Fibromyalgia or Loaded

Fibromyalgia: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed

Author: Claudia Craig Marek

Fibromyalgia affects between three and six million Americans—80 percent of whom are women—yet remains one of the most difficult conditions to identify and diagnose. In the tradition of the other titles in the First Year series, The First Year—Fibromyalgia uses a unique approach—guiding readers through their first seven days following diagnosis, then the next three weeks of their first month, and finally the next eleven months of their first year—to provide answers and advice that will help everyone newly diagnosed with fibromyalgia come to terms with their condition and the lifestyle changes that accompany it. Starting with the day of diagnosis, patient-experts Florence and Marek provide vital information about the nature of fibromyalgia, choosing the right doctors, treatment options, psychological issues, holistic alternatives, self-management strategies, illustrative charts and tables, and much more. The First Year—Fibromyalgia will be a supportive and educational resource for everyone who wants to take an active role in the management of their condition.

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.

Books about: Facebook or Programming Interviews Exposed

Loaded: Women and Addiction

Author: Jill Talbot

Part autobiography, part expose, Loaded weaves Jill Talbot's own battles with addiction with the addiction stories of other women. Her razor-sharp honesty, heartbreaking self-awareness, and resolve to reveal the difficult truth of her relationship with past and present addictions is as humbling as it is gut-wrenching. A stunningly recounted memoir that's both gritty and lyrical, Loaded gets right inside the allure of addiction, and with raw and unflinching honesty, exposes its ultimate betrayal.

Table of Contents:

Introduction     ix
Secrets
My Grandmother's Flowers     2
A Part of Me     14
What Little I Know Is Enough     23
The Ones Who     35
Li(f)e     62
Seductions
On Longing     72
My Two Countries     79
New Mexico Road     89
Driving Through Kansas     100
Blue-Collar Men     108
Sexagenarian     117
The Space in Between     128
Substance
Wild Girl     138
What I Remember     143
Disappearing     149
Home     158
Wild Bill's Words     171
Park City Queen     184
Point of View     194
Significance
Driving 1-15     210
Viva Terlingua!     212
Missing Mexico     222
The Streets of Former Desire     243
The Last Time     250
Conclusion. The Weight of It All     257