A painfully honest and revealing book about what it is like to live with a rare chronic illness.
By: Cynthia Danute Cekauskas, LCSW
Format: Paperback
5.0 out of 5 stars

I can only assume from reading this very revealing book that it is the life story of the author herself. It is clearly written from the heart and, in my opinion, only a person who had suffered so many years of a mysterious and seemingly impossible illness to diagnose could write such a book.

This is the story of Nika Beamon, an African-American woman who for years suffered from a number of troublesome symptoms which often left her bleeding, in pain, dehydrated, unable to eat, for periods of time to weak to be able to work, to engage in a long-lasting, meaningful relationships, in short, to have a normal life. The book reveals how for many years she was routed from doctor to doctor, having to endure one medical test after another, a number of them most uncomfortable, if not painful, prescribed a multitude of medication with only minimal symptomatic relief and, in the end, often “misdiagnosed.” Nika is impressive, however, enduring all that she must endure in order to get answers epitomizing what the philosopher Nietzche once said “That which does not kill me makes me stronger”. In all her years of struggle she never forgets her grandmother Nettie’s advice she received after she finally found out what was wrong with her: “At least you know something is wrong with you, so there is a chance they can fix it. Have faith, with God, everything is possible. If not, its’ his will. You can still make the most of the time you have been given.”

I agree that this book was very well written. It held my interest much more than a number of books I have read over the years. The point was made that 12 million Americans, in fact, are misdiagnosed every year: one in 20 patients! They too have struggled and suffered without any long-lasting relief. The book seems to reach out to these people to say “Yes, I know. I struggled with it too and this is what I learned”. At the conclusion of the book, the author does, in fact, list Resources or “several steps that can help anyone who falls ill” with references to such organizations as the American Autoimmune Related Disease Association, The Conill Institute for Chronic Illness and the National Organization for Rare Illnesses. She also includes a recommended reading list, “Tips for Ensuring You Get the Best Medical Care”, “Five Tips for Someone Caring for a Chronically Ill Person” and “Guide Questions for Misdiagnosed”. In concluding I can HIGHLY recommend this book ESPECIALLY for those suffering from autoimmune illnesses such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis or anyone suffering from mysterious and troublesome chronic illness from which they never seem to get any long-lasting relief.

About the book:

Misdiagnosed: The Search for Dr. House is available now on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Smashwords.com in both paperback and e-book formats.