Abstract

We used illness narrative methods to evaluate the retrospective illness story of a bereaved woman who has recovered from type 2 diabetes and depression with comorbid hypertension, hyperlipidemia, vertigo, and obesity. Her spoken illness story was obtained with a single interview question: What happened? Our findings show that the patient searched for and found personal meaning in her illness. The finding of meaning in her illness appears to have supported her efforts to adopt more positive health beliefs and health behaviors. Although she received excellent health care throughout her illness, she attributes her return to good health to spiritual growth. We discuss the practice implications of this patient's illness story for clinicians who seek new insights into patients who have complex illness stories. Copyright © 2011 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.