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AfterShock
What to Do When the Doctor Gives You - Or Someone You Love - A Devastating Diagnosis
Jessie Gruman Ph.D.

Reviews of AfterShock

"I consider this book so valuable I plan to keep it on my bedside table should I need it later on. Its recommendations are based not just on the author's experiences with illness, but also on interviews with more than 250 others: patients, family members, nurses, doctors, health plan administrators, managers of busy practices and nonprofit leaders."—Jane E. Brody, New York Times

"Here's a book you are not going to want to read but can't live without. You, a relative or a close friend is going to need it."—Steve Forbes, Forbes Magazine

AfterShock is a comprehensive and invaluable guide through the fear and confusion that comes with the news that you or someone close to you has a devastating illness. The plain language and easy to follow instructions make this a 'must have' for every family, healthy or otherwise."-Tom Brokaw, NBC Anchor

"AfterShock is important to have in your home, not just to give you vital information should you get bad news about your own health, but also to help friends and family who may have to cope with all of the issues facing them."-Barbara Walters, ABC News

"If someone you love has ever had a frightening diagnosis, they surely could have used Jessie Gruman�s book.� By assuring you that your initial state of shock is normal, then by guiding you through the ways to make the tough choices, AfterShock helps restore the sense of control you probably lost.� A how-to on getting the best care, the book is both reassuring and empowering."—Lesley�Stahl, 60 Minutes, CBS

"One of the hardest things when a friend learns she has a serious illness is figuring out what to say or do. "You may think you need to do something big to really help," says Jessie Gruman, Ph.D., author of AfterShock: What to Do When the Doctor Gives You--or Someone You Love--a Devastating Diagnosis. "But your friend will probably appreciate the simplest gestures most of all." And above all else, the most important thing is just to let her know you care. Here, Gruman's top four suggestions for offering support.

1 PITCH IN BEFORE YOU'RE ASKED An independent pal may be reluctantto "burden" her friends by requesting their help. Offering to run a particular errand--such as "Can I pick up some groceries for you?"--may feel less invasive.

2 TRY NOT TO OVER-ASSURE While well-intentioned, a phrase like "I know you'll be okay" can actually upset someone whose prognosis is poor or unknown. A better idea? Call or write to say you're thinking ofher and you're there whenever she needs you.

3 BE REALISTIC "You shouldn't volunteer to drive a friend to the doctor if you're not sure you truly have the time," says Gruman.

4 THINK SMALL Giving your pal enough funny DVDs to last her a weekor surprising her with a pint of her favorite sorbet can be the bestmedicine.—S.R., Shape Magazine, May 2007

"With her first book, social psychologist Gruman (founder & president, Ctr. for the Advancement of Health) aims to empower patients, and those close to them, with practical and well-organized information about how to use the first few days after a serious medical diagnosis to help those involved make the right decisions for themselves. This is a very sensitively written book, with patient concerns always central and information arranged to avoid overwhelming the reader. Gruman uses various interesting points of view expressed by experts in the field, as well as her own personal experiences, to illustrate key issues and ideas, which helps to confirm that there is no one right way to react to a diagnosis. The mix of topics covered in the ten chapters and eight appendixes includes the factual "Finding the Right Doctor and Hospitals" and a chapter called "Involve Others," which covers interpersonal issues. Highly recommended for all public library and consumer health collections."—Elizabeth J. Eastwood, Library Journal, Starred Review

"Gruman brings thorough research, interviews and personal experience to this informed, accessible guidebook for responding to news of poor health. Diagnosed four times with serious illnesses including cancer and a heart condition, Gruman, a medical journalist and president of the Center for the Advancement of Health, knows firsthand how such information can overwhelm a patient. Her advice is concrete but delivered with empathy and enlivened by testimony of other patients. In clear language, she explains how to educate oneself about the disease, treatment options and specialists; how to obtain the best care, involve the support of family and friends, and handle career-related issues. Gruman includes a useful chapter on dealing with potential health insurance and financial problems, and she suggests strategies for coping with stress caused by living with a disease, such as finding distraction, exploring spirituality or seeking counseling. The detailed appendixes on resources for finding the appropriate doctor and hospital, nonprofit organizations, clinical trials and second-opinion services, among others, are helpful tools for patients and caregivers."—Publishers Weekly

"Those who must enter the emotionally turbulent world of medical care for a serious illness always want, but often lack, the calming influence of a sensible companion who has been there before. Jessie Gruman's book provides that companionship and will be greatly valued by many facing disturbing diagnoses."-Harold Varmus, M.D., President and CEO of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and Nobel Prize recipient

"There comes a moment in all our lives when we get bad news about ourselves or someone we love. Jessie Gruman shows that how we handle the news-and what we do next-can make a huge difference in the life of the person affected. As someone who has been through a shocking episode with a child, I find the book worth reading and-just as important-worth keeping close at hand."-Judy Woodruff, special correspondent, the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer

"Anyone with a scary diagnosis would do him/herself a favor by reading this book without delay. AfterShock is wise, sensitive, practical, readable and helpful in the extreme."-Betty Rollin, First, You Cry and Here's the Bright Side

"This is an extraordinary guide based on solid research and depth of expertise. It is infused with clarity, wit, wisdom, compassion and most of all, hope."-Vartan Gregorian, President, Carnegie Corporation of New York

