“Welcome to the wonderful world of women’s unexplained symptoms!”

Mirjam Kaijer, journalist, columnist, and former nurse, writes in a light yet incisive style about her search for a diagnosis; about bureaucracy, the gaps in the healthcare system, rushed consultations, and incorrect conclusions. She describes how, years later, an unexpected diagnosis—and surgery in the United States—ultimately set her on the right path.

After the overwhelming number of responses to her newspaper column Diagnosis, Mirjam embarks on a search for answers to the question of why so many women are living with unexplained health complaints—complaints that are sometimes unjustly dismissed as depression, ADHD, anxiety, menopause, burnout, fi bromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, or simply concluded with:

“That’s just how it is.”

How is it possible that more than 75 percent of patients with thyroid disorders, rheumatic diseases, and other autoimmune conditions are women, and that we still do not know why? The answer is shocking! I Am Not a Man! shows why countless women continue to wander in a medical no man’s land. This book is a plea for more personalized medicine and better scientific research into sex differences in healthcare. A fascinating account of the current state of women’s healthcare in the Netherlands. An encouraging and inspiring example for every woman who has become lost in the healthcare system: never give up!