A Life Shaken
My Encounter with Parkinson's Disease
Joel Havemann(Author)
Johns Hopkins University Press
Published on 21. June 2002
Book
Hardback
200 pages
978-0-8018-6928-0 (ISBN)
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.
Reviews / Votes
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 MedicineMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Baltimore, MD
United States
Illustrations
12 s/w Zeichnungen
12 Line drawings, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Weight
431 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8018-6928-0 (9780801869280)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Book
05/2004
Johns Hopkins University Press
€25.50
Article not available for order

E-Book
06/2003
Johns Hopkins University Press
€17.49
Available for download
Persons
Joel Havemann is an editor at the Washington bureau of the Los Angeles Times.
Content
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction: As I Lay Trembling
Chapter 1. Denial and Ignorance
Chapter 2. Myself Before Parkinson's
Chapter 3. The Magnificent Brain
Chapter 4. Escaping Abroad
Chapter 5. The Darkest Hour
Chapter 6. Today's Drugs
Chapter 7. Today's Surgeries
Chapter 8. An Insidious Beast
Chapter 9. Keeping the Beast at Bay
Chapter 10. Tomorrow's Remedies
Epilogue: Light in the Darkness
Glossary
Notes
Index
Acknowledgments
Introduction: As I Lay Trembling
Chapter 1. Denial and Ignorance
Chapter 2. Myself Before Parkinson's
Chapter 3. The Magnificent Brain
Chapter 4. Escaping Abroad
Chapter 5. The Darkest Hour
Chapter 6. Today's Drugs
Chapter 7. Today's Surgeries
Chapter 8. An Insidious Beast
Chapter 9. Keeping the Beast at Bay
Chapter 10. Tomorrow's Remedies
Epilogue: Light in the Darkness
Glossary
Notes
Index