Welcome to the Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge brought together by WEGO Health – a social network for all health activists. Again, I am participating in the annual Writer’s Month Challenge in which I will be writing about my health activism and health condition based upon prompts given.
Today’s prompt is as follows:
If you wrote a book about your life, your community, your condition, or your health-activism – what would you title it? Come up with 5 working titles.
Perhaps someday I may write a book about my experiences with my condition; certainly as writing is something that I enjoy immensely. I am not sure whether the book will be of any interest to others however. So, what are some of the titles that I could call the book that would chronicle the condition in which I live and the experiences that I have had living with it. Let’s brainstorm:
Well, the first title that I have come up with is the title of this very blog ‘My Brain Lesion and Me.’ What a better title than that of the blog in which started me on the journey of writing and chronicling my experiences with living with the condition in which the book delves into. The book is also quite self-explanatory and informs the reader straight away about the theme of the book.
Another title that I have brainstormed is ‘A Medical Malady.’ I have chosen this particular title as because of the many generalised symptoms that the brain lesion causes; meant that the condition went undiagnosed for many years. For many years, I was sent to various specialists in many areas of medicine to try and get to the bottom of the cause of the severe chronic dizziness that I was experiencing. And when this didn’t occur however, I was labelled as suffering with an anxiety disorder, in which the doctors put all my symptoms as the result of this particular psychiatric diagnosis. I remember whilst at University and was undertaking a variety of medical tests and hospital appointments, after the dizziness became worse, a friend once said that I needed to see Dr. House from the television programme of the same name, as he would surely get the answers that I needed. I was a medical malady indeed!
An alternative title could also be ‘Fractured Storms’. I thought this was an interesting title and one in which is ambiguous; not letting potential readers in on the secrets that the book contains. I often will pick up books with interesting titles; titles that catch my eye and makes me wonder what the book could be about! The brain lesion is indeed similar to that of a fracture; of a scar lying within my brain stem and causing the ‘storms’ or symptoms that affect my daily life. The storms causing symptoms such as the constant dizziness, episodes of vertigo, as well as the spastic paraparesis affecting my legs which results in pain, weakness and stiffness.
Another working title that I have come up with is ‘The Life and Times of a Neuro Patient’. Again, this title instantly informs the reader of the subject matter of the book, and would be an instant interest for other neurological patients. After making contact with other patients with other neurological conditions, I have found that there are many similarities regarding our experiences regardless of our differing diagnosis. Very often people diagnosed with a neurological condition like me, have to wait many months before seeing a neurological consultant. Recently, I have had to be referred back to the neurological department of my local hospital because of deteriorating symptoms, and have been informed that I have a six and a half month wait to be seen. This however is not uncommon amongst neurological patients. How I wish that when I was first diagnosed that I could have read a book by someone who was also living with a neurological condition like myself; and whom also experienced similar problems that I was facing. I would have definitely bought a book that was entitled ‘The Life and Times of a Neuro Patient.’
And the final working title that I have chosen is ‘A Disequilibrium Life’. Again, as most of you know, the dizziness and balance problems have long since been with me; ever since I can remember I have been battling dizziness. Therefore, much of the hypothetical book regarding my life and my chronic illness would document the problems with dizziness, vertigo and balance, so the title should reflect this too.
So, what do you think of these working titles for the book regarding my life and battle with the long-standing brain stem lesion with which I live? Which title do you like best?
As ever would love to hear your comments/suggestions, so please get in touch and comment below!
