Abstract
This paper considers patients' views of their uncertain futures in the under-researched area of recovery from physical illness or injury. The data presented come from the ESRC funded project “Getting Back to Normal?” Patients’ experiences and expectations following major illness or injury (ES/K006037/1) conducted by researchers from the University of Hertfordshire (Hilary Thomas and Elaine McNeilly) and the University of Surrey (Sarah Earthy and Jude Sleney) - http://www.gettingbacktonormal.org.uk/. The project involves secondary analysis of 165 qualitative interviews with patients who have experienced heart attack, leukaemia, a critical state of health requiring admission to intensive care or a serious injury. The presentation will focus primarily on the experiences of adults diagnosed with acute and chronic forms of leukaemia (n=39) but will also draw on insights from across the four datasets. Themes to be discussed include differences and similarities between narratives of acute and chronic forms of leukaemia, strands of experience that might be described as ‘recovery from’ and ‘recovery to’, the impact of perceived causation on envisioning of the future and the reconstruction of a life made different by serious physical illness or injury.