What You’ll Learn in This Blog

This book is divided into five sections that take you from the first skirmish of the bat-
tle with breast cancer through the front-line attacks and on to the victory field. Here’s
how the book is arranged:
Part 1, “The Big Shock: First Events,” begins where we all begin—with the discovery
of a lump or a suspicious mammogram. Then you’ll learn ways to prepare for battle by
sharing your news with family and friends, learning what your diagnosis means, find-
ing your medical dream team, making decisions about your treatment, and figuring
out what to do about your job.
Part 2, “Shock Waves: Dealing with Treatment,” describes the how and why and
aftereffects of the surgeries and treatments you may face—from lumpectomy to mas-
tectomy and on to chemo, radiation, and hormonal therapy.
Part 3, “After Shock: Dealing with the Tremors,” focuses on the ups and downs you
may face when you think the battle is over. You’ll discover ways to take care of your-
self now and forever more by protecting yourself against lymphedema, keeping regular
follow-up appointments, recognizing risk factors you may face, and dealing effectively
with the emotional shake-ups from this series of tremors.
Part 4, “Shock Absorbers: Finding Support,” points the way toward getting the sup-
port you need so that you never have to fight this battle alone. You’ll find out how
you can find support from others in the sisterhood, from spiritual guidance, and from
self-help strategies or professional counselors. And you’ll learn, too, where to find the
support that your family and friends need so they, in turn, can support you through
the battle.
Part 5, “The Aftermath: Its Many Parts,” explores the issues of breast reconstruction
and breast prostheses and what the happy—and not so happy—customers say. You’ll
learn about ways you can make yourself feel and look better and how you can dress
more comfortably in terms of your physical changes. You’ll follow along the path
through possible recurrence and the potential agony of leaving your family alone.
Finally, you’ll learn how survivors move forward, many of them volunteering to help
others in their fight against breast cancer or assuming advocacy roles to educate the
world and eradicate the disease. It’s a path on which most survivors march to the vic-
tory field.
Finally, at the end, you find several appendixes, including a glossary and lists of fur-
ther readings, support groups, sources of prostheses and post-surgical clothing, and
informational Web sites.