Coping with chronicity: exploring women's experiences living with autoimmune diseases that fluctuate and flare

This thesis examines the illness experience for Australian women with autoimmune diseases with a relapse / remitting or fluctuating disease course. Drawing on ethnographic interviews, I explore the impact of chronicity and the shifting between sickness and wellness on their lives. I address how participants responded to the disruptive force of disease onset and diagnosis, and their tactics to manage and seek control of their illness. In sum, I seek to demonstrate that the women's approaches to living with chronic illness are not static, but reflect the shifting grounds of their disease experience, changing sense of self, and support received from others.