The book is for everyone who has ever had to face a medical or physical challenge. It is inspiring, while offering suggestions for managing life’s hurdles. JoAnne’s medical memoir is engaging.
In an honest, forthcoming, will-to-succeed style, the book combines a medical content with a story of not only survival but success. The story is sprinkled with Tips and Knowledge Nuggets that highlights points that JoAnne feels would be of particular importance to readers. As she shares her story in Beyond Embarrassment she educates, empathizes, and encourages people who struggle with bowel and bladder problems. Written with a friend-to-friend feel, this resource provides facts on living with the various manifestations of incontinence and dealing with an underactive bladder, as well as practical advice for living every day to the utmost.
When she was first diagnosed, JoAnne was often embarrassed by her body misbehaving before her diagnosis of neurogenic bladder and bowel in 2009. Her frustration led to reaching out to others with bladder and bowel problems on the web through a blog. After initial success as a blogger she began meeting online others who shared her frustrations and sufferings of neurogenic bladder.
With medical input from Biosleuth medical research librarian Julia Parker, this enlightening book offers readers strength to meet their medical challenges and ideas for working with their medical teams, family, friends, work situations, and travel. Readers will discover ideas for getting on with living and not being held back by fear of bladder and bowel difficulties.
It is perfect for healthcare professionals to read and share with patients. It will make for better, more understanding practitioners, and enhance their patient’s will to succeed.
Neurogenic bladder and bowel are conditions in which a person lacks bladder and bowel control due to a brain, spinal cord, or nerve condition. Many around the world deal with this debilitating health issue.
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5 stars! Reviewed By Mamta Madhavan for Readers’ Favorite
Beyond Embarrassment: Reclaiming Your Life with Neurogenic Bladder and Bowel by JoAnne Lake and 'bio-sleuth' Julia Parker is JoAnne’s honest and open story and her will to succeed in spite of having to face physical and medical challenges. JoAnne’s story will encourage medical practitioners to share this with their patients and increase the patients’ will to overcome the condition and lead a normal and successful life. The story is not only motivational to those with a neurogenic bowel and bladder, but for all those who are struggling with life’s hurdles. The book helps in giving confidence, empathy, and support to patients who are trying to overcome a very intimate health issue.
The book covers the topic extensively right from what a neurogenic bladder is (which has symptoms and stigmas similar to incontinence), and then goes on with all the details relating to it. I would recommend this book to all medical practitioners, caregivers who are working with these patients, and spouses so that they are able to understand the psyche of the patient while handling them. The book is honest and can be a balm to all those wanting to live their life normally. Readers can feel JoAnne’s despair, grief, and hopelessness through her words, and her will to live life like everyone else despite having a neurogenic bowel and bladder.
The advice on how to cope with a neurogenic bowel and bladder on a daily basis is very helpful and it’s also useful in raising awareness amongst the general public and medical professionals, and equipping them to recognize symptoms. It’s a book that will connect with readers and give them the strength to face life despite the adversities that mar them. A well written book that handles the topic of neurogenic bowel and bladder very nicely and gives hope to all those facing this hurdle in their personal lives. An appendices list suggests products, books, and websites, and the glossary is especially useful.