2/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: kidney stones, health insurance, treatments, and symptoms.

THE MOST UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION ON TREATING KIDNEY STONES

Living with Kidney Stones is a health resource for anyone who has ever suffered with the pain of kidney stones.

One in 10 individuals will suffer from kidney stones at some point in their life. Composed of hard, painful mineral deposits forming inside the kidneys, these stones are both crippling and potentially chronic. Thankfully, patients can take action to reduce their chances of developing or redeveloping kidney stones by following a good diet, observing proper self-care, and adopting a comprehensive wellness plan.

To that end, Living with Kidney Stones offers the most up-to-date information on this illness, paired with heartfelt insight from an actual kidney stone sufferer.

Living with Kidney Stones also
• Easy-to-understand information on types and causes of kidney stones
• The latest information on kidney stone testing
• Traditional and alternative options for a broad, full-body approach to wellness
• Guidance on self-care techniques for patients, families and caregivers
• Valuable medical and community resources for kidney stone sufferers

Learning to manage your risk factors for kidney stones can seem overwhelming, but by taking everything one day at a time and making sure you’re provided with the care and support you need, you can minimize your risk while maximizing your quality of life. Don’t just live with kidney stones— live well.

I added this book to my TBR because, as the title implies, I thought it was cool that someone who has a history of kidney stones was willing to share their story. I believe we can learn from other people’s experiences and mistakes, so thought this could be an interesting read.

Unfortunately, this didn’t work out for me. The main reason why I didn’t like this book is the fact that it feels too specific, so it’s not relatable to a lot of people. I honestly couldn’t relate to her experience for several different reasons, and I don’t think this book would help anyone to be sincere.

The author talks about symptoms, possible treatments, and her experience was dealing with health insurance and medical professionals. And while this may seem like good information to know about, it seemed to me that there was more complaining done than actual useful and practical advice. Plus, the few facts the book presents (and that matter) are not very complete.

I’m not an American citizen, so all the information about health insurance and the medical system was not useful. I can see some value in the treatments section, but the symptoms, once again, didn’t add value to the book in my humble opinion.

The real question is: at the end of the day, is this book helpful? To be honest, I don’t think this book is going to help everyone who has kidney stones. Maybe it could help some U.S. citizens in the sense that they could kind of understand what the hospital experience would be like, but other than there’s nothing too valuable you can take from this book.

Since this person has a history of having kidney stones, I wish she shared the advice she received from doctors and her own experience of what she learned along the way to prevent stones. That would have been helpful!

I believe there are many great books on the subject, and unfortunately, this is not one of them.