Live the best quality of life possible with this expert guide to chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)
CFS is not ""all in your head." Written by a registered nurse and parent of a child with chronic fatigue, What Nurses Know: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome provides compassionate support and practical strategies for living well with this challenging and often unpredictable chronic illness. Using information drawn from research and reputable sources as well as insight from people dealing with CFS, Lorraine Steefel, RN, provides options for coping physically and emotionally so that you can move forward with your life. You'll learn:
- What CFS is and how it effects your body
- How to find the right doctor and a supportive health care team
- The variety of available treatment options, from analgesics to complementary and alternative therapies
- Evidence-based advice on the best sleep, nutrition, and lifestyle practices to avoid flare-ups
- Tips for dealing with postexertional malaise (PEM), brain fog, and other symptoms
- How to cope when things get tough
Packed with tips, tools, and resources, this user-friendly guide puts you on the road to recovery and is an essential resource for caregivers and loved ones.
About the Series
Nurses constantly straddle the line between the world of medicine and the patient's experience. This series offers down-to-earth, evidence-based advice from expert nurses who offer straightforward and practical guidance for dealing with all kinds of medical conditions.
Lorraine Steefel's interest in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) developed when her daughter Trisha was diagnosed at age 12 with the illness. As a parent and an RN, she searched for information necessary to help her daughter cope with and manage it. She became a volunteer trainer in the program ""Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS): A Diagnostic & Management Challenge,"" prepared and sponsored by the CFIDS Association of America, and presented this program to RNs and other healthcare professionals across the country. She became a member of and volunteer for the NJCFSA, Inc. (New Jersey CFS Association), on whose behalf she has provided talks to healthcare groups and the general public. Her factsheet Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Information for Family, Friends and Caregivers appears on the organization's website.
Lorraine is a professional writer, published widely in various publications including: Clinical Nurses Specialist: The Journal for Advanced Nursing Practice; RN; Creative Nursing: A Journal of Values, Issues, Experience & Collaboration; Nursing Spectrum; Healthcare Travel; Alternative and Complementary Therapies; New Jersey Monthly; Ophthalmology Times; as well as in newspapers and in healthcare websites online.
As an adjunct assistant professor in the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program at UMDNJ School of Nursing, Newark, NJ, a major portion of her time is spent assisting nursing faculty members and students to write for scholarly publications. A 2009 graduate of the DNP program at UMDNJ School of Nursing, Lorraine earned her MSN from Kean University, Union, NJ and MA from The New Jersey City University, Jersey City, NJ. She holds a Bachelor of Arts, from St. Joseph College, Emmitsburg, MD; an A.A.S. in Nursing from Maria College, Albany, NY; a NJ school nurse certification from The College of NJ, Ewing, NJ; an advanced certification in Transcultural Nursing (CTN-A) from the Transcultural Nurses Society, Livonia, MI; and a certificate in journalism from New York University. She is a member of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, the National League for Nursing, the American Nursing Association, and the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. She serves on the Boards of the New Jersey League for Nursing and the Transcultural Nursing Society, New Jersey Chapter. She is the diversity editor for The Journal of the Philippine Nurses Association of America and serves on the Editorial Board of Creative Nursing: A Journal of Values, Issues, Experience & Collaboration.
Lorraine lives in Morganville, NJ, with her husband Peter. She has two adult children, Kimberly and Trisha, and son-in-law, Russ.
