{"product_id":"nerve-a-memoir-of-chronic-pain-medical-trauma-and-surviving-the-healthcare-system-9798996661800","title":"Nerve: A Memoir of Chronic Pain, Medical Trauma, and Surviving the Healthcare System","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhen Erika Conrad-Wess first developed sudden electric shocks of pain in her face, she assumed the problem would be temporary.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIt wasn't.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eInstead, the attacks marked the beginning of a decades-long struggle with trigeminal neuropathic pain-one of the most severe and poorly understood chronic pain conditions in medicine.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat followed was not just physical suffering, but a collision with a healthcare system often unequipped to recognize, treat, or even believe patients whose illnesses cannot be easily explained.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eNERVE\u003c\/em\u003e, Erika chronicles her journey through failed procedures, medical trauma, misdiagnosis, and the psychological toll of living inside a body that no longer feels safe. As surgeries accumulate and hope repeatedly rises and collapses, she is forced to confront impossible questions: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat happens when cure is no longer attainable?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHow do you build a meaningful life when pain becomes permanent?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd how do you hold onto your identity when the institutions meant to help you begin to fracture your trust?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTold with candor, dark wit, and hard-earned insight, \u003cem\u003eNERVE\u003c\/em\u003e is both a deeply personal memoir and a broader examination of chronic illness, patient advocacy, and the uneasy limits of modern medicine. It is a story about resilience-but not the polished, inspirational kind. It is about adaptation, grief, endurance, and learning to move forward even when healing does not arrive in the form you hoped for.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor readers of \u003cem\u003eThe Invisible Kingdom\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eBetween Two Kingdoms\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eBrain on Fire\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eNERVE\u003c\/em\u003e offers an unflinching look at life inside chronic pain-and a reminder that even in the wreckage, meaning can still be made.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"An inspiring testament to fortitude and resilience.\"- Mark E. Linskey, MD\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Ecw Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/01\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798996661800\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 236\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.71lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.54d","brand":"Erika Conrad-Wess","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52774343934133,"sku":"9798996661800","price":14.45,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/nerve-a-memoir-of-chronic-pain-medical-trauma-and-surviving-the-healthcare-system-9798996661800","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}