Publications
APS Bulletin • Volume 17, Number 1, 2007
Resource Reviews
John D. Loeser, MD, Department Editor
Living with Fibromyalgia: 4 Steps to Manage Pain and Lead a Fulfilling Life
Reviewed by James Robinson, MD PhD
Dean L. Mondell, Patti Wright, New York, McGraw-Hill, 2005. Soft cover, 304 pages, ISBN 0-07-145148-X, $16.95.
Coauthored by a physician and the President of the National Fibromyalgia Association, Living with Fibromyalgia is a self-help book for fibromyalgia (FM) patients that provides information and strategies for managing the condition. In chapters three through six, the authors discuss four steps for adapting to life with FM: Assess Your Reactions to Fibromyalgia; Take Responsibility for Finding Care and Learning to Adapt; Rebuild Your Life and Your Relationships; and Stabilize Fibromyalgia by Managing Stress and Crises. These chapters provide a coherent, step-by-step process that FM patients can follow to best adapt to their condition. The book has many positive features. First, it conveys the message that people with FM can manage their condition and avoid becoming helpless victims. Second, it emphasizes that psychological strategies are crucial for effective disease management and recommends that people with FM avail themselves of psychological counseling. Third, the book breaks down the challenges of coping with FM into manageable steps. Finally, although it does not dwell on the medical aspects of FM, the information in the book about diagnostic issues and therapeutic options is generally accurate.
One negative feature of the book is that it sometimes lapses into language that is strident and hyperbolic. Otherwise, it is a thoughtful, well-organized book that supplements patient information provided by physicians, and provides FM patients with useful tools for coping with their condition.
Dr. Robinson is Clinical Assistant Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Washington, Seattle.