Patient, by Ben Watt

This book was a terrific find. I was never a big fan of Everything But the Girl; I liked their music but it didn't particularly appeal to me, so I never listened much to them and I knew nothing about its members. But then some months ago I read about this book in a writer's blog, he praised it greatly, and I value his taste; besides, I was curious because the disease mentioned, extremely rare (I never met a case) is part of a spectrum of illnesses - the vasculitides - I deal with not infrequently, and I'm always interested to know about the patients' perspective.

I absolutely loved Ben Watt's narrative. Written in a simple and almost matter-of-factly tone, sensitive and perceptive but never self-pitying or corny, it describes poignantly the life changing effects of a ravaging disease, near death experience and lengthy hospital stay. The hospital atmosphere sounds extremely familiar, it's most accurately depicted, with all its ups and downs, intensity and shortcomings. Several times, I couldn't help feeling embarrassed by how a sensitive patient experiences treatments and diagnosis procedures that we doctors prescribe so often and many times so cavalierly. It impressed me and moved me to read his experience with his cyclophosphamide pulse, by coincidence when I had just prescribed one to an old lady.

I'm glad Ben Watt survived and overcame his illness, and I do hope he didn't and won't have any relapses. I'm glad he shared his story in such an honest and unpretentious way. And I highly recommend his book to health professionals in this field, and to anyone interested in the personal experience of a devastating illness.