Customer Reviews

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Fibromyalgia

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was officially diagnosed with Fibromyalgia (FMS) in 1998 at Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, AZ. Back in 1998, there were very few books written for patients with fibromyalgia, let alone ones which would walk you through the entire process from "diagnosis to wellness." Although more books have recently become available, do not let the title of this book fool you! It is far more than just an entry level book.

ANYONE WITH FMS SHOULD HAVE THIS BOOK AS A REFERENCE MANUAL IN THEIR BOOK COLLECTION! This is an easy-to-read book which walks the reader through all of the steps, questions, and available resources and options to get you the help you need quickly. The book also discusses future developments on the horizon to help those with FMS. Whether you are knowledgeable about FMS or have just been diagnosed and do not know where to turn, this book is for YOU!

The author recounts her own experiences & frustrations with FMS. She then provides you with an action plan to improve! Everything from exercise, support groups, medications, finding the best doctor, and overlapping conditions are all discussed. There is also a medical team of FMS physicians who assisted in providing information for this book so that you can feel comfortable and confidant that what you are reading is medically sound advice.

I can not speak highly enough of this book. If you are only able to buy one book for yourself or a friend, this is the book! You will get more information from this one book than from three or four other books combined.

You definitely will not be an "idiot" after reading this book! :)

"The Complete Idiot's Guide to Fibromyalgia" should be everyone's first choice when selecting a resource book on fibromyalgia. Ms. Matallana has incorporated information suitable for anyone interested in learning about FM, from those who are newly diagnosed to those who have been living with the illness for a long time, the healthcare practitioners treating them, and the friends and family, trying to understand what has happened to their once energetic loved one. In her own unique, personable style that has earmarked the National Fibromyalgia Association's magazine publication, "Fibromyalgia Aware" as the superior periodical it has become, "The Guide" addresses all aspects of living with this syndrome. She utilizes easily understandable charts, lists, and personal anecdotes in a positive "You are not alone" manner that gives hope to even the most desparately ill. Her "picture this..." illustrations of her own experience with FM will surely bring a smile of recognition to a number of her readers with fibromyalgia! I was particularly impressed with her clarity and sensitivity in discussing the trials and tribulations many patients face when the illness forces them to make major, dramatic changes in their lifestyle. Using a text-box format, she focuses the reader's attention to defining potentially unfamiliar terminology, calling it "vocabulary lesson". In the same manner, she also uses "fast facts" to describe important, sensible suggestions for patients to use in designing their own, personal health care plan, "Caution-Pain Signal" as warnings for especially important issues.No one's fibromyalgia library should be without this wonderful edition!

This book is a very valuable resource to anyone who is trying to deal with Fibromyalgia. It is nicely organized and easy to understand. It is packed with good information. I am a nurse and I have Fibromyalgia. I have read a lot about this illness from very medical to easy to understand. This book is invaluable because it takes into consideration all aspects of this syndrome from physical, emotional, social, and spiritual. It has really helped me and I highly recommend it to anyone suffering from Fibromyalgia and their family.

This book was just what I needed. Having been diagnosed with fibromyalgia I wasn't sure what to do...all I knew for sure was that I was in constant pain and very afaird! The Complete Idiot's Guide To Fibromyalgia has become my guide for daily living. Whenever I am feeling down or have a question about my symptoms or just want some more ideas on what I should do to feel better, I go straight to my book. I keep it with me at all times. It helps to know that there are things that work and that there are others who are feeling the way I do. I am so glad that I found this book!

I have Fibro and have spent a great deal of time researching the subject,

This book explains EVERYTHING you want to know!

I highly reccomend it

The book is set up in a very consise manner making it easy to find a topic when the need arises. It offers an intelligent explanation for our friends and relatives who just don't understand what sufferers of Fibromyalgia go through.

Thank you Lynne Matallana for making my days more tolerable.

This review is of the 2nd edition, which I selected because it was the most recently published (2009) overview book available. As anyone with FMS knows, the research and recommendations on this disease are changing rapidly.

Unfortunately, the bulk of this book was made up of things like "how to communicate with your family" and urges the reader to think of him/herself as a "fibromyalgia survivor". It has a more thorough discussion of alternative treatments than the actual research and scientific facts of fibromyalgia and almost no information about the latest pharmaceutical treatment options.

The "For Dummies" guide, although a couple years old, had more up-to-date and more comprehensive information on these topics.

I was just diagnosed with fibromyalgia a few months ago and have been reading all I can to educate myself. Luckily, I got this one from my local library and didn't pay any money for it, because it has next to no helpful information. Most of the book tells you to go through the 5 stages of grieving in order to accept that your have this disease, but not much help on what to do about it. Most shockingly of all, apparently ALL fibro sufferers are MARRIED, because the author spends a chapter and a half telling you how to communicate with your spouse and children. NO MENTION AT ALL about what to do if you live alone. I mean seriously: Laundry - me. Cooking - me. Cat's litter box - me. Car oil change - me. I don't get any help with my chores, thanks very much. If I don't do them, they don't get done. And when I don't have enough energy, they just don't get done.

Well written so that the average person can understand it. Very helpful for people with this condition.

I thought it was a little simplistic for my stage in this illness, but it would be great for a newly diagnosed person. I am glad to add it to my resource library.