering things like medications, “healthful living”, work, SSDI disability benefits, friendships, and relationships, etc. This was also written for people seeking information on how to interact with others who have "invisible illnesses" like MS, Fibro, Post-traumatic Stress injury, etc.
From Yvonne: My interest in the field of aging and disability is almost lifelong. I have always felt that we do not always treat older adults and/or members of the “disabled community” with the respect and kindness they deserve, and I am hoping to help change that.
©2013 Yvonne Decelis (P)2021 Yvonne DecelisListeners also enjoyed...
-
MS Made Simple
- The Essential Guide to Understanding Your Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis
- By: Mitzi Williams
- Narrated by: Mitzi Williams
- Length: 1 hr and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The words “you have multiple sclerosis” can be very frightening. There is no cure, symptoms are potentially debilitating, and there is no way to prevent it. While a diagnosis often requires ongoing lifestyle adjustments, with the proper treatment it is possible to have a fulfilling life. Understanding the condition and treatment options are the first steps to advocating for yourself or your loved ones living with MS.
-
-
Great 1st choice
- By BAM Costantino on 08-21-20
By: Mitzi Williams
-
The Wahls Protocol
- A Radical New Way to Treat All Chronic Autoimmune Conditions Using Paleo Principles, Revised Edition
- By: Terry Wahls MD, Eve Adamson - contributor
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 18 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Wahls Protocol has become a sensation, transforming the lives of people with autoimmune diseases. Now in this fully revised edition, Dr. Terry Wahls outlines the latest research that validates the program and offers new, powerful tools to arm listeners and help them achieve total health.
-
-
Excellent diet - but such a downer to read
- By AS on 12-22-20
By: Terry Wahls MD, and others
-
Mean Baby
- A Memoir of Growing Up
- By: Selma Blair
- Narrated by: Selma Blair
- Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The first story Selma Blair Beitner ever heard about herself is that she was a mean, mean baby. With her mouth pulled in a perpetual snarl and a head so furry it had to be rubbed to make way for her forehead, Selma spent years living up to her terrible reputation: biting her sisters, lying spontaneously, getting drunk from Passover wine at the age of seven, and behaving dramatically so that she would be the center of attention. In a memoir that is as wildly funny as it is emotionally shattering, Blair tells the captivating story of growing up and finding her truth.
-
-
Poor little privileged girl...
- By Tesa Fisher on 09-20-22
By: Selma Blair
-
Unbreakable Mind
- Channeling Your Survival Instincts After Catastrophic Injury
- By: Steven Quigley
- Narrated by: Jessica Hazard
- Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Throughout my life I have done things my way, and they have always worked out - as if I've had luck in my corner. All of my optimism and bravado came to a crashing halt one cold December holiday night, when after an evening out with good friends, I suffered an accident. I was beaten with a pipe and later found under a moving train, resulting in quadriplegia. Given virtually no chance to walk again, I was devastated. But I also had hope, and lots of it. A fire that exists deep within, and has since childhood, burns on no matter the circumstances. I am here for a bigger mission. What would that mission now be?
-
-
an incredible man who lifted my soul
- By Sebastián Ojeda Maudier on 08-22-23
By: Steven Quigley
-
Delivered From Distraction
- Getting the Most Out of Life with Attention Deficit Disorder
- By: Edward M. Hallowell M.D., John J. Ratey M.D.
- Narrated by: Dan Cashman
- Length: 13 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1994, Driven to Distraction sparked a revolution in our understanding of attention deficit disorder. Now a second revolution is under way in the approach to ADD, and the news is great. Drug therapies, our understanding of the role of diet and exercise, even the way we define the disorder, all are changing radically. And doctors are realizing that millions of adults suffer from this condition, though the vast majority of them remain undiagnosed and untreated.
-
-
Read the book
- By Delano on 07-20-10
By: Edward M. Hallowell M.D., and others
-
The Center Cannot Hold
- By: Elyn R. Saks
- Narrated by: Alma Cuervo
- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Professor of psychiatry Elyn R. Saks writes about her struggle with schizophrenia in this unflinching account of her mental illness. In The Center Cannot Hold, Saks draws readers into a nightmare world of medications, a misguided health-care system, and social stigmas. But she would not be defeated. With a strength and force of will that most can only imagine, Saks reclaimed her life and went on to achieve great success.
