How Can You NOT Laugh at a Time Like This?: Reclaim Your Health with Humor, Creativity, and Grit [Kindle Edition]

Carla Ulbrich (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 22, 2011

Having a sense of humor is essential to health, says singer-songwriter Carla Ulbrich, who has found laughter to be a lifesaver during tough times. Under the stress of multiple illnesses and constant health "care," Ulbrich one day snapped—and became the Singing Patient. She channeled her hard—won victories, set about reclaiming her health, and penned How Can You NOT Laugh at a Time Like This?, a collection of short, inspiring, funny essays that help people thrive and celebrate life despite illness.

As Ulbrich spins her tale (and shares some songs), she lampoons common fears and prejudices about illness and lovingly lambastes the foibles of the medical industry. She offers heartfelt and humorous advice for navigating mainstream and alternative therapies, and she guides partners, families, and friends who wish to help their loved ones. Her candid insights, wisecracking commentary, handy lists, hilarious song lyrics, and gentle camaraderie will put a smile on the face of anyone who wants to face illness with courage and humor.

READ—AND LAUGH—ABOUT: The Top Ten Annoying Things to Say to Someone Who's Just Been Diagnosed • "On the Commode Again" (lyrics included!) • This Is (Not) Your Life • Disease Envy • Lessons from the Nudist Festival: How Much to Reveal • Survivor: Kidney Island • Doctors Are People, Too • Fibromyalgia: The Other F Word • A Good Vein Is Hard to Find • My Other Body Is a Porsche

Editorial Reviews

Review

''While writing a great book on how to recover from illness, Carla Ulbrich wrote an even better book on how to live a healthy and fulfilling life. No doubt, you have a good doctor if you see How Can You NOT Laugh at a Time Like This? in their waiting room.'' --Michael Stock, WLRN Radio

''How Can You NOT Laugh at a Time Like This? is outstanding....Carla is your guide to navigate the emotionally and technically confusing world of illness with heart, humor, and bite-size chapters. Everyone needs a patient advocate-and now you have one, with this book.'' --Robert Aubrey Davis & Mary Sue Twohy, ''The Village,'' Sirius/XM Radio

''As a doctor, Patch Adams brought to mainstream America the concept of a caring, compassionate, and fun medical staff making a profound difference in the healing of their patients. Now we've been given the gift to hear about it from the patient's perspective. Carla Ulbrich is living proof that bringing fun, play, creativity, and laughter to the healing process does wonders for the mind, body, and spirit. Carla's uncanny wit is infectious-and that's an infection we can all benefit from!'' --Danny Donuts, CPA (Comic Performance Artist) and member of the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor

''I was completely taken with [Carla Ulbrich's] amazing outlook on life, her tenacity, and her passion.... Carla talks to you honestly, on every level, in her book. She also does it with a fantastic sense of humor.'' --LuckyYogini.com

About the Author

Comic singer-songwriter Carla Ulbrich has taken her music and love of wordplay all over the United States and England. She has appeared on USA TV, the BBC, Dr. Demento, The Bob and Sherrie Show, and Sirius XM Radio. She has recorded five CDs. Ulbrich grew up in Clemson, South Carolina, and now lives in New Jersey.

Product Details

• File Size: 313 KB
• Print Length: 243 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0981645348
• Publisher: Tell Me Press, LLC (January 22, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004KABCX0
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #230,873 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #38 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Disorders & Diseases > Rheumatic Diseases

More About the Author

The Singing Patient (Carla Ulbrich) is a touring comical singer-songwriter and a member of the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor. And now, she is also an author.

When the humorous songwriter fell ill in 2002, she used her wit and off-center perspective to cope with the many obstacles in her path. Carla suffered two strokes and kidney failure, along with accompanying anemia, hair loss, weight loss, congestive heart failure, pleurisy, fever, migraines, and fatigue.

Because of the strokes, she had to re-learn the guitar from scratch that year. She spent her many hours in doctors' waiting rooms writing humorous song lyrics about her malady and the absurdity of the health care system. Under the stress of constant "care," Carla finally snapped and became "The Singing Patient" with her third CD, "Sick Humor."

This collection features songs such as "What If Your Butt Was Gone," "Prednisone," "Sittin' in the Waiting Room," and "On the Commode Again."

On Feb. 1, 2011, Tell Me Press is releasing a book of Carla's humorous essays about her adventures as a patient (sometimes singing, sometimes not): "How Can You Not Laugh at a Time Like This?"

The South Carolina native's whimsical songs are heard on numerous radio stations, including Sirius XM radio, the syndicated shows "Bob and Sherrie in the Morning" "Housecalls radio show" and "The Dr. Demento Show." She has released 5 CDs on Romantic Devil Records.

Carla has taught guitar at colleges, music stores and summer camps, and is also the author of "Theory for the Young Musician: Notespeller."

visit her at www.thesingingpatient.com