Books

Richard Cohen's latest book, “Strong at the Broken Places,” recounts the stories of five patients with chronic illnesses. Here's an article in the NY Times that talks a bit about it.

I was recently contacted by Chris Tatevosian, author of the book 'Life Interrupted, It's Not All About Me.' He sent some review materials which I have posted here.

While a freshman at the University of Vermont, Chris Tatevosian was diagnosed with MS. He graduated in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science in Ecology and a minor in Chemistry. For seven years, he was an analytical chemical technician before becoming an occupational safety coordinator/consultant.

“My disease was relapsing remitting up until 1990,” Chris says. “That was the year I began dating the woman who would eventually become my wife. Everything was tremendous until I suffered a major exacerbation in May 1993, at which time I became disabled and unable to work. After several difficult years, we were divorced. It was one of the darkest times of my life.”

In his recently published book, Life Interrupted, It's Not All About Me, Chris shares the details of his life with MS before, during, and after his first marriage. This candid memoir examines the ways in which the author’s destructive attitude and inability to cope cost him his marriage. Chris hopes his story might help others make more of an effort to communicate effectively with their loved ones and not allow disability and low self-worth to destroy their relationships. Chris also writes about his faith in God, his experiences with bee venom therapy, and his fiancée, Jane, to whom he is now married.

Life Interrupted: It's Not All About Me, is self-published and available at booksurge.com and Amazon.com.

Lisa Pentz has provided us with another book review. This time it is 'Living with MS: A Wellness Approach', which rates 5 out of 5 stars.

Acclerated Cure Project volunteer Lisa Pentz reviewed the book "Fatigue in MS: A Guide to Diagnosis and Management" by Lauren B. Krupp, MD.

I haven't read this book, but had it brought to my attention. It's the story of a woman with MS and the harrassment she endured because of her disease, gender, and race while working at General Motors.

In honor of MS Week, Sage Publications is allowing free access to articles in its journal Multiple Sclerosis. The open access period is from April 23-29 and also extends for one month after that. You will need to register to gain access. It's worth checking out -- this journal covers a broad range of topics, all having to do with MS.

I haven't read the book, but the topic of How Doctors Think seems to be a good one.

Most doctors, within the first 18 seconds of seeing a patient, will interrupt him telling his story and also generate an idea in his mind [of] what's wrong. And too often, we make what's called an anchoring mistake — we fix on that snap judgment.

Check out the link to see an excerpt from the book. A good point made is that one of the best questions you can ask a doctor when getting a diagnosis is "what else could it be?" This is especially important when you get a new symptom and the doc wants to automatically label it as MS. It could be something else you don't want to ignore.

In the series of essays that comprise her book, Just Like Life, Only More So and Other Stories of Illness (Trail's End Publishers, 2006), Dana Snyder-Grant shows how to face illness with wisdom, courage, and humor. Dana writes, "Living with illness is about living with difference and accepting oneself in the process. It's about living with vulnerability and being susceptible to loss and hurt; it is just like life, only more so." Dana Snyder-Grant, LICSW, is a writer, newspaper columnist, and psychotherapist specializing in chronic illness and disability. She has had multiple sclerosis for twenty-five years.

This review says:

MS AND YOUR FEELINGS is an invaluable guide for patients, their loved ones and health care professionals. It is the first book to cover a vital, unexplored side of MS: how to relieve the psychological trauma caused when diagnosed with a chronic disease. Psychotherapist Allison Shadday, who was herself diagnosed with MS in 1995, offers readers effective strategies for coping, shares personal success stories of MS patients, and offers insightful professional advice derived from years of counseling literally hundreds of chronically ill patients.