-
-
Schizophrenia Inside Out
- By Pamela Harvey on 07-23-09
By: Elyn R. Saks
-
MS Made Simple
- The Essential Guide to Understanding Your Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis
- By: Mitzi Williams
- Narrated by: Mitzi Williams
- Length: 1 hr and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The words “you have multiple sclerosis” can be very frightening. There is no cure, symptoms are potentially debilitating, and there is no way to prevent it. While a diagnosis often requires ongoing lifestyle adjustments, with the proper treatment it is possible to have a fulfilling life. Understanding the condition and treatment options are the first steps to advocating for yourself or your loved ones living with MS.
-
-
Great 1st choice
- By BAM Costantino on 08-21-20
By: Mitzi Williams
-
The Wahls Protocol
- A Radical New Way to Treat All Chronic Autoimmune Conditions Using Paleo Principles, Revised Edition
- By: Terry Wahls MD, Eve Adamson - contributor
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 18 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Wahls Protocol has become a sensation, transforming the lives of people with autoimmune diseases. Now in this fully revised edition, Dr. Terry Wahls outlines the latest research that validates the program and offers new, powerful tools to arm listeners and help them achieve total health.
-
-
Excellent diet - but such a downer to read
- By AS on 12-22-20
By: Terry Wahls MD, and others
-
Mean Baby
- A Memoir of Growing Up
- By: Selma Blair
- Narrated by: Selma Blair
- Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The first story Selma Blair Beitner ever heard about herself is that she was a mean, mean baby. With her mouth pulled in a perpetual snarl and a head so furry it had to be rubbed to make way for her forehead, Selma spent years living up to her terrible reputation: biting her sisters, lying spontaneously, getting drunk from Passover wine at the age of seven, and behaving dramatically so that she would be the center of attention. In a memoir that is as wildly funny as it is emotionally shattering, Blair tells the captivating story of growing up and finding her truth.
-
-
Poor little privileged girl...
- By Tesa Fisher on 09-20-22
By: Selma Blair
-
Unbreakable Mind
- Channeling Your Survival Instincts After Catastrophic Injury
- By: Steven Quigley
- Narrated by: Jessica Hazard
- Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Throughout my life I have done things my way, and they have always worked out - as if I've had luck in my corner. All of my optimism and bravado came to a crashing halt one cold December holiday night, when after an evening out with good friends, I suffered an accident. I was beaten with a pipe and later found under a moving train, resulting in quadriplegia. Given virtually no chance to walk again, I was devastated. But I also had hope, and lots of it. A fire that exists deep within, and has since childhood, burns on no matter the circumstances. I am here for a bigger mission. What would that mission now be?
-
-
an incredible man who lifted my soul
- By Sebastián Ojeda Maudier on 08-22-23
By: Steven Quigley
-
Delivered From Distraction
- Getting the Most Out of Life with Attention Deficit Disorder
- By: Edward M. Hallowell M.D., John J. Ratey M.D.
- Narrated by: Dan Cashman
- Length: 13 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1994, Driven to Distraction sparked a revolution in our understanding of attention deficit disorder. Now a second revolution is under way in the approach to ADD, and the news is great. Drug therapies, our understanding of the role of diet and exercise, even the way we define the disorder, all are changing radically. And doctors are realizing that millions of adults suffer from this condition, though the vast majority of them remain undiagnosed and untreated.
-
-
Read the book
- By Delano on 07-20-10
By: Edward M. Hallowell M.D., and others
-
The Center Cannot Hold
- By: Elyn R. Saks
- Narrated by: Alma Cuervo
- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Professor of psychiatry Elyn R. Saks writes about her struggle with schizophrenia in this unflinching account of her mental illness. In The Center Cannot Hold, Saks draws readers into a nightmare world of medications, a misguided health-care system, and social stigmas. But she would not be defeated. With a strength and force of will that most can only imagine, Saks reclaimed her life and went on to achieve great success.
-
-
Schizophrenia Inside Out
- By Pamela Harvey on 07-23-09
By: Elyn R. Saks
-
I Am Not Sick I Don’t Need Help!
