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Introduction
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: General Questions about Breast Cancer
What causes cancer?
What are the risk factors for breast cancer?
What are not risk factors for breast cancer?
What are symptoms of breast cancer to look for?
Is cancer a single disease?
Why does breast cancer risk increase with age?
What role does estrogen play in breast cancer?
How is the battle against breast cancer progressing?
Interesting breast cancer statistics
Frequency
Recurrence
Survival/death
Chapter 2: Maximizing Treatment
Finding a doctor
Selecting your doctors
Doctor visits
What to expect during each office visit
Communicating with your doctor
Working with medical offices
Records
They’re yours and they’re private
Organization
Treatment Notebook
Basket Buddy
Tests—What to expect
Initial tests for evaluation
Blood draw
Understanding your pathology report
Deciding on treatment
Evaluating online information
Talking to your doctor about information from the Internet
Understanding risk
Fact and opinions
Second opinions
Clinical trials
Questions to ask about a clinical trial
Your rights as a participant in a clinical trial
Evaluating study results
Hospital visits
Patient advocates/liaisons
Medications
Questions to ask about new prescription medication
Common breast cancer medication side effects
Tips on taking medications
Be aware of dangerous interactions
What to do with left-over medication
Chemotherapy
Purpose of chemotherapy
Questions to ask your doctor about chemotherapy
How chemotherapy drugs are administered
What does a chemotherapy treatment feel like?
Things you can do to prepare for chemotherapy
Tips for going to a chemotherapy treatment
Dressing for chemotherapy
Eating during chemotherapy
When do side effects occur?
Common side effects
Less common side effects
Long-term side effects
Types of chemotherapy drugs
How will I know if the chemotherapy is working?
Radiation
Common concerns about radiation treatment
First visit
What is a radiation treatment like?
Dressing for radiation treatments
Other tips for radiation treatment
Most common side effects of radiation
Lumpectomy and radiation
Symptoms to tell your doctor about
Skin care during radiation
Common emotional reactions to radiation
After treatment ends
Surgery
Questions to ask your surgeon about surgery
Sentinel node biopsy
Preparing for surgery
Special breast cancer preparations
Home preparation
What to take with you
What happens during surgery and right after?
Drains
After-surgery concerns
Recuperated?
Reconstruction
Immediate reconstruction
Delayed reconstruction
Types of reconstruction
Limitations of reconstruction
How safe are implants?
Insurance issues
The choice not to reconstruct
Concerns about lymphedema
Other potential problems
Nipple reconstruction
Hormonal therapy
Eating during treatment
Quick snacks
How to add protein to your diet
How to add calories to your diet
Grocery shopping tips
Food handling tips
Tips for dining out
Kitchen hygiene tips
Special diets
Water
How much treatment?
End of life issues
Chapter 3: Managing Side Effects
Abdominal cramping or pain
Anal fissures
Anemia
Symptoms of anemia
Coping with anemia
Anxiety
Appetite loss
Eating tips
Environmental changes
Non-food tips
Bladder/kidney effects
Notify your doctor if you have any of these symptoms
Blood clots
Blood clotting, impediment of
Signs of blood clotting problems
Behaviors for low platelet count
Blood count, low
Precautions if your blood count is low
Symptoms to tell your doctor about
What to do if you develop fever while your blood count is low
Constipation
To help ease constipation
Solutions for constipation
Preventing constipation
Dehydration
Signs of dehydration
Dental concerns
Tips for oral hygiene during treatment
Diarrhea
To help relieve diarrhea
Foods that can cause or aggravate diarrhea
Foods to eat if you have diarrhea
Dry mouth
Fatigue
Describing your fatigue
Ways to combat fatigue
Report these symptoms to your doctor immediately
Fluid retention
Flu-like symptoms
Frozen shoulder
Gas
To relieve gas
Some causes of gas
Hair loss
Before chemotherapy
Coping with hair loss
To slow the rate of hair loss
Practical tips for hair loss
To cover or not to cover
Scalp and hair care during chemotherapy
When hair grows back
Hot flashes
Other tips for hot flashes
Indigestion
Infections
Hygiene
Eating
Lifestyle
Dressing
Signs of infection
Infertility
Insomnia
Effects of sleep deprivation
Overcoming insomnia
Intravenous (IV) reactions
Itching
Kidney or bladder problems
Symptoms to report to your doctor
Lifting
Lymphedema
Before surgery
After surgery
Symptoms of lymphedema
Precautionary actions
Treatments for lymphedema
Travel precautions
Memory loss/mental confusion
Tips for a sharper memory
Menopause, early onset of
Mouth sores
Symptoms of mouth sores
Tips during chemotherapy
Tips for eating to avoid mouth sores
Rinse your mouth with
To relieve mouth pain
Muscle effects
Nail problems
Nausea
Eating tips to minimize nausea
Foods to minimize nausea
Drinking to minimize nausea
Activities to minimize nausea
Tips for treatment days to minimize nausea
To settle an upset stomach, try these
Nerve and muscle effects
Symptoms to report
Coping with nerve or muscle problems
Night sweats
Numbness
Pain
Assessing the pain
Why control your pain?
