Reading Reviews

Here are a few of the great books I have been reading over the past year in order to recommend to my patients and their families. Learning about neurological conditions like stroke is one of my biggest interests, so these choices reflect that interest.

This is a wonderful review of the who, what, how, why, when, and where of strokes. It is very informative and I believe that though it is written simply enough for anyone to follow, it is also a great review for therapists and health care professionals about the basics that easy to forget. It also is a great reference because it lets families know what to expect from professionals and also what to expect of their loved ones. I wish I had read this as a general overview before starting OT school and delving into all of the details of the brain, circulatory system, and healthcare system. Great resource.

This is the first hand story of a Neuroanatomist who experienced a left sided stroke. Some of the most interesting parts of this book for me were to learn the thoughts and feelings she experienced during and after her stroke. Hearing how difficult it was to even recognize that she was in fact having a stroke was so interesting. Clinically, I have heard of similar stories of people attempting to go on with their day after/during a stroke and also being so confused as to what they were experiencing so this hit home with me. This is a must read.

 

This was a very compelling book because it was also the first hand experience of a health care professional (an Occupational Therapist) who experienced a stroke. My favorite thing about this book was the tips she gives to families/survivors of stroke, and other professionals on how to best assist and care for other survivors of stroke. I have at least 10 sticky tabs in this book with notes to myself like, "standing may ease activities on table top;" "USE weak arm to carry items;" and "consider cane management." Though I highly recommend this book as well, I found that after the first 60-70 pages it seemed quite repetitive. To counteract this comment, however, the book IS written in a way that you can skip around to relevant chapters.

For reference, here are the five major signs of stroke as published by the American Stroke Association:

http://www.cdc.gov/Features/Stroke/

 SUDDEN

• Numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body.
• Confusion, trouble speaking or understanding.
• Trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
• Trouble walking, dizziness, or loss of balance and coordination.
• Severe headache with no known cause.