I’ll admit it. I’m a bit of a book junkie. I have dozens and dozens of books covering a wide variety of subjects, and my cancer collection is probably the largest and most diverse of them all. There are a many books I have found enormously helpful, and a few that I have referred to again and again. These are my top three go-to books. Not books I’ve read cover-to-cover, but they are the ones that I’ve referred to more times than I can count.
Everyone’s Guide to Cancer Therapy: How Cancer is Diagnosed, Treated and Managed Day to Day, 5th Edition
“A landmark book . . . So much of what the cancer patient must know to make informed decisions.” — Publishers Weekly
Everyone’s Guide to Cancer Therapy: How Cancer Is Diagnosed, Treated, and Managed Day to Day relies on an esteemed panel of oncology specialists—more than 100 strong, and each experts in their fields—to completely update this definitive cancer resource.
I own the first and second editions of this incredibly informative and useful guide, which is now in its fifth edition.
Equally informative and accessible, this comprehensive book navigates cancer patients and their caregivers through diagnosis, treatment, and supportive care. Every chapter has been methodically updated to include the latest medical breakthroughs and advice concerning cancer treatment.
At nearly 1,000 pages, this book covers absolutely everything. It begins with the basics (understanding cancer; how it’s diagnosed; second opinions), takes you through treatment (deciding on treatment; what to expect in surgery/radiation/chemotherapy), and addresses new and emerging treatments (including immunotherapy, laser therapy, stem cell transplantation, and complementary therapies). And this is just Part One.
Part Two focuses on supportive care, such as side effect management, pain control, nutrition, and infection prevention. Part Three addresses quality of life issues, such as facing mortality, survivorship, late effects, infertility, paying for cancer care, and planning for the future. New advances in diagnosis, treatment and prevention is the focus of Part Four.
Part Five has information on more than fifty different types of cancer and tells you everything you ever wanted (or didn’t want) to know, including a full description of the cancer and its progression. From causes, risk factors and screening, to signs and symptoms, diagnosis, staging, treatment options and prognosis, this is most thorough resource book I have ever come across. (The thirty page glossary of medical terms is also quite helpful.)
In my opinion, if you are going to purchase only one book for your cancer journey, this is the one.
Merriam-Webster’s Medical Dictionary
When beginning a cancer voyage, you basically need to learn a new language. Unless you work in the medical field, words like neupogen, allogeneic, and hematocrit pretty much mean squat.
Much like any trip, when you speak the language, it makes things less frightening and so much easier. When I was first diagnosed, I felt dumb because I had to ask what so many of the words and phrases meant and it was intimidating to not understand. (I even had to confirm what the doc meant by “malignant” when I was first diagnosed. Even though I knew malignant meant cancer, it just didn’t register. He finally had to say, “it’s cancer” for me to get it.) Once you have a grasp on the terms, you’ll be amazed at how empowering it is. (And you’ll impress the heck out of your friends and family when you hear “Medical Terms for $200, Alex,” on Jeopardy.)
Merriam-Webster’s Medical Dictionary packs more than 35,000 entries filled with information into an easy-to-use paperback home and office guide to medical terminology. This up-to-date reference provides definitions for long-established terms and new words, including medical prefixes, suffixes, and abbreviations. Brand names and generic equivalents of many commonly used medications are also included.
The Pill Book
Again, not a book to keep on your nightstand or take to the beach for a light read, but incredibly useful. You may be surprised to discover the number of different medications you will be given to treat your cancer, address side effects, protect your body from treatment, or help it recover. Nearly four years out from my last treatment, I am still taking eight different meds each and every day.
The Pill Book contains FDA-approved drug information plus guidelines from leading pharmacists. Each drug is profiled in a concise, readable, and easy-to-understand entry, making this the perfect reference when you have questions about the medications your doctor prescribes.
This book contains the most up-to-date information about more than 1,800 commonly prescribed drugs in the United States:
• Generic and brand-name listings that can help you save money
• What the drug is for, and how it works
• Usual dosages, and what to do if a dose is skipped
• Side effects and possible adverse reactions, highlighted for quick reference
• Interactions with other drugs and food
• Overdose and addiction potential
• Alcohol-free and sugar-free medications
• The most popular self-injected medications and their safe handling
• Information for seniors, pregnant and breast-feeding women, children, and others with special needs
• Cautions and warnings, and when to call your doctor
• 32 pages of actual-size color photographs of prescription pills
In my humble opinion, these are the three must-haves for any cancer journey.
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