Complete Idiot's Guide to Living with Breast Cancer [Paperback]

Sharon Sorenson (Author), Suzanne Metger (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0028639383 | ISBN-13: 978-0028639383 | Publication Date: September 15, 2000 | Edition: 1

This guide is for breast cancer patients, their spouses and children, and their families, co-workers, and friends. The author hopes to answer the practical, everyday life questions that every breast cancer patient or loved one has. The book provides information, recommendations, tips, and inspiration for everything from that first biopsy to the five-year check-up.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

Annually, about 185,000 women (and a few men) face the diagnosis of breat cancer, and the numbers are on the rise. If you're one of those diagnosed -- or know somebody who is -- you understand that fighting the disease is a down-and-dirty war with lots of skirmishes and full-blown battles on the way to victory. The good news is that at this moment over two million survivors -- vibrant, active women making significant contributions to their families and communities -- carry the victory flag.

How do we know about these folks? We're two of them. We're survivors who have been through the surgeries and through the treatments, and our battle scars have left us with a keen sense of empathy. We firmly believe that nobody should have to face breast cancer alone. Ever. So as we put words to paper, we visualized an in-print support group -- messages from breast cancer survivors who shared their stories and offered the 20/20 vision of hindsight. Some have carried the victory flag for 20 years or more; others are still in the battlefield, reporting from the front lines. And trust us when we say that these front-line warriors fight with a courage and determination that have humbled us day after day.

If you've found yourself drafted in the war against breast cancer -- or know someone who is -- this book offers the support you need, from the first hint of a lump or suspicious mammogram through surgery and treatment and on to follow-up for the rest of your life.

In short, we'll be there to get you through all the battles, with hugs and cookies from home. May your battles be short and your victory sweet.

From the Inside Flap

If you've found yourself drafted into the war against breast cancer -- or know someone who is -- this book offers the support you need, from the first hint of a lump or suspiscious mammogram through surgery and treatment and on to follow-up for the rest of your life.

But this book goes beyond the basics to attend to those dozens of details you'll face before, during, and after surgery and/or treatment. We'll help you through the emotional turmoil, family and financial issues, decisions about treatments (what they are, what they do, and what side effects they can cause), controversies over breast reconstruction versus prostheses, surgery's effects on personal appearance and clothing choices, changing priorities, and the risk of recurrence. Finally, we'll suggest ways you can make positive contributions, volunteering support for others new to the battlefield and committing to advocacy issues to someday bring an end to this terrible disease.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Alpha; 1 edition (September 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028639383
• ISBN-13: 978-0028639383
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,675,974 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Have Book, October 17, 2000

By 

Margaret Murrell (Indiana, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete Idiot's Guide to Living with Breast Cancer (Paperback)

This is a must have book that everyone needs to have. If you have been diagnosed with Breast Cancer or have a friend who has been diagnosed. You will love this book. I'am a 2 1/2 year survivor and I was amazed at the broad scope of information that was in this book. I really wished it had been in the bookstores when I was first diagnosed. The ladies who wrote it did a wonderful job at putting it in an easy to read format that everyone can understand. And I loved all the little personal comments from other Breast Cancer survivors! It's not a book quoted by doctors alone. But by people like you and me who have been through all the treatments and have survived telling it like it is. It takes you step by step on what you will go through in each treatment. And how to deal with everything that is happening to you. What a wonderful way of letting others know that it is all right to feel the way they feel on a daily basis of living with and through Breast Cancer. And I was amazed at all the Resource information. All the phone numbers and addresses for everything you might need along the way. They really did cover every aspect of dealing with Breast Cancer. If you have a friend who has just been diagnosed with Breast Cancer this would make a perfect gift. And you would be letting them know you cared and that you are there for them through it all.

Sincerely, Margaret

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Knowledge is Power, January 14, 2001

By 

Carol Rogers (Newburgh, Indiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete Idiot's Guide to Living with Breast Cancer (Paperback)

"So much to learn--so little time--and I can't even find information on the subject of breast cancer." Those were my thoughts almost 13 years ago when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. How I wish there had been something of the caliber of THE COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO LIVING WITH BREAST CANCER at that time. This book should be in the hands of anyone facing a breast cancer diagnosis, as well as their families and friends. It includes many practical facets of dealing with the disease. To me, the sentence which best sums up the importance of what this book provides the reader is found on page 37--"Knowledge is power, so it's important to be an imformed consumer." Frequently I receive calls from women (and sometimes men) who know someone who has been diagnosed, or perhaps they themselves have been diagnosed. "What can I do that will be helpful?" "What are the right things to say?" "What are the right things to do?" One of the most helpful things to do, in my opinion, is to see that the person has access to practical and accurate information such as that found in this book. What better way to say, "I'm thinking of you and I want to be of help." This book is written in such a way that the reader can focus on the issues that are especially important at any given time. It deals with the gamut of topics--from biopsy to surgery to vocabulary to chemotherapy to radiation to lymphedema to reconstruction to support groups to helpful websites, etc., etc., etc. . . and it does so with the right balance of levity. Who says we can't have a chuckle or two while reading about a serious subject? A special "thank you" to the breast cancer survivors/authors for so thoughtfully and thoroughly covering a subject that is so important to so many people in our lives.

Carol Rogers - Newburgh, Indiana

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Complete Idiot's Guide to Breast Cancer, October 9, 2000

By 

Dorothy Bonar (Evansville, IN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete Idiot's Guide to Living with Breast Cancer (Paperback)

As a breast cancer survivor I found this book very helpful. The authors described the feelings, treatment, results and useful information gained from interviewing many survivors. They explained terms I had heard in my diagnosis and had not understood. The book is interesting to read and the information easy to find. The sidebars are especially helpful. This book should be read by anyone who fears or has survived breast cancer.