Diagnosis Cancer: Your Guide Through the First Few Months [Paperback]

Wendy Schlessel Harpham (Author), Ann Bliss Pilcher (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1997

Diagnosis: Cancer has established itself as the book every newly diagnosed cancer patient needs to have. In a question-and-answer format, Wendy Harpham--a doctor and cancer survivor--imparts all the learning she has gained, both medically and emotionally, to get a patient through the first few confusing and often scary months in the way that is best for them personally. In this revised and updated edition, Harpham discusses all the new developments in diagnosis and treatment, particularly new medications and formerly experimental methods that are now being used. Because of the growing number of people in managed care, she addresses how to work through the system to get full medical care, including when not to accept the limitations of one's health-care plan. Now a long-term cancer survivor, Harpham has an even deeper understanding of how to navigate the emotional and psychological roller coaster of being a newly diagnosed cancer patient. She incorporates her knowledge in this edition to help people become what she calls healthy survivors--cancer patients who get the best medical care possible and who minimize the pain, debility, and loss resulting from cancer.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Harpham's work is a welcome addition to the host of books that attempt to provide some relief to cancer patients and their families. With a no-nonsense, let's-get-down-to-basics approach, the author, a physician and cancer survivor, answers the questions that any newly diagnosed cancer patient is likely to have. Her information is practical; her calm logic and straightforward data, based on the belief that knowledge "brings comfort, hope, and a better chance for improvement," encourage confidence. By understanding how cancer is evaluated, how and whether or not to choose an oncologist, the advantages of various available treatments and why they have to draw so damn much blood, the patient becomes better informed and, in consequence, a more active participant in his or her healing. Harpham's handiwork is a valuable tool for those who hope to better the treatment process and to dispel the confusion during the initial few months following a cancer diagnosis. She knows what she's talking about: she's a doctor who has also been a patient.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

When people are told they have cancer, thousands of questions begin to run through their minds, from "Why me?" to "What do I do?" Harpham, a physician and a cancer patient herself, has written a book that fills a gap in the cancer literature. Since over one million Americans hear this diagnosis every year, Diagnosis: Cancer should be of interest to patients, their friends, and families, as well as students and workers in health professions. Harpham's philosophy is that people do not choose to have cancer but can choose how to cope with it. Writing in an accessible, concise style, Harpham covers the medical, emotional, and social issues associated with cancer. From biopsy to radiation, nutrition to surgery, she combines her knowledge as a doctor with her experience as a patient to pass on vital, practical, and necessary information to her audience. Of particular value are the glossary of medical terms, bibliography, resources list, and test explanations. Edward J. and Richard J. Larschan's The Diagnosis Is Cancer ( LJ 7/86), also written by a cancer patient and a health professional, provides a legal slant to similar issues. Very highly recommended.
- Janet M. Coggan, Univ. of Florida Libs., Gainesville
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 230 pages
• Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc (November 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393316912
• ISBN-13: 978-0393316919
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,556,475 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "How can I help?", January 7, 2000

By 

Cocktail Mom (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diagnosis Cancer: Your Guide Through the First Few Months (Paperback)

When I was diagnosed with cancer, many friends confided that they felt helpless and didn't know how to help. Well, here's something you CAN do for a friend who's just learned that he or she has cancer: Buy this book! It's got the most important, practical information that a new cancer patient needs first. Also, it's hopeful and encouraging yet absolutely reliable, medically speaking -- a rare combination among "popular" cancer literature.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for the very scary time when you first find out!, April 20, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Diagnosis: Cancer - Your Guide Through the First Few Months (Paperback)

This book is written in short sections which do not have to be read in order. You read the section that has the info you need NOW. The writing is simple and easy to understand. The author is very understanding and gives GREAT SUGGESTIONS on how to cope. Good also for family and friends of the cancer pt

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book with practical advice, November 7, 1999

By 

"vorsprungdyk" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diagnosis Cancer: Your Guide Through the First Few Months (Paperback)

I have bought this book over and over and given it to friends and relatives of newly diagnosed patients in addition to patients. Dr. Harpham has a way of writing that makes even medical information easy to get through. Her advice is accurate and helpful. A must for everyone whose life has recently been touched by newly diagnosed cancer.