You Can Stop Humming Now

A Doctor's Stories of Life, Death and in Between

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Pub Date 8 Mar 2018 | Archive Date 7 Mar 2018

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Description

'Gripping, soaring, inspiring . . . Read it.' Atul Gawande, author of the international best seller Being Mortal

'You Can Stop Humming Now is essential reading on what it means to be human in an age of medical technology. I couldn't put it down.' Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich, author of The Fact of a Body

Modern medicine is a world that glimmers with new technology and cutting-edge research. To the public eye, medical stories often begin with sirens and flashing lights and culminate in survival or death. But these are only the most visible narratives. As a critical care doctor treating people at their sickest, Daniela Lamas is fascinated by a different story: what comes after for those whose lives are extended by days, months, or years as a result of our treatments and technologies?

In You Can Stop Humming Now, Lamas explores the complex answers to this question through intimate accounts of patients and their families. A grandfather whose failing heart has been replaced by a battery-operated pump; a salesman who found himself a kidney donor on social media; a college student who survived a near fatal overdose and returned home, alive but not the same; and a young woman navigating an adulthood she never thought she'd live to see-these moving narratives paint a detailed picture of the fragile border between sickness and health.

Riveting, beautifully told, and deeply personal, You Can Stop Humming Now is a compassionate, uncompromising look at the choices and realities that many of us, and our families, may one day face.

'In turns anguishing, gripping, and hopeful, You Can Stop Humming Now is a must-read for anyone contemplating what medicine holds in store for us.' Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD, author of What Patients Say, What Doctors Feel

'Gripping, soaring, inspiring . . . Read it.' Atul Gawande, author of the international best seller Being Mortal

'You Can Stop Humming Now is essential reading on what it means to be human in an age...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9780349412771
PRICE £13.99 (GBP)
PAGES 256

Average rating from 11 members


Featured Reviews

I went into this book wanting to learn more about the science and policies of my health care colleagues across the pond. My expectations quickly shifted as I realised this book was about the people we care for, their stories and the impact of medical interventions on them. Dr Lamas writes beautifully, full of compassion as she shares the highs and lows of patients experiencing the cutting edge of our latest advancements in medicine. The focus of the book was entirely on the people we work towards saving/ prolonging life rather than about Dr Lamas' career but I am sure she has had a journey many would love to read about. I appreciate that the realities of the darker side of medicine are briefly touched upon when Dr Lamas explains patients give up one set of crappy reality for another set of unexpected crappiness in the hope of disease improvement, but overall the message of the book is about hope. Thank you to Dr Lamas for her work, to the people who shared their stories, and to the publishers and netgalley for my e-arc. I don't usually mention covers in my reviews but I love the simplistic design of my e-arc cover with the stethoscope and can't wait to pick up a physical copy once these hit the bookshelves. Definitely recommend to all involved/interested in healthcare provision and those who love stories of everyday people overcoming challenges.

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You Can Stop Humming Now is a non fiction memoir of sorts that takes us through the wonders of modern medicine by examining various patients past and patient under the care of Daniela Lamas. Rather than baffle you with science and facts, Lamas takes us on a journey through the emotional and physical side effects of people suffering from long term or chronic illnesses that 5, even 10, years ago they might not have survived due to the amazing advances in medicine.

As a student I was always taught the importance of evidence based practice. We can only continue to improve and grow as a profession within medicine if we have the means and foresight to continually expand our knowledge and abilities. This book is a perfect example of that. Lamas speaks with passion and empathy as she relays the stories of several patients who've directly benefitted from such treatment, and what it know means to survive past an expected 'expiration date'.

Patients include a kidney transplant recipient who found his donor through Facebook, a woman with cystic fibrosis nearing her 40th birthday when she wasn't expected to live past 30, and a number of patients suffering from chronic pulmonary or cardiac diseases who fought through time in ITU with the help of various ingenius machines or devices to reach a purgatory existence on the other side. Lamas has a history in ITU care, and as such most of the patients discussed have some form of background spent here. This was a refreshing side to understanding medical care which I haven't read before, and it was also nice to hear from a medical professional across the pond. As a stoic advocate for the NHS, the American 'care' system baffles me greatly, and this resonates throughout the book with some mentions of limited insurance payouts for rehabilitation centres and endless cycles of paperwork for pharmaceuticals. Thank goodness we don't that kind of health system.

Getting back to the stories themselves, it's clear that Lamas has a passion for healthcare and a high regard for all the patients and colleagues she speaks of. There's some lovely little snippets of stories that show levels of dedication that go above and beyond the duty of care and endless warmth for patient care that shines through.

An interesting read, and one I would highly recommend for people interested in the amazing advances in medicine that are greatly changing the face of modern medicine as we know it.

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