Living Well with Cancer: A Nurse Tells You Everything You Need to Know [Hardcover]

Katen Moore (Author), Libby Schmais (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 29, 2001

An oncology nurse provides solutions for coping with the side effects of cancer and cancer treatments.

Practical, compassionate, supportive, Living Well with Cancer provides cancer patients and their caregivers with the information they need to cope with and manage the side effects of cancer and its treatments.

Katen Moore has seen firsthand what can make cancer patients feel better as they undergo treatment. This empowering book presents options for the cancer patient-it doesn't promote one protocol over another. Alphabetical listings of the symptoms enable readers to find what they want quickly and easily-and, while it is based on the most up-to-date research, the tone is comforting and reader-friendly.

Living Well with Cancer addresses the physical and emotional reactions that people with cancer face and provides solutions for coping with these issues, including alternative approaches such as aromatherapy, herbal remedies, massage, nutrition, and yoga. The authors explain clearly and comprehensively not only how to use these alternative methods, but how to use them safely and effectively, including how to know when to seek medical help.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The cruel irony of cancer treatment programs that cause additional pain--both physical and psychological--prompted two concerned women to write Living Well with Cancer. Oncology nurse practitioner Katen Moore and medical researcher Libby Schmais present a comprehensive resource for those who suffer from mild to severe side effects of chemotherapy, radiation, and drug treatments associated with cancer.

Conversational yet never wordy, their extensive “remedy guide” covers about 40 specific topics, including appetite and breathing problems, bleeding and bruising, depression, hair loss, nausea, and infection. Each begins with a description of symptoms, followed by detailed paragraphs on diagnosis and treatment considerations. Here, Moore and Schmais succinctly outline the treatment-related causes--and other potential factors--behind each problem. Page-long discussions of prevention and remedies offer proven conventional and alternative medical solutions and sometimes include an equally helpful list titled "We Don't Recommend."

The remaining portion addresses more challenging emotional and practical concerns: stress, death and dying, nutrition, exercise, sex, and sexuality. Multiple sidebars dot many of the book's 250-plus pages, spotlighting key points about the topic at hand. Upbeat, highly accessible, and carefully compiled, this worthwhile guide offers cancer patients invaluable help and the hope necessary to implement it. --Liane Thomas

From Publishers Weekly

Longtime friends Moore, an oncology nurse practitioner, and Schmais, a writer, talked with hundreds of patients and health-care providers in venues from Gilda's Club to Sloane Kettering Memorial Hospital. They advocate approaching cancer as if it were a chronic illness such as diabetes. Instead of accepting a cancer diagnosis as a death sentence, they say, people should empower themselves to take charge of their health. After the initial diagnosis, the authors encourage people to write a list of questions for their physician, employing a tape recorder and a companion to clarify the discussion points. The authors then discuss the most common early stages diagnosis, treatment options, clinical trials and treatment. The crux of the book is a detailed examination of common side effects such as hair loss and nausea, and less-known ones including heartburn, fever and hot flashes, followed by a discussion of medical and natural treatments. Finally, Moore and Schmais explain practical information such as hospice care, living wills and medical directives. While cancer patients obviously need to rely on a full complement of specialists, this volume is an excellent resource for both patients and their relatives or friends. This seminal medical reference is the equivalent of the What to Expect series, providing patients with answers to the many questions they may not be able to ask their doctors. Readers will learn that theirs is a shared experience, and that it's possible to limit the discomfort and pain that almost all cancer patients endure.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult (March 29, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399146873
• ISBN-13: 978-0399146879
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,588,091 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Easy to Read & Informative, May 21, 2001

By 

Cindy Lyons (Owensboro, KY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Living Well with Cancer: A Nurse Tells You Everything You Need to Know (Hardcover)

The title is inspiring. I am undergoing my first up close and personal cancer experience, as one of my best friends is undergoing chemotherapy. I am desperate for someone to tell me that she will indeed live well again. This book helped to set my mind at ease. It is easy for a layperson, ignorant about cancer and it's treatments, to understand. I am encouraged by their approach that cancer is a treatable condition, compared to diabetes, that you can live with. If you are receptive to alternative medicines used in conjunction with conventional methods, this book offers a lot of good suggestions. If you frown on alternative medicines, the book is not for you. I was also reading it to see if it was worthy of passing on to my girlfriend. I will do that, along with some gifts suggested to help her through this time - lavendar scented bubble bath, wash and lotions (for relaxation), a beginner's yoga video (for exercise and stress relief) and a terry turban (she complains the wig is uncomfortable).

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Packed with Excellent Ideas, August 30, 2001

By 

palcat (Silicon Valley CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Living Well with Cancer: A Nurse Tells You Everything You Need to Know (Hardcover)

This is a truly wonderful book. It alphabetically lists every effect & side effect of cancer and cancer treatments, and gives in depth suggestions on how to deal with these effects. It discusses the medical point of view, and goes all the way to holistic ways, and natural herbal remedies. I found that reading this book from cover to cover gave me a fantastic overview about what I could expect to see my Mom go through as she struggled with cancer, and it enabled me to help her with good suggesstions to increase her comfort and appetite. If you don't want to be clueless, you'll probably like this book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars AN EXCELLENT, WELL-WRITTEN, INFORMATIVE BOOK!, May 25, 2001

By 

Sandra D. Peters "Seagull Books" (Prince Edward Island, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Living Well with Cancer: A Nurse Tells You Everything You Need to Know (Hardcover)

My father passed away two years ago after a ten year battle with cancer. While he did receive excellent care during his time in the hospital, he was later moved to a nursing home. Again, the care was adequate, but with such a vast number of residents, there was little time for hand-holding or explanation of what to expect as the disease worsened. While the doctor explained the disease, treatment and possible side effects of treatment, very vaguely I might add, there was little information given on what to expect in the years or months remaining, other than he would be kept "as comfortable as possible." Trying to pin down answers from doctors whose case loads were already stretched far beyond the limit was like trying to catch a feather in a wind storm. I began to wonder how many others were left in this same position.

While this book is not the most extensive one written on the subject, it is a good place to start. It is written in a straight-forward manner by an author who is well qualified in her field. With cancer, it is difficult for the lay person to know and understand what to expect, what symptoms are caused from the cancer itself and what symptoms are caused from the side-effects of treatment and medication. Cancer is not an illness which affects only the patient, it is equally as devastating for the family, particularly when the prognosis is "terminal." "Living with Cancer" answers many questions and concerns expressed by both patient and family. The emotional and physical changes are like taking a ride, blindfolded, on the world's largest roller coaster. You cannot see what is ahead, nor do you know when the highs and lows will hit, and there are generally far more lows than highs - suddenly, in a split second, they hit with relentless force. "Living with Cancer" covers topics from initial diagnosis, medical/natural treatments and side effects to hospice care and living wills. It is a good basic book, but I do wish the topics had been expanded upon in greater detail.