Book Review: You Can Stop Humming Now by Daniela Lamas

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

You Can Stop Humming Now is a non fiction memoir of sorts that takes us through the wonders of modern medicine by examining various patients past and patient under the care of Daniela Lamas. Rather than baffle you with science and facts, Lamas takes us on a journey through the emotional and physical side effects of people suffering from long term or chronic illnesses that 5, even 10, years ago they might not have survived due to the amazing advances in medicine. It's a very human approach to an often aseptic topic.

As a student I was always taught the importance of evidence based practice. We can only continue to improve and grow as a profession within medicine if we have the means and foresight to continually expand our knowledge and abilities. This book is a perfect example of that. Lamas speaks with passion and empathy as she relays the stories of several patients who've directly benefitted from such treatment, and what it knw means to survive past an expected 'expiration date'.

Patients include a kidney transplant recipient who found his donor through Facebook, a woman with cystic fibrosis nearing her 40th birthday when she wasn't expected to live past 30, and a number of patients suffering from chronic pulmonary or cardiac diseases who fought through time in ITU with the help of various ingenius machines or devices to reach a purgatory existence on the other side. Lamas has a history in ITU care, and as such most of the patients discussed have some form of background spent here. This was a refreshing side to understanding medical care which I haven't read before, and it was also nice to hear from a medical professional across the pond. As a stoic advocate for the NHS, the American 'care' system baffles me greatly, and this resonates throughout the book with some mentions of limited insurance payouts for rehabilitation centres and endless cycles of paperwork for pharmaceuticals. Thank goodness we don't that kind of health system.

Getting back to the stories themselves, it's clear that Lamas has a passion for healthcare and a high regard for all the patients and colleagues she speaks of. There's some lovely little snippets of stories that show levels of dedication that go above and beyond the duty of care and endless warmth for patient care that shines through.

An interesting read, and one I would highly recommend for people interested in the amazing advances in medicine that are greatly changing the face of modern medicine as we know it.

You Can Stop Humming Now is available to purchase now from: Amazon

 - 3 stars