Picture
You’ve all heard…
  • Think positive!
  • It could be worse!
  • What doesn’t kill you will make you stronger.
  • God won’t give you anything you can’t handle.
  • And of course: When life throws you lemons, make lemonade!
Picture
Lemonade needs sugar!
Lemonade is sweeter with cranberry juice.
Sweeten life's "lemons" with life's "cranberries."
Reviews:
Picture
Picture
Inspirational for Single Moms!!!
I may be a little biased, being a single mom, having been through some bad medical problems. Or maybe it's because I was raised by a single mom who had severe medical problems with children who had severe medical problems. Or maybe it's because this is an excellent, uplifting, wonderfully written book. Whatever the reason, I loved this book! 
Read more...
Picture
Fantastic
The author has had some tough luck over the past few years, but has managed to rise above it and write a very insightful and hope filled book. I highly recommend it !!!!!
Picture
Inspiring
...This book can help those struggling with a life event. Yes, things have changed and there are negative impacts that won't disappear, but there is also life after a tragedy, and it can be a wonderful life. This book is recommended for those who are facing a struggle or those who have others in their lives who are doing so whom they want to help.
Read more...
Picture

When Life Throws You Lemons...Make Cranberry Juice!
Selected Excerpts

From Chapter 6: What's Up Doc?
When I first started feeling ill, I went to see my primary care physician (in HMO terms, that’s your main doctor). She did a cursory examination, ruled some things out, and diagnosed me with “benign, non-positional vertigo.” My symptoms at the time ranged from slight dizziness to nausea and vomiting. There was no cure or treatment for vertigo. I was prescribed an anti-nausea drug and seasick pills. The drugs helped to control the nausea, and offered me some relief to my sleeplessness. My symptoms were getting worse instead of better. One night, I felt so sick that I called the on-call doctor. I was hoping that he would take me seriously enough to send me straight to the Emergency Room. This doctor, instead, reiterated my diagnosis over the phone: “benign, non-positional vertigo.”

I finally pushed hard enough for a referral to a specialist. I was referred to an ENT, an Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor. They specialize in everything from the neck up, except the brain. Vertigo is often caused by disturbances of the inner ear, so this was an appropriate specialist for me to see. Getting an appointment with this specialist was my next challenge. I called their office daily until they finally agreed to squeeze me in.

The first thing this doctor did was a hearing test. She conducted a very thorough audiogram as well as casual hearing tests. After noting a remarkable difference in hearing in my left and right ears, she advised me to have an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scan as soon as possible.

An MRI is non-invasive and does not hurt. This new, remarkable, technology uses very powerful magnets, which manipulate hydrogen atoms in the body. As the hydrogen atoms are affected and moved by the magnetic field, a computer translates these movements into images. MRI gives doctors a great view inside the body. The only way to get a better look is to cut the body open! Many images are recorded, at many different angles. In addition, the body part is viewed in slices. About fifty separate images are recorded of a brain during MRI.


From Chapter 7: A Life of Rehab

Fear paralyzes people. Whether it's fear of failure, fear of falling, or fear of heights, fear always keeps people from trying something new. Fear keeps people from making important career changes, taking adventurous vacations, riding bikes, or, in my case, getting out of bed each morning!
...
My rehabilitation began the day after my surgery. My first task was to breathe on my own. Doctors tried extubating, or removing my breathing tube, several times. Each time this was done I stopped breathing. This breathing difficulty was not a normal reaction to my surgery. I was expected to go home in a few days and breathing without assistance was critical. Doctors and my family were stumped. They had no idea why I wouldn’t breathe on my own. The drastic, but ultimately successful, solution was to give me a tracheostomy.
...
The physical therapist had me do a few exercises in bed, and then we worked on sitting up. I used the bed railing to lift myself to a sitting position. Sitting, then standing. It sounds simple, but when a baby first rolls over, that’s a big deal. When a baby learns to sit up, that’s a big deal.

When a baby first stands, that’s a big deal. I was going through all of these phases—only slower. I stood with the aid of a machine that pulled me to a standing position and allowed me to rest on my knees. The amount of time I could tolerate in this position was measured in seconds.

The task of the occupational therapist was to have me sit in a chair. She came in, helped me transfer to a chair, then left. The nurses were supposed to help me back to bed. This sounds easy, but sitting in the chair was incredibly painful. My neck, back, and legs ached intolerably. The occupational therapist wanted me to sit in the chair for thirty minutes. After five minutes, I called for the nurse to help me back to bed. While I waited for the nurse to help me, I tried to occupy my thoughts with television, but the pain coursing through my body took over my every thought.

Upon transferring to the facility in San Mateo, which was a dedicated rehabilitation ward of a busy hospital, I had regular occupational, physical and speech therapy six days per week. The speech therapist here didn’t give up on me, but used methods to stimulate my swallowing reflex. She swabbed the back of my throat and my uvula (the thing that hangs down in the back of the throat) with cold, lemon-flavored sticks. She kept track of the number of times I swallowed during each session. The number wasn’t high, but at least I could see my progress.

In speech therapy, we also worked on…speech. Michelle, the very energetic and happy speech therapist, started me off on one-syllable words, then two-syllable words, then three. She had me state the names of the whales on my poster to see if she could understand me. I remembered the names of the whales: blue whale, humpback whale, gray whale, and sperm whale. Michelle understood these whale names, and learned something new. Then I tried the scientific names: Balaenoptera musculus, Megoptera novaengliae, Eschrictius robustus, and Physeter macrocephalus. Michelle said, “Balena—who? Mega—what?” My scientific recital was not as successful.

My cousin Sari lived in England and was unable to visit me in the hospital. The only way we could communicate was by telephone. Michelle thought that it would be great therapy to talk on the phone. She was sensitive to my fear of not being understood on the phone. Michelle brought a phone with a double-receiver to my room and we talked to Sari together. This worked great! It gave me a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with Sari and work on my speech, while Michelle provided a safety net.

Most of my therapists were successful at calming my fears and encouraging me to work hard. I knew that Nick, my physical therapist in San Mateo, would never push me beyond my limits. I was also confident that he would always be considerate of my need to use suction to take care of my oral secretions. One of my greatest fears in leaving my room was choking on my saliva. My other great fear was falling. Nick reassured me repeatedly about both issues. As a result, I always worked hard, giving my best effort without fear inhibiting me.

.
Get your autographed copy of When Life Throws You Lemons...Make Cranberry Juice!

$15 + S & H

Facebook Fans: Click below for special price!

Buy kindle version of When Life Throws You Lemons...Make Cranberry Juice!

Email Shari