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••Summer 2000 / Vol 4, No 3 |
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Book Reviews
In July 1997, at age 49, I was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer. I was stunned, devastated, and filled with fear about the future. As do most women diagnosed with breast cancer, I started reading books, most of which were recommended or given to me by well-meaning friends. However, the focus on statistical survival rates for women with breast cancer only served to create more fear in me, and I soon abandoned reading about breast cancer and instead placed my trust in my physicians. I considered myself fortunate that both my surgeon and my oncologist at Kaiser Permanente in San Diego informed me about all the possibilities associated with my cancer, including lymphedema. However, I was angry and fearful about this other possible consequence of the cancer, yet another assault and deformity on my body. Had this book been available and brought to my attention, I could have at least minimized my fear of lymphedema. The book is written by two women: one is a physical therapist at Kaiser Permanente in Portland, Oregon; the other, a woman with lymphedema. I found the book both informative and comforting. Throughout the book, the authors present a message of hopefulness about a woman's ability to both prevent and control lymphedema. The book is easy to read and to understand. It is written from a firsthand perspective and includes not only a comprehensive, lay explanation of what lymphedema is and why it occurs but also contains great information on how to prevent it, treatments available, resources, support groups, and probably what for me was most important: ways to self-treat. For me, one of the great losses associated with breast cancer was the loss of control over my body. I was a person who had taken good care of myself for most of my adult life. I had good eating habits, exercised regularly, and didn't smoke. I had engaged in this healthy lifestyle as a way of balancing a strong familial history of heart disease that struck family members at a young age. My friends and family all said that I was the last person they would have expected to develop breast cancer. Yet it seemed nothing I had done had helped prevent cancer. I felt I had lost control over my body and what was happening to me. And so, the emphasis in this book on how to prevent lymphedemaand more important, how to self-treat when lymphedema developswas of particular interest to me; I could do something to help the condition if it developed. The authors offer hope that a person with lymphedema can at least gain some control over it, unlike my cancer. I liked and appreciated the organization of the book. The chapters were well named, so I could skip around in the book and first read chapters of most interest or that I felt were most relevant to me. I learned new things about what not to do and how to be aware of the early signs of lymphedema. The chapter on preventing lymphedema refreshed my memory about what my physicians had told me to be careful of; and those admonitions made more sense to me as I better understood the etiology of lymphedema. For example, I better understood why I should avoid cuts on the hand and arm on the lumpectomy side of my body and site of lymph node removal; why my right arm shouldn't be used for taking my blood pressure or for administering shots; why I shouldn't cut my cuticles; and why I should wear gloves while gardening. For me personally, as someone who works for Kaiser Permanente and who receives all my care at Kaiser Permanente from Permanente physicians, the book validated the treatment I had received for my cancer. In addition, I felt a renewed sense of appreciation for the care I received and for my good fortune to have been treated by caring physicians who were so thorough about all aspects and ramifications of my cancer. Conclusion: 224 p. $12.95 ISBN 0-89793-2641. Alameda, CA: Hunter House, 2000.
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