Book Review: "The Genome Odyssey" By Euan Angus Ashley

First and foremost I want to thank Celadon Books for this ARC copy that was gifted to me.

In addition, this book was truly a gem because I'm in my late 40's and like many of you have had numerous health issues since my teen years.

As a mother of a child born with vater syndrome after an emergency section from a placenta abruptio you can imagine the complexities and discussions in the NICU of such a rare collection of several different congenital malformations so much so that doctors requested genetic testing as they believed it was caused via a mutated gene.

Fast forward and with the stress of now being a single mom of three teens all graduating this year from three different schools from college, to high school, to elementary and doing such under extreme poverty and you can imagine that it's no surprise that I've suffered from 20 yrs. of pneumonia, chronic bronchitis (misdiagnosed as acute), microcytic hypochromic anemia, HUS (fatal blood disorder hidden in my med charts but never discussed openly); raynaud's w no blood flow in L thumb, severe spinal stenosis, mild asthma, allergies (1st time in 47 yrs) and much more.

I've been told all this time that I was fine until I began passing out, getting light headed, constant nausea with extreme fatigue, headaches, and this year my newest addition was sinus tachycardia.
This book discussed ventricular tachycardia and numerous heart related conditions and yes we have a history of such in my family so I was extremely interested in this segment of this work.

Euan Angus Ashley is someone I wish I could've met because he discussed in detail and with precise concrete examples of the genomes and genetic equivalents.

While it was medically bogged down it wasn't to the point of beyond basic comprehension for the average individual which made it a welcome change from the norm.

In addition, his ending notes including his desire to help his patients and further future areas of interest to build upon gave families like mine hope. I reside in Northeastern Pennsylvania& I'm limited to health care coverage via governmental aid with one specific targeted hospital that's considered a monopoly. 

Therefore, I don't have much choice in where I go for treatment but when we have doctors that are so new they haven't filed the required state paperwork, nor authorized to fulfill prescriptions for inhalers, nor experienced doctors able to see new patients as they're reserved for elderly and extreme medical conditions only- it's all quite alarming. 

We literally have doctors who run out the clock knowing the insurance will be billed via government payouts and then leaving patients with no time to discuss their health concerns or limited time less than ten minutes for a thirty minute appointment with all of the time in waiting rooms.
We have sadly doctors who don't listen to patients who wish to address past history to understand current issues. Therefore, if you bring up a laundry list of misdiagnoses from twenty years to try to get answers for current severe health problems they'll list those patients as talking fast, or as transient in thoughts, or worse having mental issues which I've read on numerous medical hospital review boards.
I can only hope and pray that one day I find such a doctor as yourself that won't tell me when my legs collapse that I look good and nothing's wrong. I pray I find a doctor who won't tell me as the PT's did that they could find anyone off the street with the same problems as I had such as: broad based disc bulge w central annular fissure L4L5, and facet arthropathy and minimal foraminal narrowingL3L4 w severe forminal narrowing on L5S1 and be told they look fine yet have to sleep with one leg to the side and a 8 metal rods in a back brace to conduct daily activities.

You see what is noted in this book is fantastic but I wish it was offered to everyone especially those of us women in extreme poverty that are suffering severely.

Do you know sadly that even with three day urgent I still couldn't be seen? Once I finally was seen by a respiratory therapist I was then ostracized and told my problem was I talk fast among many other negative comments rather than go over my lung test in hopes of uncovering my problems that I've suffered from for 20 plus years.
Our health care system needs a complete overhaul and today's global pandemic highlights such injustices and discrepancies.

The more money you possess the better your treatment but I wish this wasn't the case.

My COPD diagnosis was never confirmed because the young man (younger than myself as new med grad) suggested I couldn't have COPD as a non smoker. Having volunteered with ALA & having written WHO articles I knew better with diesel fumes having killed my own uncle.

I so wish I had this book years ago because it highlights the importance of quality care for all.

Thank you for this ARC and I pray we all get the medical care we deserve someday soon!