Description
"I'm flat on my back on a couch that's too short in a windowless room in the bureau. I can't even sit at a computer, much less make a keyboard work. My arms and legs are shaking uncontrollably. Although I am only 53 years old, I have already been struggling with Parkinson's disease for seven years. And right now the disease is winning." So begins Joel Havemann's account of the insidious disease that is Parkinson's. Into his own story, Havemann weaves accessible explanations of how Parkinson's disrupts the brain's circuitry, how symptoms are managed through drugs and surgery, and how people cope with the disease's psychological challenges. The paperback edition brings the discussion of treatment options and research thoroughly up to date.
About the Author
Joel Havemann is an editor at the Washington bureau of the Los Angeles Times.
Reviews
The beauty of Havemann's narrative stance is that it not only transcends the illness but surprises and captivates the reader... -- Abraham Verghese Los Angeles Times Book Review [Havemann] takes us on his journey from a physically robust, high achiever to his new world of medication dependence, compromise, and, eventually, an almost spiritual epiphany of acceptance and appreciation. This is not a typical treatise on an individual's life with disease. It is filled with useful facts about PD, including diagrams, and a glossary that will be a useful resource for patients... Although this book would seem of primary interest to patients and families affected by PD, physicians will find the book engaging, easy to read, and valuable. We learn much from our patients, and Havemann's book is no exception. -- Matthew B. Stern Neurology Brutally honest. Havemann intertwines his personal story with scientific and medical information. He brings a journalistic style to the tale and explains PD and its treatments in easy-to-understand language. His description of the progressive nature of the disease is poetic and haunting. -- Robert A. Hauser Journal of the American Medical Association Havemann has written a challenging mixture of dispassionate appraisal of the facts and vivid portrayal of his personal experiences adapting to living with the disorder. -- Stephen B. Dunnett Nature Medicine
Book Information
ISBN 9780801878886
Author Joel Havemann
Format Paperback
Page Count 200
Imprint Johns Hopkins University Press
Publisher Johns Hopkins University Press
Weight(grams) 295g
About the Author
Joel Havemann is an editor at the Washington bureau of the Los Angeles Times.
Reviews
The beauty of Havemann's narrative stance is that it not only transcends the illness but surprises and captivates the reader... -- Abraham Verghese Los Angeles Times Book Review [Havemann] takes us on his journey from a physically robust, high achiever to his new world of medication dependence, compromise, and, eventually, an almost spiritual epiphany of acceptance and appreciation. This is not a typical treatise on an individual's life with disease. It is filled with useful facts about PD, including diagrams, and a glossary that will be a useful resource for patients... Although this book would seem of primary interest to patients and families affected by PD, physicians will find the book engaging, easy to read, and valuable. We learn much from our patients, and Havemann's book is no exception. -- Matthew B. Stern Neurology Brutally honest. Havemann intertwines his personal story with scientific and medical information. He brings a journalistic style to the tale and explains PD and its treatments in easy-to-understand language. His description of the progressive nature of the disease is poetic and haunting. -- Robert A. Hauser Journal of the American Medical Association Havemann has written a challenging mixture of dispassionate appraisal of the facts and vivid portrayal of his personal experiences adapting to living with the disorder. -- Stephen B. Dunnett Nature Medicine
Book Information
ISBN 9780801878886
Author Joel Havemann
Format Paperback
Page Count 200
Imprint Johns Hopkins University Press
Publisher Johns Hopkins University Press
Weight(grams) 295g
