The First Year: Cirrhosis: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed

Anyone who has been given the diagnosis of autoimmune hepatitis/cirrhosis should get this book. I read 7 books on this subject and by far this was the most helpful. Even as a RN, it was medically informative but also gives you the perspective as a patient. It delivers the medical information while helping you understand what you can do and are going through. It is thorough, accurate, and honest while instilling hope. It walks you through every aspect of the disease and your new journey. Written well and I wholeheartedly believe this book should be given to every patient that is given this diagnosis.

I was recently diagnosed with auto-immune hepatitis and cirrhosis. At first I was terrified. I left the Doctor's office in shock. But then I found Mr. Dickerson's book. He provided much needed information - based on his own struggles with the disease. The book is loaded with medical information as well. I read it through in just a few days. Then read through another time to make sure I had absorbed all I needed. This book put me so much at ease with my condition and all the various procedures they were putting me through. Now I understood the necessity of the procedures, what they hoped to find (or not find). When I returned for my next Doctor's visit, I was so much more knowledgeable about the disease and finally was able to ask questions of my doctor and understand a little better what he was telling me. Thanks to this book, I am now very relaxed about my disease and know with the right treatment I can continue to live a normal life. This is a great read for anyone diagnosed with cirrhosis and for family members as well.

This book has a great deal of information for new liver patients (like me). The beginning was somewhat hard to relate to for me, because I was bedridden and had severe ascites before I was able to seek medical attention (no medical coverage), so the idea of someone going about their life and being surprised by the news didn't jibe with me. Lots of good info on what questions to be asking your doctor, what to expect from life with cirrhosis in general. I appreciate that it delves into some of the feelings of loneliness that come with such a major diagnosis, the sense that no matter how loved we may be, the illness is ours to bear -- it addresses some coping strategies there, too.

This book was recommended to me by my hepatologist three years ago. I read all of it. It prepared me for treatment and helped me plan the year of treatment. This book was written by a layman patient of Dr. Regenstein who used to run the Abdominal Transplant Clinic at Tulane University Hospital. The author explains in simple English the various forms of hepatitis that can cause cirrhosis, liver cancer and eventual death. Today with the new triple therapies, most patients can recover and experience a cure. This book teaches one how to tell the family and friends about one's illness and how to plan for treatment. It gives advice on support group options, the types of vitamin and mineral supplements to take and everyday living tips during treatment. It also helps one plan for the financial stress caused by long term treatment for this disease and suggests prescription medicine assistance programs to pay for costs that insurance may not cover. This is an excellent book for those planning to undergo treatment for this disease. I highly recommend it. It helped me tremendously!

This is the go to book for all the questions you remember AFTER, you have been diagnosed by your provider and forgot to ask. Vey informative and easily relatable guide to this disease. Also, very supportive to help realize that you are not alone in the fight to live with cirrhosis. I highly recommend for patients and families affected by this disease.

Finished the book in a day and learned a lot of things. My husband was recently diagnosed with cirrhosis from drinking. I wish that it was more for family going through things but it did give me questions to ask the doctors and for that I’m grateful.

Very informative book. Tons of useful information.

There is no other book "out there" like this. It's easy-to-read and easy-to-understand. It reads like a novel but at the same time it's packed with a wealth of information. It clearly explains what cirrhosis is, what the liver does, medical tests to undergo and what the tests will tell you, questions to ask your doctor, and best of all, it gives you advice on all the things you can do to help yourself become more healthy...and the healthier your mind and body is, the better chance you have of fighting this disease. After reading this book, I feel positive and powerful because this book gave me the guns and grenades to help my soldiers win the war against this disease metaphorically. I also feel more at ease and less anxious about living with cirrhosis.

Very informative book!

After my husband’s diagnosis I trawled the internet for information and was very disappointed as there is hardly any information on this disease. This book is very informative and lets you know what questions to ask and advises of what to expect after your diagnosis. Some of it is not not relevant to uk readers as talks about health insurance but I just skipped this bit. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for more information on Liver disease and liver cirrhosis.

I'm probably too critical, perhaps because I'm a doctor and have access to the British Medical Journal and the online BMJ Learning modules, but I didn't find out much I didn't already know. Having been a psychiatrist, I found the book underestimates the effort required to make the suggested lifestyle changes and am sceptical over the effectiveness of alternative medicine. I didn't think much of the chapter on depression either. Something on dealing with the sheer anger about having cirrhosis might have been useful too.

Very interesting read.

Well written and easy to understand. It is nice to have many of my questions answered.