Customer Reviews

Don't Die of Embarrassment: Life After Colostomy and Other Adventures

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Barbara Barrie does a good job telling a coherent, compelling tale of her experience of colon cancer but her outright honesty about her own denial of long-term symptoms makes you want to shake her! Anyone undergoing the bodily image changes of an ostomy will identify with her embarassment and ultimate acceptance of a difficult, but liberating (it gives you your life back), adjustment.

Well, I guess I had a different take on this book than the other reviewers here. Having a new colostomy, I was really hoping that there would be a lot of information about that in this book. Unfortunately for me, most of the book was about her acting gigs, which I have no interest in. And there was a lot on her botched colostomy, which is really awful but again, not something I'm dealing with. Her attitude is wonderful, and I can't even imagine how she could have chemotherapy and then work the same day. I truly admire who she is. But the information I personally was hoping would be in this book (from the sound of the title) just wasn't there.

Barbara Barrie is a delightful writer who really got to the heart of having rectal/colon cancer. so much of what she wrote, if i didn't know better, i would have said i was written by me,starting with the denial of symptoms {bleeding abnormal bowels}. So much easier to think hemorrhoids, i'm getting older probably polyps com-busting, and even thinking i didn't need a colonoscopy because there wasn't rectal/colon cancer in my family. stupid stupid stupid. it was so comforting and reassuring to see she has gotten past all of it. reconciling my self to a colostomy bag has not been easy (i had 4 operations within a month and the frustration of it all was enormous}. i know the tears and fears she felt, i had them too. Thanks Miss Barrie, i'm so glad you wrote this book

I bought this book when my mother was facing the choice between a colostomy and terminal cancer. She was so afraid that she would loose all quality of life, that she wasn't sure what to do. With the knowledge, and anecdotes from this book, and a few others, I was able to help her see that with modern technology, she would have many great years with only a minor inconvenience. Very worth reading either for the patient, or for friends and family looking to support the patient.

This book is an important book. We tend to ignore embarrassing symptoms. The story is tragic, but told honestly and with humor.