Part 2 Shock Waves: Dealing with Treatment

The initial shock that you have breast cancer turns into a rather long series of shock
waves. Once diagnosed with breast cancer, you’ll likely find yourself fully immersed in
its treatment for most of the next year, maybe longer.
This part of the book takes you through the surgery (maybe more than one) and the
likely follow-up with chemo, radiation, and/or hormone therapy. We’ll detail each
treatment and therapy, acknowledge their possible side effects, and suggest how you
can best cope with them.
But the underlying message in this part of the book is plain and simple: The
treatment—whatever it is—is only temporary. And it gives you the rest of your life.