[.ca] Living Beyond Breast Cancer:: A Survivor's Guide for ... (ISBN 0812926897)

From Amazon.com:
"Breast cancer is never completely over," says author Marisa C. Weiss, M.D., a radiation oncologist. Even when x-rays are negative and doctors proclaim remission, breast-cancer survivors often suffer from continued health problems along with elevated levels of anxiety, and the specter of recurrence is just a small part of the picture. Living Beyond Breast Cancer: A Survivor's Guide for When Treatment Ends and the Rest of Your Life Begins has won endorsements from both Bernie Siegel and former surgeon general C. Everett Koop. It deftly and with compassion maps out a guide for going back to a "normal" life: for handling fears of recurrence and worries that family members will develop breast cancer and for managing physical posttreatment problems, including the lingering side effects of radiation, fertility difficulties, changes in sex drive, and feelings of unattractiveness. Living Beyond Breast Cancer is comprehensive--at more than 500 pages, it has the room to thoroughly cover pain control and medication, genetic testing, weight management, hormone and tamoxifen therapy, alternative treatments such as traditional Chinese medicine, breast reconstruction, and the various tests for recurrence, from PET and CAT scans to MRIs and blood testing for cancer markers. It's also a superb reference for emotional issues, from depression and generalized anxiety to insecurities about reentering the job market and revealing the cancer experience to coworkers. Weiss includes many quotes from breast-cancer survivors, so readers know they're not alone. The extensive resources and excellent index add to this book's immense helpfulness. --Erica Jorgensen

The Very Best for Metastatic Information!:
I've been reading and researching breast cancer on and off for 4 years. A year ago my breast cancer metasticized, and it's hard to find honest information (or any information) about metastatic disease. The title to this book is misleading, because it doesn't mention the fantastic, updated metastatic information. It is by far the most comprehensive, readable treatment of this I've found. I'm ordering several copies to give away.

A comforting guide in the privacy of your home!:
My daughter was sitting with my husband and myself in the office of my radiation oncologist. She spotted "Living Beyond Breast Cancer" on the bookshelf. She like myself was so lost when we found I had breast cancer. Neither my husband, daughter or myself knew what was going to happen. She began reading the book and could not put it down. When the Dr. came into the room he made comment about the book she was reading. She was so elated with all the facts, which are printed in such simple language that we could understand. The Dr. saw her enthusiasm and offered for her to take it home. Since that time I have not been able to seperate myself from this book. As I progress thru my mastectomy, I find new items of interest. It also helped me understand what my partner, my husband, was feeling. I read one of the chapters to him, at our breakfast table. We sat and cried and agreed that the way he was feeling was as written in the book. I never realized just how much he hurt and how comforting it was to him to know there was a book written that could tell me how he felt. I have since recommended this book to others. If you cannot get out to support groups or are afraid to go, this book gives you all the support you could ever ask for in the comfort of your home or office. I am 62 years old and a very active business woman. I wondered if my business life was over. The book proved my fears to be very wrong. For myself and my daughter, it is our lifeline! Thank you Dr. Marisa Weiss and also Ellen Weiss. You have done a tremendous favor to women like me.

Finally, a resource that I can relate to and use!:
This is the type of book I've been wanting. It offers wonderful support and needed information. The authors are empathetic and straight forward, guiding us to reach beyond (hence the title, of course) the psychological boundaries that women who have survived a bout with breast cancer put on ourselves. It offers clear, concise suggestions for what to do now and for facing the future, which may or may not include a recurrance of breast cancer. There are sections which are not applicable to me, but this is bound to be true when a text is so comprehensive. After checking this book out of the library three times, I have realized that this is a book all women who have had breast cancer need to own for themselves.