The Plague Within

The Plague Within
Lawrence W. Gold, M.D.
Create Space
Green Valley, California
ISBN: 978-1489534521
2013
$ 14.99
365 pages

What can you do is you are sick, very sick? Naturally, you seek someone in the medical profession that believes and hopes to make you feel better and to lessen your symptoms. What happens though if you don't heal or improve? Do you continue with the same doctor or do you look for a second opinion? At what point do you break with the traditional methods and look for other alternatives, even new untested possibilities?
THE PLAGUE WITHIN is a story about two doctors and two philosophies of medicine, the traditional conservative and the alternative or possibly experimental treatment.
Dr. Jack Byrnes is a traditional doctor treating his patient, Rachel Palmer, who despite caring approaches is becoming sicker each day with her family seeing her close death. Rachel's husband believes and trusts Jack, but her mother wants to look at other possible avenues of treatment, whether they have been successful or not.
Dr. Harmony Lane firmly believes that women are not always respected as either patients or colleagues by the older, male-dominated, hospital staff and that their refusal to accept alternative ways, hurts the patients. She is willing to do whatever it takes to help her patients feel better.
Then there is the underlying disease, lupus. Lupus is an autoimmune disease where the person's immune system is hyperactive and attacks normal, healthy tissue. Frequently, a diagnosis of lupus is accompanied with swollen joints, tiredness usually with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. Nine out of ten lupus patients are women. The treatment and care requires more attention from a doctor and being that each person's immune system is different, each treatment also needs to meet these challenges.
Dr. Andre Keller is a gifted research scientist. His work with DNA and viruses is impressive, even if his research statistical data is not completely correct. In his pursuit of fame and success, he hides the negative consequences of his project while publicly announcing his successes.
When these three medical professionals merge into the treatment of Rachel Palmer and others with lupus, the short-term effects are miraculous, but the long term consequences delve into a race to save lives.
THE PLAGUE WITHIN is a fast-paced medical thriller utilizing up-to-date discoveries with real-life situations. Well-written, THE PLAGUE WITHIN is a page turner that leaves you breathless with realistic characters in authentic situations. Regarding the differing perspectives of the patients, the medical staff, and their families, this novel is unique in the all aspects are encompassed.
This novel gives a snippet of awareness for those living with lupus and the challenges and misconceptions of the medical community and the general public. Living with a "hidden" disease that attacks any area of the body at any time requires special treatment with caring medical professionals, as well as family and friends.
THE PLAGUE WITHIN is a startling, informative, dynamic, page-turner that will open your eyes to the challenges in today's medical community packaged into one phenomenal novel.