"Reading this gorgeously written book is both an emotional and intellectual experience. It is a 'must have' for anyone touched by a devastating illness either directly or through a loved one. Any health professional not deeply moved by the contents should find another line of work."-Claire Fagin, Ph.D., R.N., Dean Emerita, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing

"When someone close to you is diagnosed with a serious illness, do them a big favor-give them this book. Dr. Gruman has written a compelling and comprehensive guide to making use of the best available evidence to respond to a bad diagnosis."-John W. Rowe, M.D., Executive Chairman of Aetna

"For patients and families faced with bad diagnostic news, it would be hard to find a more useful and dependable support. Jessie Gruman is wise, practical and authoritative-and she's been there."-Jeremiah Barondess, M.D., President of the New York Academy of Medicine

"This is a book about life. The poignant stories attest to the enduring value of friends and family-as well as medical professionals-in helping find a path through the painful first shock and wrenching turmoil of a life-changing diagnosis. Everyone can benefit from this book. Don't wait until you think you need it. Read it now."-Mary O'Neil Mundinger, Dr.P.H., R.N., Dean and Centennial Professor in Health Policy, Columbia University School of Nursing

"No doctor can tell you everything you need to know about how to respond to a devastating diagnosis. AfterShock can help you make good choices about all the elements of your new and challenging situation. Jessie Gruman is a great friend of seriously ill patients. If you let her help you-she will."-David Nathan, M.D., President Emeritus of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute

"This is a splendid example of turning one's recurrent frightening situation into a positive gift for others. I think the book will be most helpful to people who seek more information. They will be able to return to the book repeatedly as their need for different information and their readiness to use it change, as they adapt to their devastating diagnosis. This book, like its characterization of many nurses, is 'pure gold.'"-Martha N. Hill, Ph.D., R.N., Dean of the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing

"The medical community owes Dr. Gruman a huge thanks for writing this courageous book. Anyone confronting some of the frightening diseases that it is our great misfortune to suffer can be comforted and guided by this wonderful volume."-Kenneth L. Davis, M.D., President and CEO of the Mount Sinai Medical Center

"The discovery of a medical problem causes a crisis not only for the patient but also for the family. The author, having been through these unsettling problems several times and shown remarkable resilience, lays out practical suggestions on what to do and also how to relieve the stress."-Aaron T. Beck, M.D., University Professor of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, and Lasker Prize recipient

"This is a wise and compassionate book. It should be recommended reading for all patients facing difficult medical decisions. It also should be recommended reading for Medical Students and Doctors in Training."-George E. Thibault, M.D., Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Clinical Affairs, Partners HealthCare

"After the shock of a devastating diagnosis comes the 'AfterShock,' when a person must learn the topography of a strange and frightening terrain. Written with unpretentious authority, AfterShock is a humane and immensely important book about coping with a catastrophic illness."-Robert M. Butler, M.D., President and CEO, International Longevity Center, USA

"Each of us, or one of our loved ones, is likely to receive a diagnosis of devastating illness. That is why this perceptive, comforting and practical book belongs on every family's shelf."-Joseph A. Califano, Jr., Chairman and President of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, and Former U.S. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, 1977-

"In this period of bewildering complexity in our fragmented health system, Jessie Gruman's book is a quiet, reassuring refuge from the challenge of receiving shocking medical news-empowering to the patient and to his/her family, helping them to become active participants in the planning and the delivery of their health care and health maintenance. AfterShock is an invaluable medical resource and supportive companion."-Louis W. Sullivan, M.D., President Emeritus, Morehouse School of Medicine, and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, 1989-1993

"Jessie Gruman knows of what she speaks. If you or a loved one has received a devastating diagnosis, AfterShock sympathetically lays out what to do and how to do it. Jessie Gruman's book is clear, concise, wide-ranging, elegantly composed, richly illustrated by personal reflections, deeply informed, and highly practical. This is a work I will want to share with family and friends."-Harvey V. Fineberg, M.D., Ph.D., President, Institute of Medicine

"Jessie Gruman's book is a survival guide anyone with a frightening diagnosis can turn to for comfort and for concrete ways of increasing the odds of getting the best care and the brightest outcome."—Kathleen Hall Jamison, Director, Annenberg Policy Center, University of Pennsylvania

"AfterShock is an amazing guide for the overwhelmed person or family member asking 'What do I do next?' It is filled with practical advice which is mixed-in a most pleasantly readable style-with the observations of someone who has 'been there-done that' but who also knows the psychological terrain of illness. Gruman recognized the gap in information for this period and has filled it beautifully."-Jimmie C. Holland, M.D., Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

"This is a terrific book. It is thoughtful, honest and readable-a real how-to guide on facing and coping with the 'AfterShock' of a life-threatening diagnosis. I have no doubt that AfterShock will be enormously helpful to many, many people."-Ruth Katz, Ph.D., Dean of the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services

"Dr. Gruman provides people and families facing life-changing diagnoses with a major new resource. The appendices are pure gold, bringing together information and resources that will enhance the quality of their care and their lives."-Allan Dietrich, M.D., Professor of Family Medicine at Dartmouth Medical School

"In this book, as in her personal life and in her distinguished career, Jessie Gruman deals with the most profound challenges to health. She shares her own experience and that of many others whom she has interviewed, as she suggests very practical ways to cope with the truth of a devastating diagnosis. She explains how to identify truthful resources; how to overcome feelings of powerlessness, and recharge one's personal strength."-Mary Woolley, President of Research!America