- How to Help Someone Accept Treatment (20th Anniversary Edition)
- By: Xavier Amador
- Narrated by: Gary J. Chambers
- Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dr. Amador's research on poor insight was inspired by his success helping his brother Henry, who had schizophrenia, accept treatment. Like tens of millions of others diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and addictions, Henry did not believe he was ill. In this latest edition, all chapters have been updated with new research on anosognosia (lack of insight) and much more detail on LEAP. Listeners will find expanded guidance on how to learn and use LEAP.
-
-
EXCELLENT
- By Anonymous User on 02-16-25
By: Xavier Amador
-
Highlight Real
- Finding Honesty & Recovery Beyond the Filtered Life
- By: Emily Lynn Paulson
- Narrated by: Emily Lynn Paulson
- Length: 4 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A music prodigy, head of her class, and well-liked in school, Emily Paulson decided early that embellishment paved the road to success. As she grew up, she figured out how to make the picture look even better - with a successful husband, five beautiful children, and all the required accompanying accoutrements. Then along came social media, where those pictures of the perfect life grew her a following of women who believed that everything about Emily was #blessed #inspo. But behind the filtered façade was a reality filled with trauma, addiction, and dysfunctional behavior.
-
-
Worthy
- By Beth Hood on 10-16-19
-
An Anxiety Story
- How I Recovered from Anxiety, Panic, and Agoraphobia
- By: Drew Linsalata
- Narrated by: Drew Linsalata
- Length: 1 hr and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I was you. I was once afraid, anxious, confused and lost. I was crippled with panic attacks, trapped by agoraphobia, and riddled with constant anxiety. I almost lost everything important in my life as my world became smaller and smaller. This is the story of my journey through anxiety, panic disorder, and agoraphobia. The good, the bad, and the ugly of panic attacks, anxiety symptoms, irrational and obsessive thoughts, and being afraid to leave my house or be left alone.
-
-
So relatable
- By anonymous on 03-17-25
By: Drew Linsalata
-
Peace, Love & Healing
- Bodymind Communication & the Path to Self-Healing: An Exploration
- By: Bernie S. Siegel
- Narrated by: Bernie S. Siegel
- Length: 2 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A classic of patient empowerment, Peace, Love & Healing offered the revolutionary message that we have an innate ability to heal ourselves. Now proven by numerous scientific studies, the connection between our minds and our bodies has been increasingly accepted as fact throughout the mainstream medical community. In a new introduction, Dr. Bernie Siegel highlights current research on the relationships among consciousness, psychosocial factors, attitude, and immune function.
-
-
horrible horrible
- By Honestly on 02-09-15
By: Bernie S. Siegel
-
The Caregiver's Guide to Dementia
- Practical Advice for Caring for Yourself and Your Loved One
- By: Gail Weatherill RN CAEd
- Narrated by: Ann Osmond
- Length: 4 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When caring for someone with dementia, your own mental stability can be the single most critical factor in your loved one’s quality of life. The Caregiver's Guide to Dementia brings practical and comprehensive guidance to understanding the illness, caring for someone, and caring for yourself. From understanding common behavioral and mood changes to making financial decisions, this book contains bulleted lists of actions you can take to improve your health and your caregiving.
-
-
As a RN myself I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend
- By Amazon Customer on 01-13-21
-
On Death and Dying
- What the Dying Have to Teach Doctors, Nurses, Clergy, and Their Own Family
- By: Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
- Narrated by: Carol Bilger, cast
- Length: 5 hrs and 6 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross created her classic seminal work, On Death and Dying, to offer us a new perspective on the terminally ill. It is not a psychoanalytic study, nor is it a "how-to" manual for managing death. Rather, it refocuses on the patient as a human being and a teacher, in the hope that we will learn from him or her about the final stages of life.
-
-
Terrible narration
- By Nassir on 06-25-05
-
That's Mental
- Painfully Funny Things That Drive Me Crazy about Being Mentally Ill
- By: Amanda Rosenberg
- Narrated by: Amanda Rosenberg
- Length: 5 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
That's Mental breaks down myths and misconceptions about what it means to be a millennial with mental illness in a darkly funny, but relatable way. In her new book, Rosenberg addresses the overlooked and offbeat issues of mental illness, shedding light on topics that are off limits, uncomfortable, or just downright embarrassing. This book details every challenging and awkward stage of Amanda's journey with mental illness and how she manages what she calls her "garden variety crazy."
