Amazon.com: Living Well With Cancer: Katen Moore, Libby Schmais: Books

Amazon.com
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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Living Well With Cancer (Paperback)

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