New Medical Book

I've picked up a new book to read: My Stroke of Insight. Actually, it's been around since 2007 and in softcover for a year. It's a fascinating account of a neuroscientist's own experience of a rare form of stroke. I admit when I first saw her on TED, I sort of thought she was a quack as she talks like she's on some hallucinogenic towards the end. It sort of begs the question of whether such drugs affect similar left areas of the brain. I couldn't really see the fuss over her, and therefore, didn't try. My experience with strokes was limited to a one-time situation where I accompanied a neighbor to the ER for back pain. He had had a mild stroke several weeks before, and I admit I wasn't very empathetic to his confusion. I had assumed he had fully "recovered" having returned from the hospital.

But since doing the volunteer work and seeing patients who are recovering post-stroke, as well as knowing some more people who have had a stroke, I was drawn back to read Dr. Jill Taylor's book. And I'm glad I did. I had hoped to finish it before class starts tomorrow, (it's a quick read) but haven't had the time. I will hopefully finish it in the next day or two.

I highly recommend everyone to read it. It's not too technical and really amazing to read about the actual stroke in progress and her recovery process. At the end, she offers a list of things a stroke victim should assess, as well as a list of 40 things stroke victims need while recovering. Very useful information for those in health care. I remember reading a passage before her brain surgery to remove the clot that had formed, and she tried to keep awake to experience it all. It reminded me of when I had all 4 of my wisdom teeth pulled out during high school. They put me under, and I was determined to observe the whole experience of going under. The last thing I remember before waking up was saying to everyone, "I see two of all of you".

The way she describes her experience (in the book and video), also seems reminiscent of how people describe near-death experiences. I wonder if a similar event, originating in the brain, happens just before death to give the impression of being "one with the universe" as Dr. Taylor describes it. Food for thought.

Update: There's a pretty good 4-part video (or audio, if you prefer) interview of Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor by Oprah on iTunes. It's a little less "LSD-like" and a good summary of her book and insight. Scroll down to about listing #104-112.