Description

Live the best quality of life possible with this expert guide to chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)

CFS is not √ all in your head.√ Written by a registered nurse and parent of a child with chronic fatigue, What Nurses Know: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome provides compassionate support and practical strategies for living well with this challenging and often unpredictable chronic illness. Using information drawn from research and reputable sources as well as insight from people dealing with CFS, Lorraine Steefel, RN, provides options for coping physically and emotionally so that you can move forward with your life. You√ ll learn:

• What CFS is and how it effects your body
• How to find the right doctor and a supportive health care team
• The variety of available treatment options, from analgesics to complementary and alternative therapies
• Evidence-based advice on the best sleep, nutrition, and lifestyle practices to avoid flare-ups
• Tips for dealing with postexertional malaise (PEM), brain fog, and other symptoms
• How to cope when things get tough

Packed with tips, tools, and resources, this user-friendly guide puts you on the road to recovery and is an essential resource for caregivers and loved ones.

About the Series

Nurses constantly straddle the line between the world of medicine and the patient√'s experience. This series offers down-to-earth, evidence-based advice from expert nurses who offer straightforward and practical guidance for dealing with all kinds of medical conditions.

Praise For…

"Registered nurse Steefel’s daughter was diagnosed with CFS at age 12, and the author uses her experiences and those of other sufferers to inform readers about the disease, its symptoms, and possible therapies. Steefel explains alternative treatments such as acupuncture, massage, yoga, and tai chi and suggests strategies for managing daily life. Working with one’s health-care team, keeping detailed personal health records, and finding an advocate are stressed. With a glossary and resource listing...this is a good, basic text on a frustrating disease."—Library Journal

"...full of advice and wisdom from many accomplished nurses on how to better deal with with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, to make the condition liveable ith and beatable so that one does not have to shut down their entire lives. Sage and much recommended reading..."—The Bookwatch

"Lorraine in What Nurses Know; Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, addresses what patients with CFS need to know in order to maximize their quality of life. Biomedical research needs to better define the cause, or more likely the causes, Medical Doctors should diagnosis (not disregard) and treat the multiple symptoms of CFS, but it is the nurse who best explains and cares most for the patient with chronic medical illnesses like CFS. Lorraine provides the information she has learned as a nurse and medical writer with the compassion of a mother who has cared for her child with CFS.”—James M. Oleske, MD, MPH, François-Xavier Bagnoud Professor of Pediatrics, Director, Division of Pediatrics Allergy, Immunology & Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey

"What Nurses Know: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, is a valuable contribution that will be welcomed by nurse practitioners and their patients. In the increasingly critical role that nurses hold in modern health care, this book is an important addition to their clinical tool kit. Steefel emphasizes the importance of knowledge, self-advocacy, and symptom management. Her work addresses the physical and emotional concerns of CFS, acting as a compassionate guide for patients and families.”—Patricia A. Fennell, MSW, LCSW-R, CEO, Albany Health Management Associates, Inc.

Those looking for an introduction to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome will find much useful information in this book.”—Bruce Campbell, PhD, Founder & Executive Director, CFIDS & Fibromyalgia Self-Help Program