Hope for the Journey through Cancer or Epilepsy Patient Family Guide

Hope for the Journey through Cancer: Inspiration for Each Day

Author: Yvonne Ortega

Cancer touches nearly everyone, whether firsthand or through the life of a loved one. Counselor and teacher Yvonne Ortega discovered this when she was diagnosed with breast cancer and began her journey to recovery. In Hope for the Journey through Cancer, she shares with readers her personal triumphs and setbacks with humor and refreshing candor, always reminding us of God's desire to meet us exactly where we are. These sixty devotions are divided into sections- diagnosis, surgery, treatment, and recovery- each incorporating Scripture into daily life. Ortega's attention to even the most basic hopes and fears that a cancer patient faces each day offers encouragement that can come only from one who has been there herself.

Table of Contents:

Acknowledgments     11
Introduction     13
Diagnosis
The News I Didn't Want to Hear     27
The Joy of the Lord     29
Angry Thoughts     31
Riding the Roller Coaster Backward     33
The Red-Sea-Splitting God     35
Intended for Good     37
Tears and More Tears     39
Hit Broadside     41
The Blue Card     43
Surgery
Memories of 1995     47
A Tenderhearted Nurse     49
The One in Charge     51
Not Me!     53
My Drain Bulb Angel     55
Twelve Inches or Twelve Feet     57
Splashes of Joy     59
Not Alone     61
My Daily Carrot Juice     63
Love in the Storm     65
Blood and Burns     67
Dracula's Blood Bank     69
Clean at Last     71
A Mixed Message     73
A Swirling Mind     75
Longing for a Healing     77
Too Much Reality     79
On the Road Again     81
Back to School     83
To Life     85
Strength in Weakness     87
Surprise!     89
The Poster Child for Cancer     91
I Want to Live!     93
Treatment
Decision Time     97
Struggling for a Normal Life     100
My Strength and My Song     102
A Long Day at the Hospital     104
Shopping for a Wig     106
An Extra Charge     108
An Unexpected Setback     110
Bubbly Bob     112
Freedom for the Captives     114
Reunions in the Hospital     116
Fight, Yvonne, Fight!     118
Hopping with Hope     120
Out of the Cage     122
The Last Round     125
Good-bye PICC Line     127
Germans and Muslims     129
Painted for Warfare     131
Giggles, Geniality, and George     133
Tangier Island     135
Riding the Shuttle     138
Turbans and Tightwads     140
Recovery
Getting Ready to Live     145
Fear of Lymphedema     147
In the Counseling Mode     149
On the Farm at Last     151
Lessons from the Trenches     153
The Ultimate Healing      155
Conclusion     157

Look this: Carob Cookbook or Taste of China

Epilepsy - Patient & Family Guide

Author: Devinsky

This easy-to-read guide for lay persons offers an overview of the medical and social topics relevant to epilepsy, including diagnosis and treatment, epilepsy in children and adults, legal and financial issues, and available resources. Includes a complete glossary of terms and anti epileptic drugs, plus tables and illustrations.

[BOOK JACKET]:
Vincent Van Gogh is an inspiration for all of us. His artwork--like the beautiful sunflowers on the cover, for example--is a constant reminder of how he fulfilled his potential in spite of living with epilepsy. so can you.

In this Second Edition, epilepsy expert Dr. Orrin Devinsky provides you with an easy to read guide to understanding the disease so that you can maintain a high quality of life.

Ideal for adults with epilepsy or for parents of children with the disorder, the reader will learn about:

• The nature and diversity of seizures
• The factors that can cause seizures or help to prevent them
• The risks and benefits of the various antiepileptic drugs
• Medical and surgical therapies for seizures
• Various ways your diet affects seizures

This book will educate the recently diagnosed as well as those who have been living with epilepsy for years. Arm yourself with reliable and factual knowledge about epilepsy, dispel the uncertainties and fears, build self-confidence and independence, and become your own advocate in your medical care toward seizure control.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer: Jesse Taber, MD (University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine)
Description:This is a comprehensive review of the medical and social aspects of seizures, written for patients and their families. It is divided into six parts covering medical aspects, diagnosis and treatment, epilepsy in children and adults, legal and financial aspects, and resources for people with epilepsy.
Purpose:The purpose is to empower people with epilepsy toward achieving a better quality of life, a topic on which the author has widely published.
Audience:Although this book is written for the layperson, it is a wonderful review for any health care worker, whether physician, nurse, or social worker, involved in the care of people with epilepsy. And for patients and their families, it is a wonderfully complete and readable source.
Features:This is a compact paperback, with a well organized table of contents and complete index. There is a wealth of useful information regarding day-to-day living, including some very thoughtful chapters on parenting, pregnancy, and family and personal relationships. The book also contains explanations of legal rights, employment, and medical insurance. There are a limited number of relevant illustrations and photographs, including patients undergoing EEG testing, neuroimaging procedures, diagrams of neuroanatomy, and color photographs of anticonvulsant medications. The last 14 pages of text contain definitions of medical terminology, selected references, and addresses of pertinent organizations.
Assessment:This is a superbly written book. The author's style is concise, yet clearly explainscomplicated medical issues. His tone throughout is marked by his obvious concern and respect for people with epilepsy. As a neurologist whose practice is largely focused on adults with epilepsy, I am now advising all of my newly diagnosed patients (and most of those with known seizure disorders) to get this book. I will also recommend that our neurology residents read this book, for it provides a window into the lives of our patients and can empower us as well.