Chemotherapy and Radiation For Dummies

Alan P. Lyss, Humberto Fagundes, Patricia Corrigan

• Publisher: For Dummies
• Year: 2011
• Print ISBN: 9780764578328
• eBook ISBN: 9781118069998
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Diseases & Allergies

An informative, compassionate guide for cancer patients and their loved ones

Each year, more than 1 million people get treated for cancer, and most of these will undergo chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or both. This reassuring, optimistic guide helps people get a handle on treatment options and explains in plain English how chemotherapy and radiation therapy really work. It offers detailed advice on how to alleviate and cope with side effects-which range from hair loss to nausea to anemia-and describes how good nutrition, meditation, support groups, and other techniques and resources can help in the recovery process.

Part I

Your Journey Through Cancer Treatments: Preparing for the Trip

In this part . . .

**IN a DROPCAP**

Starting with a look at the new world you are entering, we provide tips on what to expect and offer suggestions on how to choose the medical professionals who will accompany you on your journey through cancer treatments. This part also brings you up to speed on what cancer is, how it attacks the body, and what tests are available to help determine the best treatment for you.

Chapter 1

Recognizing the Realities of Chemotherapy and Radiation

In This Chapter

Taking time to absorb the news

Finding your way in a new culture

Sorting out treatments and side effects

Building a support team

Changing to reflect a new perspective

You’ve been told that you have cancer. You may have seen it coming, but more likely this news came out of nowhere to frighten you and shake up your world.

Cancer! How can that be?

Here’s how: The Centers for Disease Control reports that more than 18 million new cases of cancer have been diagnosed since 1990, and the government agency estimates that at least 1.3 million new cases will be diagnosed in 2005. One out of every four Americans dies of cancer. In fact, the American Cancer Society announced in January of 2005 that cancer has surpassed heart disease as the leading cause of death for people under 85 in the United States.

On the other hand, more than ever before the words cancer and death do not necessarily belong in the same sentence. Each day brings news of improvements in screening tests and in treatments. And, happily, survival rates for cancer are at an all-time high in the United States. So, instead of spending time and energy asking “Why me?”, we encourage you to take a deep breath and get ready to begin your journey through cancer treatments.

In this chapter, we talk first about taking time to come to grips with your diagnosis. Then we offer suggestions on how to choose a doctor. Next, we present a road map of the rest of this book, where every twist and turn on your journey is clearly marked.

Making Peace with Your Diagnosis

The longest journey begins with a single step, or so an ancient Chinese proverb tells us. You have many steps in store as you make your way through the coming months. But before you take the first step, you have an important task.

Registering your emotions

“First,” says one woman we know who was diagnosed with cancer in 1997, “you scream.” She is right, even if that scream is silent. This is a logical emotional response. After all, you have never before heard the words, “You have cancer.” When you do hear these terrifying words, you may have to ask that the doctor repeat the bad news. Some people recall that on first hearing them, these words sound dim and far away. Others report that their bodies begin to tremble involuntarily. And others appear to remain stonily silent, even as their minds race. Whatever your first reaction, you need time to make peace with your diagnosis.

Taking time to process the news

More likely than not, you won’t be thinking clearly at first. You may start to tally up the people you know who have died of cancer, and you probably will wonder if you’re going to die, too. At this point, you simply don’t have enough information to know what the future holds. You may find yourself totally focused on the diagnosis, but that focus may be chaotic, with hope and fear fighting for your attention even as you try to frame important questions for your doctor.

Give yourself a break. Adjusting to the news that you have cancer takes time. Complete acceptance — if there is such a thing — won’t come in a day or a week or even a month, but gradually, you will adjust to the diagnosis. Long before that happens, you may find yourself heading into the operating room for cancer surgery or preparing for your first chemotherapy or radiation appointment. Don’t be surprised if, from time to time, you experience the same shock and fear all over again that you felt when you first heard the news.

Experiencing a range of emotions

About that recurring shock and fear: These are completely normal emotions. In fact, you likely will go through repeated periods of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. You may recognize these as the stages that people exp...

Table of contents

• Title
• Contents
• Introduction
• Part I : Your Journey Through Cancer Treatments: Preparing for the Trip
• Chapter 1: Recognizing the Realities of Chemotherapy and Radiation
• Chapter 2: The Mutants Take Over: A Primer on Cancer
• Chapter 3: You Will Be Tested: What All Those Tests Show
• Part II : Your Choices along the Way: Making Good Ones
• Chapter 4: Defining Chemotherapy: The Anticancer Drugs
• Chapter 5: Defining Radiation: A Burning Issue
• Chapter 6: Setting New Standards: The Role of Clinical Trials
• Chapter 7: Getting a Second Chance: Bone Marrow Transplants
• Part III : Chemotherapy: What to Expect and How to Deal with Side Effects
• Chapter 8: What to Expect During Chemotherapy: A Head-to-Toe Mouthwash
• Chapter 9: Gimme a Boost: Immune and Bone Marrow Stimulants
• Chapter 10: Coping with Serious Side Effects of Chemotherapy
• Chapter 11: Coping with Less Serious Side Effects of Chemotherapy
• Part IV : Radiation: What to Expect and How to Deal with Side Effects
• Chapter 12: What to Expect During Radiation: Tattoos and Moisturizer
• Chapter 13: Coping with Side Effects of Radiation Therapy
• Part V : Your Success Strategies: Assembling Your Support Team
• Chapter 14: Your Health Professionals: Your Friends and Guides
• Chapter 15: Good Nutrition: Eating Right No Matter How You Feel
• Chapter 16: Meeting Spiritual Needs: Turning to Prayer and Meditation
• Chapter 17: Finding a Support Group: Realizing You Are Not Alone
• Part VI : Your Future after Cancer Treatments: Looking Ahead
• Chapter 18: Finishing Therapy: An End and a Beginning
• Chapter 19: Dealing with Recurrence: Here We Go Again
• Chapter 20: Defining Yourself after Cancer: The New Normal
• Part VII : The Part of Tens
• Chapter 21: Ten Myths about Cancer
• Chapter 22: Ten Ways for Family and Friends to Help You
• Chapter 23: Ten Things Beyond Your Control
• Chapter 24: Ten Ways Life Will Be Better after Cancer
• Chapter 25: Ten Sources for More Information
• Glossary