Inside/Outside: A Physician's Journey with Breast Cancer (Conversations in Medicine and Society)

By Janet R. Gilsdorf

To doctors, cancer means cells growing out of control; to patients, cancer means a life spinning out of control. Janet R. Gilsdorf, who writes with quiet but devastating honesty about her experience with breast cancer, offers an eye-opening glimpse, through her unique dual perspective as physician and patient, of both sides of the medical divide. The medical system delivers cures, answers, and relief from pain to those who seek its help, but it can also offer misinformation, shattered expectations, horrible options, and inhumane consideration of the people it is supposed to serve. As Gilsdorf takes us on a journey across the terrifying landscape of cancer, she discovers that there are oases of unfathomable beauty to be found. Inside/Outside is compelling, sometimes scary, reading as it puts us inside Gilsdorf's skin. It ponders a vast array of profound choices most of us will be confronted with in our lives: thinking versus feeling, knowing versus not knowing, hanging on versus letting go, loving versus hating, and the immeasurable territories of life between the poles. Even as it touches on these universal human themes, ultimately Inside/Outside is a story of one person's courage, hope, and survival in the face of terrifying odds. Janet R. Gilsdorf, M.D., is Professor of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases, Division of Infectious Diseases, Medical School, and Professor of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, at the University of Michigan. She is also Director of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Mott Children's Hospital; Director of the Cell and Molecular Biology in Pediatrics Training Program; and Director of the Haemophilus influenzae Research Laboratory.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0472115790
• ISBN13: 9780472115792
• Release Date: September 2006
• Publisher: University of Michigan Press
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

A rich and beautiful journey through a harsh and ugly land

Gilsdorf's book is a must-read for anyone who has, is now, or may someday face a serious illness. Ditto for every doctor and health care provider. Her writing is clear, gentle, almost poetic at times, and always comfortable -- that's good, because she writes about very uncomfortable things, the harsh, confusing, frightening world of cancer. Gilsdorf lays open her life during this difficult journey. An accomplished academic physician and scientist, she shares with brutal honesty her inner, intimate world. The boss who's used to being in control is not. An always healthy woman is not. An elite doctor sees her world from the scruffy perspective of a patient. You will savor some passages, yet read the book quickly. You'll be bothered by the story but won't want the book to end.

A must read, for joy, tears, education and understanding...

This is an amazing book, and one that I would not hesitate to read over and over again; nor would I hesitate to recommend it to the best of friends. With tidbits about her fulfilling and extremely accomplished life intertwined with education and insight about a very popular and unfortunate disease, from the prospective of patient AND doctor. I laughed and cried, and better yet, learned. She discusses everything from the riddles we used to chant as children to preparing a speach on scientific ethics in Kazakhstan and the cultural experiences while living there. From grant writing to fund research projects to the way a rainbow arrives at the proverbial pot of gold. She is frank and tells it like it is, but with the most beautifully descriptive words and analogies. We typically see cancer as a death sentence. Dr. Gilsdorf, somehow, made it improve her life and happiness ten-fold. This book is beautifully written, and I'm am a better person for having had the joy of reading it. A must read for all who can. I'll leave you with the following: "The person who doesn't read has no advantage over the person who can't read." So read and enjoy!

Wonderful Imagery

This book is a wonderfully written, deeply personal account of how Dr. Gilsdorf made the transition from successful researcher and physician to patient and then back again. The book is full of vivid imagery that will make you want to read it all in one sitting, yet will keep haunting you for weeks after you put it down. This book moved me so deeply that I have purchased a copy for every female member of my family for Christmas. It really is a must have for anyone who has ever been affected by breast cancer.

this is an open heart tale of person and Doctor with cancer

This is a beautiful story of a very hard reality in this author's very active and successful life. She shares her private fears and medical knowledge with us. This is a must read for those that had, are having cancer or know a loved one struggling with this reality and terrible desease.

I couldn't put it down

This beautifully written book offers several different perspectives of great importance as it takes us through the true story of a physician who is diagnosed with breast cancer and finds herself switching from doctor to patient as she progresses through the long, hard process of fighting to survive breast cancer. Many of us have watched from the outside as someone in our lives has gone through the same long, hard journey traveled by Dr. Gilsdorf, but often we only see the external manifestations of that journey- the lost hair, the lost weight. With this book Dr. Gilsdorf offers the rest of the story that we often don't see, the internal battles, the evolution of world view and self image, the shifts in relationship to others that grow out of the experience. The result is not a tragic wallow, rather the result is a rich tapestry woven of sympathetic characters, with pain and fear offset by touches of wry humor and insight. Dr. Gilsdorf also offers a physician's critique of the medical experience. This book is a 'must read' for anyone who has a cancer patient in their lives. It should also be required reading for most of the community of medical professionals. Dr. Gilsdorf took me on a journey from the external to the internal view of the experience that helped me understand the treatment choices made long ago by someone dear to me, and that was a precious gift. But in addition to whatever this book has to teach us about being a doctor, a patient, or someone in the support network of a patient, this book also offers enjoyable reading for anyone who would like to meet a most remarkable woman between the pages of this book. I loved this book and could not put it down once I started reading it.