Describe your pain clearly
Types of pain
Barriers to pain management
Pain control
Finding help
Radiation recall
To soothe irritated skin
Restricted movement in arm
Scars
Sexuality, changes in
Ways to work around sexual limitations
Dating concerns
Skin problems
Coping with acne
Coping with itching and dry skin
Coping with sun sensitivity
Smell
Sores, mucous membranes
Swelling, in arms
Taste, changes in
Vaginal dryness
Vomiting
Weight loss/gain
To reverse weight gain
Choose to lose
To reverse weight loss
To supplement or not
Better choices
Chapter 4: What Else Can I Do? Complementary/Alternative Therapies
Separating hype from help
Insurance issues
Finding qualified CAM practitioners
What is integrated medicine?
Types of alternative/complementary therapies
Sensory
Cognitive therapy
Expressive therapies
Physical exercise
Medical systems
Other CAM techniques
Supplements
Supplement scams
Choosing a multivitamin
Certifications for supplements
More is not necessarily better
Values for food supplements and products
Purchasing tips for supplements
Herbs with anticancer properties
How do herbs or dietary supplements help?
Chapter 5: Handling Your Emotions
Timing of emotional reactions
Asking family and friends for help
How to help those close to you deal with your cancer
Helping your helpers
Support groups
Criteria for successful support group experiences
Online support
One-on-one support
Choosing a counselor
Relationships
Anyone
Close friends
Extended family
Young children
Adolescents
Older or adult children
Better fighting
Assertiveness
Resilience
Attitude
Self-image
Control
Limitations
Denial
Guilt
Irritability
Grief
Holidays: happy or heartache?
Anxiety
Fear
Depression
Common signs of depression
Medications for depression
Lifestyle aids for depression
Loneliness
Stress
Some negative effects of stress
Ways to reduce stress
Worry
Mood swings
Hopelessness
Hope
Meaning
Mind/body connections
Instuition
Play
Laughter
Pets
Relaxation
Rest
When treatment is completed
Recurrence
Survival
Chapter 6: Money Matters: Financial Concerns, Insurance, and Workplace Issues
Paying for care—national resources
Paying for care—community resources
Paying for care—personal resources
Ways to trim drug costs
When you can’t afford medicine
Other financial concerns
Insurance
What’s covered?
I don’t have insurance!
Preexisting conditions
What if the insurer denies a claim or treatment?
Appealing an insurance decision
External review of claims
Disability and life insurance
Workplace issues
Myths you may face
Searching for a job
Sharing the news with your boss
Sharing your news with coworkers
Ideas for workplace changes
Document, document, document
Resolving differences
Returning to work
Not returning to work
Laws that may offer some protection
Is breast cancer a “disability”?
State laws
Other laws to protect you during treatment
Chapter 7: Concerns of Special Populations
Male breast cancer
Signs that should be investigated
Risk factors
Treatment
Side effects
Young women and breast cancer
Pregnancy
Breastfeeding
Abortion and miscarriage
Older women and breast cancer
Minority and ethnic groups
Lesbians
Chapter 8: Looking Good
Appearance
Bathing
Posture
Skin care
Cosmetics
Moisturizing
Sunscreen
Hands/feet
Stains
Scalp
Discoloration
Makeup
Basic makeup
Eyebrows
Eyelids
Lips
Scars
Nails
Hair loss
Headwear
Where to find headwear
Turbans/head wraps
Hats
Scarves
Wigs
Be bold: Go bald
Chapter 9: Getting Back in “Shape”
Clothing
Breast forms
Pros and cons of each type
Lingerie
Special bras
Swimwear
Insurance tips
Exercise
What is exercise?
When not to exercise
I don’t have time to exercise!
Ways to work exercise into your lifestyle
Types of exercise
Sample exercises
Chapter 10: Starting Over Again
Confession time
It’s never too late
Nutrition
Different diets for different stages of treatment
The calcium question
To cook or not to cook?
Diet
The China Project
Start slow
Mediterranean diet
Common sense anti-breast cancer diet
Foods to limit or avoid
Fat
Snacks
Eating out
Vegetarianism
Invisible veggies
Hidden fruits
Smart food tips for starting over
Healthy substitutions in recipes
What’s in a label?
What is a serving?
Quick reference for serving size
Advertised anticancer diets?
Going natural
Organic vs. conventional produce
Wild vs. homegrown
Safe seafood
Easy changes to make
Emotions
Hope
So what do you tell your daughter?
Follow-up with doctors
Follow-up tests
Hormone replacement therapy
Mind/body connection
Preventing recurrence
Signs to watch for
Metastasis
Breast examinations
How to do a breast self-exam
How can I get involved in the fight against breast cancer?
Resources
Index
About the Author
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