-
-
Thank you. Might stay alive a little bit longer!!
- By Nancy Lindsay on 02-13-21
By: Amanda Rosenberg
-
The Doctor Will See You Now
- Recognizing and Treating Endometriosis
- By: Tamer Seckin MD, Padma Lakshmi
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman, Paul Woodson
- Length: 6 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This book gives hope to everyone connected to endometriosis. That includes every woman and young girl who has it, and the women and men in their lives who know something is wrong, but do not know what it is or what to do about it. This book is written at a level that everyone with ties to this disease can relate to and understand, but it is also for doctors with good intentions who lack the knowledge of how to diagnose or treat it.
-
-
This book is CHANGING MY F*ING LIFE
- By Lessa Lamb on 04-30-20
By: Tamer Seckin MD, and others
-
Schopenhauer's Porcupines
- Intimacy and Its Dilemmas: Five Stories of Psychotherapy
- By: Deborah Anna Luepnitz
- Narrated by: Deborah Anna Luepnitz
- Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Each generation of therapists can boast of only a few writers like Deborah Luepnitz, whose sympathy and wit shine in her fine, luminous prose. In Schopenhauer's Porcupines, she recounts five true stories from her practice, stories of patients who range from the super-rich to the destitute, who grapple with panic attacks, psychosomatic illness, marital despair, and sexual recklessness. Intimate, original, and triumphantly funny, Schopenhauer's Porcupines goes further than any other book in illuminating "how talking helps".
-
-
Poignant listen
- By Robert B. Davis on 08-23-21
-
Babies Are Not Pizzas: They're Born, Not Delivered!
- By: Rebecca Dekker
- Narrated by: Rebecca Dekker
- Length: 6 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One in three births is traumatic. It doesn’t have to be that way. Rebecca planned to give birth at the hospital affiliated with her university. But hospital practices and policies that were more than 20 years out of date left her with complications that seemed preventable. Embark on a journey with Rebecca as she exposes the stark realities of institutional care during childbirth and reveals inspirational solutions for parents and professionals alike.
-
-
Not what I expected or wanted, but still good.
- By Chelsea Gordon on 01-03-20
By: Rebecca Dekker
-
The Spectrum of Hope
- An Optimistic and New Approach to Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias
- By: Gayatri Devi MD
- Narrated by: Wendy Tremont King
- Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Imagine finding a glimmer of good news in a diagnosis of Alzheimer's. And imagine how that would change the outlook of the five million Americans who suffer from Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, not to mention their families, loved ones, and caretakers. A neurologist who's been specializing in dementia and memory loss for more than 20 years, Dr. Gayatri Devi rewrites the story of Alzheimer's by defining it as a spectrum disorder - like autism, Alzheimer's is a disease that affects different people differently.
-
-
Aging with Grace
- By Lisa F on 05-19-21
By: Gayatri Devi MD
-
What Doesn't Kill You
- A Life with Chronic Illness - Lessons from a Body in Revolt
- By: Tessa Miller
- Narrated by: Tessa Miller
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A riveting and candid account of a young journalist's awakening to a life of chronic illness, weaving together her personal story with reporting to shed light on how Americans live with long-term diagnoses today.
-
-
Excellent book
- By LZ on 02-14-21
By: Tessa Miller
What listeners say about It's Not as Bad as It Sounds (My Life with Ms & Fibro)
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jane B
- 07-27-21
very helpful to me
there are several people in my family with MS and this book has helped me to understand what they're going through. Thank you!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Elizabeth Aronne
- 05-26-22
very good
very good narrative she was clear nice voice, I really wish the author was the reader, still book was good
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Melissa Mikell
- 06-04-23
Pretty surface level
This book was pretty lacking in my opinion. For a title that includes Fibro in the name, the author doesn’t seem to know much or talk much about it. I have both Fibro (recently diagnosed) and MS and was hoping to hear about someone’s journey with both illnesses - this is a book about MS period end.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful