The Chemotherapy Survival Guide: Everything You Need to Know to Get Through Treatment [Paperback]

Who could better write a book on chemotherapy than two chemo nurses from Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley, one with over 25 years experience as a chemo nurse involved in patient education and the other with several years as an oncology-certified nurse and family nurse practitioner? These ladies are on the front lines, in the trenches, so to speak and they know all the questions and all the tricks you need to deal with chemotherapy. If you or a loved one are facing cancer treatment this is a good primer on what to expect and what you can do to lessen the effects and just get through the ordeal with your sanity intact. It starts with a short primer on cell life and cancer cells and goes into an explanation of some of the types of chemotherapy and treatments. They give you an idea of what to expect and how to cope with the side effects that may or may not occur. It's good to know what's normal and what isn't, when to check in with your doctor and when you can handle things on your own.

I liked that they wrote the book in easy to understand language and addressed a lot of practical issues like coping with hair loss, digestive changes, dealing with nausea, diarrhea or constipation and mouth and throat problems. Actually the anti-nausea medications are so good these days that a majority of people don't feel nausea at all. They name some of the common anti-nausea drugs and tell how each one works which I found useful. Another chapter that I really liked was the one on blood tests results and how to make sense of them. Looking these things up on the internet can be very confusing sometimes. Which ones are the most important, which one just follow some of the other values and which can be treated with drugs should they drop too low? This book explains all that. Oncologists usually provide some of this information but with so many questions and things to remember from a visit, it's nice to have it in book form where you can just go back and refer to it as different issues arise.

A few of the chapters were contributed by other experts such as the one on nutrition during chemo and the one on mind and body connection. These were very helpful and contributed lots of good ideas and suggestions. Stress, fertility, sexuality, the IV experience, relaxation techniques and finally life after treatments and being a survivor are all covered in this book. Just knowing what to expect, what to call your doctor about and what you can do yourself to address some of the issues can make the whole experience a little easier to deal with and a lot less scary. If you or a loved one is facing chemo, this book will help all of you get through it.

I would not worship exclusively at the holy grail of
chemotherapy. Having made that statement, the authors
accomplished much in explaining the dynamics of
chemotherapy and the requisite planning to be done by
patients and physicians. The information contained in
this book is not known to patients, generally speaking.
And so, the acquisition would have value for a person
or family member facing chemotherapy with little time
to investigate the dynamics of the treatment or the
extensive terminology of the protocol .

The volume explains how cells are nourished with blood
and oxygen. Additionally, the immune system protects
against foreign organisms. Simply put, cancer cells
lack a growth control mechanism. To compensate,
physicians have various strategies in the toolbox.

For instance, surgery, radiation and a combination
may be utilized to rid the body of cancerous tumors.
Chemo interferes with the cell cycle specific to
preventing cancer cells from reproducing.

A strength of the work is that the authors direct the
patient to understand the pathology report, as well as
the treatment plan. Specific strategies deal with the
dynamics of the blood chemistry. For instance, a
decreased red blood count calls for eating a balanced
diet, more iron (Fe) and rest. Erythropoetin stimulates
red blood cell production. A low white count calls for
a strategy of limiting exposure to places where many
people gather. Skin should be kept clean at all times.
Teeth should be cleaned often (brushing and flossing).
Fluids should be consumed often.

The authors provide specific blood test markers of interest
to the patient; namely, CA15-3 for the breast tumors,
CA125 for ovarian cancer and the PSA for men. A Nurse IV
specialist should be employed for the infusion of vitamins
and medicinal preparations for chemo patients. This book
would be helpful for anyone on chemo or contemplating it.

The book is written in a format easily understandable to
the layperson.

I think like most people who are diagnosed with cancer it is scarey feeling and not knowing what to expect from Chemotherapy can be overwhelming to deal it. I know this is how felt when I was first diagnosed with breast cancer.

This book was great because it was easy to understand and gave a lot of great information about the experince of going through chemotherapy and understanding cancer. At first I thought I was going to read this book cover to cover but for me as I have gone chemotherapy certain chapters have been important for me read depending on my symptoms at the time.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is diagnosed with cancer and needs to go through chemotherapy. I know that it has been a great book for me to reference when I had questions about cancer or chemotherapy.