Customer Reviews

MS and Your Feelings: Handling the Ups and Downs of Multiple Sclerosis

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Allison Shadday has given us a clearly written and well-organized treatment on a subject that is not often covered for those of us with MS. The book has a great balance between the facts and the experiences of real-life ms-ers, including her own.

The book handles the various symptoms of MS and how they affect emotions, and vice-versa. The chapters on depression, sexual intimacy and caregivers are excellent.

I recommend this book to all patients and their circles.

Allison Shadday has written a very readable and user friendly book about multiple sclerosis. Her descriptions of the disease are clear and jargon-free which makes understanding the medical aspects quite effortless.

Her very personal story creates empathy, compassion and appreciation for the complexities, challenges and ambiguities experienced by folks living with this disease. She is articulate in describing the similarities experienced by folks with MS, while also emphasizing the differences of each person's experience and symptoms.

Her highest accomplishment is her ability to present concise,practical strategies for coping with common psychological difficulties that MS patients and their families often struggle with. From both her rich professional experience, and her personal story, she has much helpful information to impart, and is able to help people feel that they have more control of their lives than they might think.

I found the book to be an extremely useful resource for patients I see in psychotherapy, their families, and for myself as I try to gain a better understanding of this unpredictable disease.

Linda Miller, Ph.D.

"MS and Your Feelings" is an insightful look at the effects of MS on a patient's social,emotional, and psychological landscape. The book offers a wealth of practical ideas for managing the wide range of personal and social challenges that MS creates. This book will be very helpful to family and friends as well as to patients of MS and other chronic and debilitating diseases.

In "MS And Your Feelings: Handling The Ups And Downs Of Multiple Sclerosis", medical clinical social worker Allison Shadday draws upon her more than fourteen years of experience counseling chronically ill patients and their families and her personal experience with MS (she was first diagnosed with the condition in 1995) to offer hope, inspiration, validation, and basic information for patients with MS, as well as their families and loved ones. Readers will learn about how to come to terms with an MS diagnosis; strategies for coping with fear, guilt, anger, loss, depression and isolation; tips for increasing self-esteem and developing a greater sense of emotional security and stability; how to recognize and overcome negative emotional responses to MS; steps to enhance intimacy and build support networks; how to minimize MS-related fatigue and deal with cognitive challenges; techniques to identify and manage stress triggers that can exacerbate MS symptoms; and the very latest information about new treatment options and promising research. Allison Shadday not only writes with evident authority, she is an able communicator whose total mastery of her subject is conveyed with admirable articulation to the benefit of the non-specialist general reader. Anyone having do deal with an MS diagnosis, should give "MS And Your Feelings" careful attention -- it will answer all of the basic questions and address the fundamental issues with complete clarity and an invaluable comprehensiveness.

We have a friend with MS, and having seen the author on our local morning news program, I was compelled to check out this book for my own information. I feel I've become more informed and hopefully more understanding. The extensive referal section in the back is worth it on its own. Once I started seeing what a positive attitude Allison uses, I found it hard for me to put the book down. I then purchased a second copy for our friend, so that maybe we'll be able to critique it together and see if it helps her with her MS. A lot of the information also fits into dealing with any one in everyday life.

This book was overwhelmingly approved by our local review committee that is responsible for reviewing materials made available to clients with MS. It's easy to understand language and application addresses real life issues people with MS face on a day to day basis. The book is also ideal for family members and caregivers to give insite into the experience of living with MS. Allison's unique perspective is honest as she's both a clinician and person living with MS, so the reader can feel at ease that they are getting an accurate portrayal of life with MS from both a professional and personal perspective. One of the the neurologist's that sits on the review committe stated, he would "make this book available in all his waiting rooms", as it applies to the person with MS, the family, the partner and the caregiver.

MS and Your Feelings is a must for anyone dealing with the ravages of MS. Even if your MS is following a relatively benign course, the emotions associated with loss around a chronic disease, plus the loss of cognitive functions, memory, and emotional stability associated with the disease itself make this book timely and helpful. I've read it through twice already - first when first diagnosed, and again when my emotions were getting out of control.

Filled with good, sensible information and encouragement, it's a keeper, for frequent revisiting. If you buy one book about the emotional changes of MS, this should be the book.

I originally got this book at the library. I hesitated because some MS books can be very heavy or dry. This book was excellent! I found it very helpful, even though I've had MS for years. I bought one for myself & had some of my family read it, too. I even got a couple for gifts for friends with MS. I highly recommend it, especially if you have people in your life who could use a little MS education. It's also great to validate things for you personally. It's an easy read & definitely worth the time.

When my husband was diagnosed this year, I felt helpless in understanding what he was going through and what was to come of our future. Coming from a medical background, i felt that I understood the science of the disease, but didnt understand the disease from a personal angle. I felt the need to educate myself and my husband immediatly and researched books for both of us to read. I have to say that this book helped open my mind up to sooooo many things, it brought tears to my eyes at time, and i felt inspired and motivated by it. I felt that now I could understand what he was going through, and I would know how to help him whenever he needed something, whether or not he expressed it to me. This book is a must read for newly diagnosed, those who don't want to give into the disease, and for those that love something with the disease. It helps shed a light that makes you feel human, and motivated to continue your life with an open mind and with a smile

If you or somebody you know has MS this is the one book that will be of the most use.