100 Questions & Answers About Life After Cancer: A Survivor's Guide » (1st Edition)

Whether you're a survivor yourself, or a loved one of a survivor, this book offers help. The only text available to provide both the healthcare professional's and patient's views, 100 Questions & Answers About Life After Cancer: A Survivor's Guide gives you authoritative, practical answers to your questions. Written by experts in the field with insider advice from actual patients, this book is an invaluable resource.

Foreword     ix
Preface     xi
Acknowledgments     xiii
Introduction     xv
Survivorship: A Mixed Blessing     1
Questions 1-17 cover the complex feelings that come with finishing treatment
When should I consider myself a survivor?
Why do I have mixed feelings about finishing treatment?
Could I be depressed?
Managing Uncertainty     23
Questions 18-27 discuss the challenge of tolerating unanswered questions about the present and future
Why do I think it's cancer every time I have a headache?
How do I cope with frightening statistics?
Why do follow up appointments make me so upset?
Communicating with Family and Friends     37
Questions 28-46 explore the complex reactions of those around you
Should I tell my friend that I've been hurt by her response to my illness?
Why do people say such insensitive things?
How do I let the people in my life know that I've changed since my cancer experience?
Legal, Financial, and Workplace Concerns     63
Questions 47-64 outline your rights as a cancer survivor under the law, and discuss issues such as insurance and debt
Can my company fire me for being out sick?
Can I get life insurance now that I have had cancer?
What do I do about the debt I incurred while sick?
Too Young for Cancer     85
Questions 65-68 address the special concerns of those who had cancer as children or young adults
Do I need to tell my new doctor of my childhood cancer? Why is it stillimportant?
I feel like such a baby since I moved back home with my parents during my treatment. Will I ever "catch up"?
How do I deal with others my age who have never been sick and just don't get it?
Maintaining Your Health     93
Questions 69-77 help to sort through the confused messages you may get about staying healthy
Is a "positive attitude" important?
What about diet?
Will stress make me get sick again?
Sex, Intimacy, and Fertility     105
Questions 78-89 cover concerns about reconnecting with your partner, or connecting with a new one, and address feelings about your changed body
Why is my partner avoiding me? Has she stopped caring?
When do I tell someone I'm dating that I had cancer?
My treatment caused me to become infertile. How do I deal with this loss?
Growth, Change, and Spirituality     123
Questions 90-94 address the new and different feelings you may have about who you are after cancer
I used to have a strong religious faith, but feel I've lost it since cancer. Will I ever get it back?
Some survivors tell me that they gained a lot from their cancer experience. Can this be true?
Is there something wrong with me if I don't make big changes after cancer?
Cancer as a Chronic Illness     133
Questions 95-100 discuss what it is like to live with cancer, rather than beyond it
If I have metastatic illness, does that mean I'm not a survivor?
My disease has recurred. Does that mean I've failed?
My doctor says there is no further treatment for my illness. If I can't be cured, is there any help available for me?
Appendix      141
Glossary     155
Index     159