Lorraine SteefelRecensioni

I like the tag "What Nurses Know". I'm looking forward to more of these kinds of books. It is informative for the lay person to understand Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It gave good insight into how to deal with loved ones who suffer with CFS.

I received this book via the LT Early Reviewer giveaway.

I found it an easy and informative read. I was familiar with most concepts it stated in the book and some new ah ha moments. I would recommend this book to anyone who knows anyone diagnosed with CFS/ME as a good way to introduce them to CFS.

This is an excellent starter book, also would be nice to have family and friends read it, since there is quite a bit of misunderstanding about these 'invisible' diseases. I have read a lot of other literature on this topic, but I will be referring to this one frequently, for up-to-date resources, etc.

Sometimes it's a good thing to have your experiences validated. While reading of others' experiences, I could relate in a lot of ways, and found a lot of good suggestions on how to cope with some of the various symptoms of FM/CFS. I am happy to have received this book from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.

I received this book through LT Early Reviewers and was very pleased to see it arrive in a timely manner.

By way of background, I was diagnosed many years ago with Fibromyalgia and CFS and have done a lot of reading and research over the years.

First line:
~ In the mid-1980's, I read an article about groups of people in Lake Tahoe NV, and Lyndonville, NY who were coming down with a flu-like illness that left them extremely fatigued ~

I found this book to be quite simplistic. Having said that, I think it would be a perfect book for someone to start with as they begin their journey after receiving their diagnosis. However for anyone who has been living with it for a time, this is probably a little too basic.

I agree with one of the other reviewers that this would also be an excellent book for family members and friends to help them understand the day to day challenges we face.

I will be sharing this book with others I know who have this diagnosis or know someone who does. It has the potential to be quite useful. It is easy to read and a reader can focus on the specific topics that are of most interest first i.e. the chapters do not have to be read in order. And they are short and to the point.½

What Nurses Know ... Chronic Fatigue Syndrome by Lorraine Steefel
Demos Health (2011), Edition: 1, Paperback, 190 pages

Fair Disclosure: This book was received as a LibraryThing Early Reviwer copy. I have accepted no other compensation for this review.

The author, both a nurse and mother of a child with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), has the knowledge and perspective to relate the personal and clinical challenges of the condition. She provides suggestions from helping advocate through the sometimes lengthy process of getting a diagnosis to day to day management and coping strategies.

She combines first-person vingnettes from patients with comprhensible explanations and resources interspersed with boxed bullet points specifically from the 'What Nurses Know...' viewpoint. Covering diagnosis, advocacy, self care, support from and for family members the book presents a variety of information in an accessible, very readable fashion.

Chapter and section construction is such that it can be taken in relatively small bites, which may be the best (or only) pace a person with CFS can manage. It has an extensive list of resources at the end which can provide a quick an useful 'where do I look for...' reference. Very well written and appropriate for clinicians, patients and friends/family to work together in understanding the condition, developing realistic expectations and recognizing limitations to managing the condition for the best possible outcome.

This is a really excellent run-down on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It details the symptoms- both clinically and via anecdotes- and has lots of good into on how to balance off treating the various symptoms of CFS.

Also- excellent resources throughout the book, and at the end!

I've been very impressed by this book, and am glad to have received it; it's been a lot of help to me already.

LOVE this book!!! I can't describe how happy I was to receive it. I tend to read through books the first time with the eyes of the reviewer. I know I have a great book in my hands when I realize only a short way into the book that I am reading it as a customer, a reader, rather than a reviewer. This is just one of those books.

I ended up getting this book as a "happy accident", as I actually have been diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I have long fought the diagnosis, and I am extremely blessed to not have an extreme of the syndrome as was described by some in the book. Part of the beauty of this book is that it helps you become aware of your ailment, accept the diagnosis when it is given, and/or find comfort that no matter how mild your symptoms are when you flare or they worsen - it's okay. It's not "all in my head" or just a way for me to "get out of" doing something I would rather not do. For me, that was a great freedom.

The first part of the book is written with a lot of background information, as well as lengthy descriptions of symptoms and how these affect your body as a whole. If you are a long-term serious sufferer, then you might feel comfortable skipping this section. As someone who was diagnosed but it was never discussed with by my doctor, I loved every page of the information. I have since highlighted it, marked pages and even shared some quotes with friends and family members. I also looked at it critically, and I believe that no matter your stage - having this knowledge is empowering.

The remainder of the book is filled with a discussed of various treatments, both traditional and non-traditional. It also covers many things that you can do yourself. These are divided into sections that are easy to read and understand. For example, one chapter is "Your Health Care Team" which discusses the importance of finding the right doctors which are ones that communicate well with you as well as each other - and who believe that CFS is a real disorder with very real symptoms you are experiencing.

There are several pages worth of suggestions: Tai Chi, pacing yourself (with tips on how to accomplish this too!), keeping a journal of your symptoms and activities, and much more. These are helpful whether or not you have CFS - in today's society I think these suggestions are good for all us!

All in all: an excellent book that makes me want to pick up others in the "What Nurses Know...." series.

This book contains a very down-to-earth, layperson-friendly description of CFS. I like that it has many personal accounts describing different aspects of the disease and associated potential difficulties. The authors mention (often multiple) ways to resolve problems encountered by these patients, and there is an extensive list of outside resources for those who are interested in learning more about the disease.

Disclaimer: my son's long-time girlfriend has CFS and a host of food allergies.

I wish I had read this book eight years ago. I doubt that it is a book that has much to say to her (since she has done MUCH research on the topic), but it is DEFINITELY a book the rest of our family needs to read.

The book provides a very graphic slice out of the lives of a varied group of people who suffer from this truly debilitating syndrome. Young, old, men, & women are affected by it. Learning what works is highly individualistic, often discovered by trial-and-error.

If you know someone with this health issue, please give their family a copy of this book.

I marked it down 1/2 a star because A) it uses a most annoying font where simple italics would serve, and B) it uses acronyms out the yin-yang, 90% of the time also spelling out what they stand for...but by the end of the book, just throwing out acronyms. It also does not have "fibromyalgia" in the glossary.½

What Nurses Know - Chronic Fatigue Syndrome provides an excellent starting point for understanding and coping with CFS. As a person with CFS who is married to a person with CFS, this book offers a useful review of the challenges we face. It also provides good information in a readable format. One criticism of the book is the overuse of acronyms. Too often I found myself searching back through the text for an obscure acronym only to find it referred to something that didn’t really matter. In the future editions I would hope that the editors of What Nurses Know will make an attempt to eliminate the use of unnecessary acronyms. For people who prefer to skim the book rather than read it word by word, they present a serious barrier. I particularly appreciate the validation the book offers to those of us who have to press to have medical professionals believe that there's something wrong when test results come back negative. I recommend this book to CFS sufferers, family members and to the entire medical profession.