Adult Leukemia: A Comprehensive Guide for Patients and Families [Paperback]

Barbara Lackritz (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0596500017 | ISBN-13: 978-0596500016 | Publication Date: April 15, 2001 | Edition: 1

Tens of thousands of Americans are living with adult leukemia, a cancer of the white blood cells. Adult leukemia, which is really a group of diseases, can be a baffling condition for patients and families to understand, and finding targeted information on individual conditions can be difficult.

In straightforward, non-technical language, Adult Leukemia: A Comprehensive Guide for Patients and Families gives those living with leukemia the skills and resources to meet their needs for information and support. It addresses:

• Diagnosis and medical tests
• Finding, and successfully interacting with, a good oncologist
• Characteristics of the leukemias, factors in prognosis, and the various subtypes and staging systems for the disease
• Treatments, including watch-and-wait, chemotherapy, marrow transplantation, stem cell rescue, radiation, biological treatments, and trends in research
• Side effects and long-term effects of treatment, including how to cope and increase your quality of life
• Emotional responses to diagnosis, treatment, remission, possible recurrence, and other aspects of dealing with the condition, including stories from dozens of families living with leukemia
• Getting support from your family, friends, employers, and the broader community
• Leukemia resources: a comprehensive list that includes organizations, print, and online sites

Author Barb "Grannybarb" Lackritz is a leading patient activist in the leukemia community and herself a long-term leukemia survivor. She hosts several online mailing lists, maintains a well-known leukemia web site, and speaks frequently to doctors and government organizations. Lackritz emphasizes the promising emerging treatments for leukemia, covering in considerable depth the clinical trials of new therapies grounded in Western medicine. The information on researching leukemia, glossary, and appendixes will provide welcome support for those who want to keep up with the latest research.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Part of the "Patient-Centered Guides" series, this book combines extensive medical information, practical information, and emotional support for patients and caregivers. Like most disease-specific books, it begins with an extensive overview of the affliction and its signs, symptoms, and diagnosis. Subsequent chapters include tests and procedures; subtypes, stagings, and prognoses; risks and causes; treatment options; communication with medical personnel; treatment side effects; and getting support. Chapters on insurance and finances and life after treatment are especially useful, as are sections on normal blood values and the glossary. Author Lackritz was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in her early 50s. The book reflects the wisdom of someone who has "been there," and her memoirs (and those of leukemia survivors and families) are woven throughout. While the book provides a good overview of different types of leukemias, its primary audience is those who are directly affected by the disease. Recommended for large consumer health collections.DValeria Long, Grand Valley State Univ. Lib. at the Van Andel Inst., Grand Rapids, MI
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Barbara B. Lackritz is a retired educator, speech/language pathologist, and four-term alderwoman and member of the Planning and Zoning Commission for the City of Town and Country, Missouri. Barb received her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan in 1959 and her master's degree from Columbia University Teacher's College in 1962. She has accumulated about 50 post-master's degree credits. A leukemia survivor and cancer patient advocate, Barb manages 30 cancer support lists for the Association of Cancer Online Resources (ACOR) and, with AML survivor Arthur Flatau, PhD, is webmaster of the award-winning "GrannyBarb and Art's Leukemia Links." Barb's own leukemia story is on the Web and is used by doctors at the National Cancer Institute for training new doctors. She deals daily with requests for information and support from patients who have found her web site or joined her hematological cancer lists. In addition, Barb is currently president of the American Association of University Women--Missouri (AAUW-MO) and member of the National Institutes of Health Director's Council of Public Representatives. She sits on the Board of Directors of ACOR and of the Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) Foundation.

Product Details

• Paperback: 536 pages
• Publisher: Patient Centered Guides; 1 edition (April 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0596500017
• ISBN-13: 978-0596500016
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #593,815 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vital Reference, April 9, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Adult Leukemia: A Comprehensive Guide for Patients and Families (Paperback)

Barbara Lackritz has written the most comprehensive and well-documented resource on adult leukemias. I wish I had been given access to this information upon diagnosis four years ago, and have bought copies for friends and family, and am recommending it to my physicians. A lot of information about adult leukemias is now available online, but GrannyBarb's book is the essential resource for discovering where to go, who to see, how to cope, and what these diseases mean. Patients, family, and attending physicians can all benefit from this marvelous work by a victorious CLL patient that has been reviewed by the top hematologists/oncologists and other technical experts.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Leukemians' Bible, August 9, 2001

By 

Stephen R. Sprague (Staten Island, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Adult Leukemia: A Comprehensive Guide for Patients and Families (Paperback)

Whether you're the patient (like I was) or family, friend or caregiver to one, its one of the first things most people do when diagnosed with leukemia. You look for more information. You'll find lots of books about cancer. But very few specifically about adult leukemia. GrannyBarb has certainly put it all together for us. And you can benefit by as much or as little as you choose to use. There is no other book like this one. I've looked. I only wish it were written five years sooner. It would have saved this CML survivor a lot of wasted time and energy searching for factual information, authoritatively written in patient-speak--the language we need in order to understand better to recover quicker.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of a Kind--a Winner, April 8, 2001

By 

John Colby (Colleyville, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Adult Leukemia: A Comprehensive Guide for Patients and Families (Paperback)

Written from the viewpoint of a Leukemia survivor, this is a very comprehensive and readable guide that not only tells you everything you need to know about this disease, but also is chock-full of resources available elsewhere. The author has filled this book with the answer to virtually every question someone could have. While readable and intended for the non-medical person, the book will meet anyone's needs who desire to learn about the technical aspects of the disease from the chemistry of the blood to treatment options. This book is a must for anyone who has been diagnosed with Leukemia, or who has a loved one with the disease. It would also be helpful for someone who is involved with care of leukemia patients.