The Thinking Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer: Take Charge of Your Recovery and Remission - Softcover

Maker, Janet

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0997661917 ISBN 13: 9780997661910

Publisher: Jane Thomas Press, 2017

Synopsis

Editorial Reviews Library Journal 12/01/2016 PhD Maker was diagnosed in 2011 with metastatic lobular mammary carcinoma in a left axillary node. What makes her situation even more rare is that she had no cancer in her breast. This guide for patients details every inch of her process, from multiple physician and hospital evaluations to her surgery and adjuvant therapy and overall wellness plan. Upon initial diagnosis, most women and men, thinking or otherwise, are generally overwhelmed with the number of decisions that must be addressed. And though Maker chose to be as well informed as the Internet and friendly recommendations could make her, there were still things beyond her control, including the number of lymph nodes she had removed. What most people discover is that no two cancer journeys are identical, so trying to proceed via another's path may not always be worthwhile. Still, the author offers basics that could be of use to the newly diagnosed. Readers needing to be familiar with one more personal experience might find value here, especially the information on more current options and research. VERDICT This title is recommended for most comprehensive patient health collections.—Bette-Lee Fox, Library Journal

When Dr. Maker was diagnosed in 2011, she, like most people, knew almost nothing about breast cancer.  What she did know is that she didn’t feel safe simply following her doctors’ advice.  The treatment is not always successful; some people die, and some who survive have disabling side effects.  She needed to understand for herself all her treatment options, the statistical outcomes for each option, and all the potential side effects, so she could make informed decisions.  Because of her academic background and expertise as a researcher, she discovered a great deal about the disease and its treatments that few lay people are aware of.

After she went into remission, she knew that she was at high risk for recurrence and that mainstream oncology offered little in the way of preventing the cancer from returning.  She worked with an integrative oncologist to alter her “terrain,” to make her body resistant to cancer. This involved major lifestyle changes in terms of diet, supplements, exercise, stress reduction, and avoiding environmental carcinogens.

The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Breast Cancer is the story of her journey and the things she learned along the way. Readers may not make the same choices that Dr. Maker did, but the information in the book will enable them to make the choices that are best for them and for their loved ones.

About this title

From the Author:

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011. It was found by accident on a chest x-ray, and I was shocked. There was no history of breast cancer in my family, and I never thought it could happen to me.

My second shock was encountering the medical establishment and its "standard of care." They wanted me to follow their program of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and hormones even though those things don't work for many people, and even though they have serious side effects. I wanted to make my own informed decisions, but, like most people, I knew next to nothing about breast cancer. I had to scramble to find what information I could under the pressure of time, knowing that the cancer could be spreading.

The personal became political as I encountered the cancer establishment with its one-size-fits-all standard of care, the corporations responsible for the carcinogens in the environment, research funded by the corporations, legislators who rely on corporate contributions to keep their jobs, and the cancer charities that take corporate money in return for pinkwashing.

"The Thinking Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer" is the story of my journey and all the things I learned. In some cases I learned them too late; some of my decisions would have been different if I had known then what I know now. I realized that I had to write this book to empower others to take charge of their care.

As of now, I have no evidence of breast cancer, but I am at high risk for recurrence or metastasis, so I am not able to simply return to the life I had before. Conventional cancer care offers periodic tests to see whether the cancer has returned, but it does not offer anything beyond hormone therapy to prevent the cancer from returning. The problem is that if it returns it will likely no longer be curable. I had to go outside of conventional oncology, where I found a lot of evidence that changing one's "terrain" can keep the cancer dormant. Working with an integrative oncologist, I follow a program of diet, supplements, exercise, mental/spiritual practices, and avoidance of environmental carcinogens.

From the Inside Flap:

Breast cancer,already the most common cancer in the United States, is projected to rise by50% by 2030, according to researchers at the National Cancer Institute(NCI).  They expect 441,000 new cases in2030, up from 283,000 in 2011.   Thisdespite the $500 billion that has been poured into research since PresidentNixon declared war on cancer in 1971. 

This year, morethan 40,000 women are expected to die from breast cancer in the United States,and the "standard of care" they will receive --- some combination of surgery,chemotherapy, radiation, and hormones-- will not save them. 

When Dr. Maker wasdiagnosed in 2011, she, like most people, knew almost nothing about breastcancer.  What she did know is that shedidn't feel safe simply following her doctors' advice.  She needed to understand for herself all hertreatment options, the statistical outcomes for each option, and all the potentialside effects, so she could make informed decisions.  Because of her academic background andexpertise as a researcher, she discovered a great deal about the disease andits treatments that few lay people are aware of.  Thethinking Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer is the story of her journey and thethings she learned along the way.   This information helped her, and it can helpyou.  

About this edition

• Publisher: Jane Thomas Press
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 0997661917
• ISBN 13: 9780997661910
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 360