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Cover image of A Life Shaken
Cover image of A Life Shaken
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A Life Shaken

My Encounter with Parkinson's Disease

Joel Havemann
foreword by Stephen G. Reich, M.D.

Publication Date
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"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...

"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 updated paperback edition brings the discussion of treatment options and research thoroughly up to date.

Reviews

Reviews

The beauty of Havemann's narrative stance is that it not only transcends the illness but surprises and captivates the reader...

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.

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.

About

Book Details

Publication Date
Status
Available
Trim Size
6
x
9
Pages
200
ISBN
9780801878886
Illustration Description
12 line drawings
Table of Contents

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

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

Author Bios
Featured Contributor

Joel Havemann

Joel Havemann is an editor at the Washington bureau of the Los Angeles Times.