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Against Medical Advice: One Family's Struggle with an Agonizing Medical Mystery

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Authors: James Patterson, Hal Friedman, Cory Friedman
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Category: Book

List Price: ~~$26.99~~
Buy New: $10.44
You Save: $16.55 (61%)

New (57) Used (30) Collectible (2) from $7.19

Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

37 reviews
Sales Rank: 403

Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 5.8 x 1.1

ISBN: 0316024759
Dewey Decimal Number: 616.830092
EAN: 9780316024754
ASIN: 0316024759

Publication Date: October 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW, IN-HOUSE READY TO SHIP!!! NOT A BARGAIN, REMAINDER OR BOOKCLUB BOOK!!! WE ARE A 5 STAR SELLER.

Also Available In:

•	Hardcover - Against Medical Advice: One Family's Struggle with an Agonizing Medical Mystery
•	Audio Download - Against Medical Advice: One Family's Struggle with an Agonizing Medical Mystery (Unabridged)
•	Kindle Edition - Against Medical Advice
•	Audio CD - Against Medical Advice: One Family's Struggle with an Agonizing Medical Mystery

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
Cory Friedman woke up one morning when he was five years old with the uncontrollable urge to twitch his neck. From that day forward his life became a hell of irrepressible tics and involuntary utterances, and Cory embarked on an excruciating journey from specialist to specialist to discover the cause of his disease. Soon it became unclear what tics were symptoms of his disease and what were side effects of the countless combinations of drugs. The only certainty is that it kept getting worse. Simply put: Cory Friedman's life was a living hell.

AGAINST MEDICAL ADVICE is the true story of Cory and his family's decades-long battle for survival in the face of extraordinary difficulties and a maddening medical establishment. It is a heart-rending story of struggle and triumph with a climax as dramatic as any James Patterson thriller. (2008)

Customer Reviews: Read 32 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Extremely, Extremely Touching December 3, 2008
I guess we humans just can't get enough of a good heart-warming tale. This will fill your eyes and heart with both tears and joy. Touching to the core.

PS: SUPPORT FEMALE AUTHORS:
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5 out of 5 stars

A story of change December 2, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Reviewed by Carol Hoyer, PhD, for Reader Views (12/08)

James Patterson, along with Hal Friedman and his son Cory have given readers an extensive view of what it is like to be trapped in a world of Tourette's syndrome. With the ability to describe in detail, Mr. Patterson has with this family given knowledge, hope and love to all readers.

At the age of five, Cory Friedman began having an uncontrollable urge to shake his head. This started thirteen years of the most hellish life anyone could ever think possible. Cory is able to describe all the years of uncontrollable tics and behaviors that led him to be ridiculed by peers, teachers and to be used as a guinea pig for medical science. Not knowing what was causing this syndrome, doctor after doctor prescribed medications and treatments that either made the symptoms more severe or didn't work at all. Not only did Cory have problems in attending school, he was continually in and out of psychiatric hospitals.

Never once did Cory or his family give up. His mother maintained very detailed notes of Cory's treatments and daily behavior. She fought for him every step of the way. Cory's attitude was he could beat this, but it came with a price. At the age of seventeen, Cory found alcohol could help his Tourette's and release some of his obsessive-compulsive disorder. It also led to an in-patient treatment program that was a nightmare in itself.

Reader's will be amazed at the blind attempt of several doctor's prescribing drug after drug without real knowledge of what they were doing. Secondary drugs had to be given in order to offset some of the side effects of the initial drugs. Some doctor's attempted visualization telling Cory to visualize that his tics were not there.

The authors, James Patterson and Hal Friedman, and Cory have given us a firsthand look at what it is like to have Tourette's syndrome, OCD and alcohol problems. If nothing else, "Against Medical Advice" gives readers more information about this syndrome and resources where help can be given.

4 out of 5 stars

A good, quick read December 1, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

I liked it. It was recommended by the Glenn Beck radio show. Although Beck's a nut most of the time, he was on the money here. It tells a good human story in straightforward and easy to read fashion.

5 out of 5 stars

Amazing!!!! December 1, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

I read this book in 2 days!! I could not put it down. I had always been interested in this disease having been a nurse, working in the pharma business etc. Cory is a hero! He tells the story from his heart. This family is amazing. The courage and kindness and strength they showed. I don't know how many people could do the same. It really makes you look at your life. I am telling all my freinds and family to read it. I admire James Patterson for co-authoring it. He is a great guy! It is a must read!!!!

5 out of 5 stars

Against Medical Advice November 30, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

They were right! Against Medical Advice is a quick read you cannot put down. This true story draws you in to experience the emotional roller coaster this family endured. As an educator, you can see how important a teachers' influence is on a child; it can really make or break student success.

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