Book SummaryBelieve Me, by Yolanda Hadid

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Believe Me

Yolanda's continuous struggle with chronic illness and her encounters with Lyme disease.

The opening sections of the book focus on the author's strenuous quest to secure a precise diagnosis and successful medical intervention for her struggle with Lyme disease. She endured an array of health issues that drastically restricted her capabilities, sought advice from many medical professionals, and explored numerous unconventional healing techniques.

Yolanda endured a grueling struggle against the symptoms of Lyme disease.

The text delves into the specific health obstacles the author encountered throughout her personal struggle. Hadid provides a detailed depiction that enables readers to comprehend more fully how Lyme disease profoundly affected her daily life and well-being.

Yolanda's relentless struggle to find a diagnosis and proper treatment for her mysterious illness

In 2011, significant health challenges began to plague her, manifesting as intense headaches, episodes of mental confusion, and concentration problems. Initially, she attributed her symptoms to the frenetic rhythm of her existence, which involved balancing roles as a parent, partner, entrepreneur, and television figure. However, they persisted and worsened. She consulted numerous health experts, including neurologists and her partner's family physician, who initially proposed that her symptoms stemmed from stress and overexertion. Despite numerous diagnostic procedures, including magnetic resonance imaging and cerebrospinal fluid analysis, medical professionals could not pinpoint the exact source of her health issues. She was prescribed mood stabilizers, but they were detrimental and did not improve her well-being. Yolanda Hadid describes the initial phase of her struggle as a period marked by confusion and exasperation, where she felt overlooked by medical experts and was unsure about the transformations happening in her body.

Practical Tips

• Incorporate mindfulness meditation into your daily routine to improve concentration and reduce stress-related symptoms. Start with just five minutes a day, focusing on your breath and the sensations in your body. Mindfulness can enhance your ability to concentrate and may also alleviate stress, which is often linked to headaches and cognitive issues.

Other Perspectives

• It's possible that the symptoms were not solely due to her busy lifestyle but could have been early signs of an underlying medical condition that was not immediately apparent.
• If symptoms persist or worsen despite treatment for stress and overexertion, it suggests that other medical conditions should be considered.
• It's possible that the symptoms presented are psychosomatic or related to a functional disorder, which can be challenging to diagnose with imaging and fluid analysis.
• In some cases, the side effects of mood stabilizers diminish over time as the body adjusts, suggesting that a longer period of adjustment might have been needed.
• The feeling of being overlooked might be a result of communication gaps between Yolanda and her healthcare providers rather than a lack of attention or effort on their part.

The illness imposes a severe burden on Yolanda's day-to-day life, impacting her in physical, mental, and emotional ways.

Living with undiagnosed Lyme disease took a drastic toll on every aspect of Hadid's life. She describes this time as an oscillation between health and sickness, with a gradual decline in mental function and increasing difficulties in preserving her previously dynamic lifestyle. Her cognitive decline was especially concerning, as it resulted in a constant haze clouding her thinking, lapses in memory, and difficulty maintaining attention on straightforward activities such as coordinating social gatherings or arranging celebratory functions. She describes feeling increasingly withdrawn and isolated, finding social gatherings overwhelming and even small tasks like reading or writing incredibly challenging.

Simple pleasures she once enjoyed - playing with her son, attending her daughters' horse shows, exercising, and even dressing up for events - became burdens. Hadid conveys her deep distress regarding the draining away of her once plentiful energy and endurance, as well as the persistent pain, fatigue, and the feeling that her body was failing her. She poignantly recounts a time when her illness severely affected her capacity to engage joyfully with her youngest child, illustrating the significant toll her condition took on her familial connections and overall existence.

Practical Tips

• Develop a personalized 'energy budget' where you allocate your energy like money, prioritizing tasks that are essential or bring you joy, and eliminating or delegating those that are too taxing or less important.
• Engage in micro-experiments with your routine. Make small, incremental changes to your daily habits, such as trying a new type of exercise or adding a mindfulness practice, and observe how these affect your health. This hands-on approach allows you to discover personalized strategies that can help stabilize your health fluctuations.
• Engage in brain-stimulating activities that are new to you, such as learning a musical instrument or a foreign language. These activities can help maintain and potentially improve your cognitive functions. By challenging your brain with unfamiliar tasks, you stimulate neural growth and increase mental resilience, which may counteract gradual cognitive decline.
• Create a "dynamic lifestyle" playlist that includes songs that motivate you and make you feel active. Listen to this playlist during times when you typically feel your energy waning, such as mid-afternoon or during workouts, to give you a boost.
• Engage in regular, structured conversations with a friend or family member about complex topics. Choose subjects that require critical thinking and articulate your thoughts on them. This...

Believe Me Summary The impact of Lyme disease on Yolanda's familial relationships and social interactions.

This section of the summary delves into how Yolanda Hadid's battle against Lyme disease shaped her closest relationships, including her marriage to David Foster, and the unique challenges she faced while raising her three children.

Yolanda's illness put a considerable strain on her marriage to David Foster.

Hadid candidly shares the profound impact her persistent battle against Lyme disease had on her relationship with the renowned music producer, David Foster. Her story reveals how her once vibrant and outgoing personality was diminished by severe exhaustion, mental difficulties, and a newfound discomfort in social situations, all of which stemmed from her sickness. She recognizes the increasing gap between them but remains committed to her supportive position as a partner.

As Yolanda's condition worsened, David intensified his support and caregiving efforts.

Hadid offers an unfiltered portrayal of the impact her illness had on her spouse's capacity to offer support and assistance. Yolanda Hadid describes her transformation into a shadow of the person she once was, leading to her companion's difficulty in reconciling the vast difference in their energy levels and...

Believe Me Summary Yolanda dedicates herself to supporting those who are battling chronic illnesses.

In this section of the book, it is described how Hadid leveraged her fame from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and numerous public engagements to enhance awareness about Lyme disease and offer assistance to those dealing with chronic illnesses.

Yolanda is committed to increasing awareness and debunking the misconceptions surrounding Lyme disease.

Yolanda Hadid's battle against Lyme disease deepened her resolve to clarify misconceptions and enhance awareness of this often misunderstood and neglected condition. She courageously utilized her participation in a popular television series to highlight the difficulties she faced due to Lyme disease, documenting her relentless fight against the condition and its impact on her routine tasks.

Yolanda openly shares her experiences while participating in the reality show "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills."

Yolanda Hadid made the decision to openly share her struggle with Lyme disease during her time on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," despite the possibility of encountering skepticism and denial, particularly for a condition often downplayed or considered to be solely in the mind. Yolanda Hadid felt it...