Fibromyalgia: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed FROM THE PUBLISHER
Fibromyalgia affects millions of people in the United States, but as a condition with wide-ranging symptoms and no tests available yet for diagnosis, it remains one of the most difficult to identify and treat. When Claudia Craig Marek was definitively diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 1991, she found very little information, advice, or support for coping with her condition. Marek decided to take charge of her health and educate herself on every aspect of fibromyalgia -- by reading medical and scientific books and journals, talking with doctors, and networking with other people who have the condition. Now, as a "patient-expert," she shares her unrivaled experience and knowledge, walking those newly diagnosed step-by-step through their first year with fibromyalgia. By providing reliable, useful, empathetic, and up-to-date information you need to know when you most need to know it, The First Year -- Fibromyalgia is an indispensable resource for everyone learning to cope with this condition.
FROM THE CRITICS
Library Journal
Coauthor of What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Fibromyalgia, Marek is also a medical assistant and patient who has counseled others suffering from the condition. Along with journalist Florence, she aims to help newly diagnosed patients learn about fibromyalgia and develop coping skills over a one-year time frame. Typical questions a new patient might have (e.g., how to prepare for travel, how to communicate with health professionals and employers) are addressed in a highly readable and understandable style and presented in manageable learning bites. The authors also plainly but sensitively address the genitourinary symptoms that may accompany fibromyalgia. What is especially good about this guide is that the authors' tone is not alarmist but calm and evenhanded in articulating important precautions. Individuals who have pain-related disorders with no standardized treatment and no foreseeable cure are especially vulnerable to drastic or unproven therapies, which the authors address by emphasizing that patients seek out second opinions and do credible research for themselves. This is information a patient would hope to get from a good support group but provided in a format that can be revisited as symptoms and time progress. Recommended for all popular health collections.-Lisa McCormick, Jewish Hosp. Lib., Cincinnati Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
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