Misdiagnosed: A Memoir

Misdiagnosed: The Search for Dr. House is the tale of a woman’s quest to find the correct diagnosis. This frank and engaging story takes the reader on journey through her various hospital trips, and procedures, as well as her feeling and emotions that are as real as they are raw. It also introduces them to a quirky cast of characters who go through this 17 year odyssey with her until she finally finds out that she has a rare autoimmune disorder called IgG4 related systematic disease.
Misdiagnosed gives a voice to the 30 million Americans diagnosed with rare diseases, who have struggled to figure out what ail them. It gives people suffering with chronic conditions, rare or not, tips on how to continue to get the best medical care possible. I also provide tips on how to care for someone who is chronically ill and the things all single chronically ill people should do to make things easier for their family and friends.
Also, Misdiagnosed serves a cautionary guide to anyone who falls ill or has a loved one suffering with an ailment in the US. A recent John Hopkins study found that hospital errors lead to as many as 40,500 patients dying annually. The Mayo Clinic found 26 percent of cases are misdiagnosed; this number rises to a staggering 44 percent when it comes to some types of cancer according to the Journal of Clinical Oncology. And, a study published in April showed 1 in every 20 people or 12 million per year are misdiagnosed at outpatient clinics in the U.S.

Advanced praise for Misdiagnosed:
MISDIAGNOSED is an eye-opening, fascinating account of a brave journey through the labyrinth of American medicine. Beamon draws the reader in skillfully, and gives us a close up view of the power of human persistence.
Marya Hornbacher
Hornbacher is a Pulitzer Prize and Pushcart Prize nominated author. Her bestselling books include: Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia; Madness: A Bi-Polar Life and Waiting: A Non-Believer’s Guide to a Higher Power.
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How long can my body endure all the invasions by doctors? Nika Beamon’s cry is heard throughout Misdiagnosed: The Search for Dr. House. That doc does not exist, of course, but the author’s journey across hazardous terrain in the medical jungle did. Her misery being mangled by modern medicine provides lessons on arming ourselves for the battles many of us face.
Richard M. Cohen is the New York Times Best Selling author of Blindsided and Strong at the Broken Places.
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This is a book is a “must read” for all doctors and healthcare professionals… Enigmatic to most physicians, devastating to patients, the stuff of science fiction, and limitless in presentation; autoimmune diseases are the frontier of medicine in the 21st century. They demand an understanding of complex science and while practicing the art of medicine with compassion…Read Nika’s story to understand why patients long for a diagnosis.
Robert G. Lahita MD, PhD, FACP, MACR, FRCP
Chairman of Medicine and VP, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, Professor of Medicine, UMDNJ
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“Misdiagnosed” is a gripping medical detective story. It could be a fictional episode of “House” from the patient’s perspective, but this story is real. It is a raw telling of Nika Beamon’s journey through high-tech American health care. Just as she recounts stripping naked for doctors’ probes and surgeons’ scalpels, Beamon bares hers physical and emotional tribulations to readers.
Andrew Holtz, MPH Editor-In-Chief, HoltzReport
Author, The Medical Science of House, M.D.
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“Nika’s book is a well written, eye opening, call to action. An inspiring, yet alarming story that lets us know that even in our darkest and most alone moments, that we are not alone.”
Wes Moore
Bestselling author, “The Other Wes Moore.”
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…Everyone with an invisible illness, whether named or not, will relate to Nika Beamon’s hidden dramas in her life, dealing with the daily frustrations of a mysteriously uncooperative body — and then, often worse, with an ill-equipped, punishing medical system…
Paula Kamen
Author of All in My Head: An Epic Quest to Cure an Unrelenting, Totally Unreasonable, and Only Slightly Enlightening Headache
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…I truly enjoyed reading this book, not just because it was relatable to the stories I hear a lot from women, but because you incorporated your personal trials into it as well.

…I believe it will truly help someone as they are on the quest for their own. More people need to realize that doctors truly don’t know everything and that doctors can be learning about a patient’s illness right along with them!

Shaniqua D. Seth
Health Communications Manager, National Women’s Health Initiative

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https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/457341

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