Deborah A. Cohen | Robert M., MD Geldfand
1 One of the best...
After going through the experience of breast cancer a year a go-this book was by far one of my favorites: very easy to read, good tips and a good reference book. Deb. M.
2 Very helpful- full of practical tips
I got my mother this book when she was first diagnosed and found it very helpful for both of us. The "Do's and Don'ts" section for friends and family is indeed very useful, as previous reviewers state. I suspect that little tips like how to avoid mouth sores when getting chemo (suck on ice!) are likely to be worth the price of the book. I also recommend the two books by John S. Link, which are slightly heavier reading but go into more technical detail on the very latest treatment options such as "dose-dense" regimes.
3 Best for Stages 1-2
This is a well written, easy to read guide throught the scary world of breast cancer. I found it to mostly address the concerns of those diagnosed with early stage breast cancer. My copy was missing a few chapters towards the end (it instead repeated earlier pages), so check your copy when it arrives. Amazon makes returns very simple.
4 Only for early stage breast cancer
I wish I had realized this really was for early stage breast cancer. At one point she even says if the two groups and said that if you were of the early stage you would be reading this. She often talks of the good survival rate in early stages. As I have a large aggressive tumor I do not fit into this category and therefore would not have purchased this book. In fact reading this at first made me worried and scared.
A Breast Cancer Journey by ACS was much more helpful.
I did give it two stars because if you do have early stage it does have some value.
5 This book saved my life!
This was the first book I read as I began my journey through the maze of healthcare that is Breast Cancer treatment!
I read several others, but kept coming back to this one and kept remembering what it said and it kept me going with the most positive advice and practical knowledge!
6 Great book!
I checked this book out from the library and decided it was a must have. I wish I had had a copy 2 months ago before my first surgery. It gives you a realistic view of what to expect from chemo and radiation. As well as additional resources.
I am going to put it right next to my copy of Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book which is always close at hand.
7 The daughter's guide to Mom's reality
I found this book three years ago when my 60+yrs old Mom faced breast cancer surgery and I needed some facts for myself and education in what I would face when I traveled to be with her after the surgery. Truly a girlfriends guide or as I like to say the "daughter's guide". It allowed Mom and I to talk about this in the reality of breast cancer and not "nice" over it. We both read much of it together.
I now purchase it for friends of mine that face surgery and the after treatments.
8 Inspiring book for those of us fighting the battle
I've found this book to be very helpful during a very miserable and sad period. It's been a few years since my treatment, but I find myself referring back to the book every now and then for advice. To the reviewer who gave the book a rating of 2 stars and said the book wasn't helpful to her because she has in situ carcinoma, let me suggest that she read a more appropriate book for her condition. For those of us you have invasive cancer and who undergo treatments such as mastectomy, radiation and sadly chemotherapy, this book has been very helpful. Don't discount the valuable advice in this book. For those of us fighting the real battle, this book is excellent.
9 Best Resource I Could Find!
This book is the Bible for breast cancer patients! It has info on every imaginable issue you will deal with. I found the info to be practicle and helpful. I give this book to every breast cancer friend I meet. A GREAT gift for newly diagnosed women.
10 maybe okay for some people
This book may be okay for some people, but it had very little information for me. I have DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ) and this book had very little information about it. I felt like my type wasn't worth her time to write about since it's mostly treated with radiation therapy and surgery. And the surgeries that she mostly talks about are masectomy types. It might help you but it did not help me at all.
11 This book helped me more than any other source!
A friend sent me this book and it really helped me get through the whole breast cancer experience. It is a perfect book for a young woman going through breast cancer. It has great practical advice, such as eating ice during chemo, and it keeps you laughing! I strongly recommend this book!
12 Just Get Me Through This!
This was THE most helpful book I read in my cram reading before I had my own breast cancer bout last summer! It truly helped me see a light at the end of the tunnel and it wasn't the headlight of an oncoming cancer train! It helped me keep a level head and ask a LOT of questions BEFORE surgery.
13 Practical easy-to-read, also good for friends and family
This is the most helpful book so far - recommended by several in support group. When I got this, I•À?d already read several useful books which were very helpful in understanding the jargon and in weighing the alternatives. They were necessary reading for me, but this is so far the one I•À?ll go back to, the one I want my friends and family to read, the one I wish I•À?d read much earlier so I•À?d have been a better supporter for friends coping with breast cancer. The advice is practical, thorough, well-presented, and a good combination of no-nonsense "this is how it may be" and warm reassurance. The organization is logical and comprehensive. She includes good advice for family and friends, concise technical sections by doctors, a good index, and a very useful list of resources (good after the impossibly long lists which in some other books gave you no idea of what to expect from each).
I•À?ll be asking people to read this, putting it in church library and recommending it to people who want to help others get through this, as well as to friends who "just need to get through this."
14 I Needed This Book--It's a Must-Buy!
Copyright 2000 and Sentinel Node Biopsy for the lymph glands is included. Every woman should know about this procedure, and none of my doctors had told me about it. A friend did, and I immediately looked it up in Deborah's book. I'm hoping I'll be a candidate for it; I've found a surgeon who has done over 300 of them. I want to be able to use my arms after surgery! G-d Bless Deborah Cohen for this book; may she up-date it regularly as new techniques and meds become available.
15 Getting Through It
A week from today I'm scheduled for a mastectomy. The shock and fear of this are amazingly overwhelming, quite truthfully, at this time. But gratefully I stumbled upon this book on the bookstore shelves, the same night I'd left the surgeon's office with her diagnosis. It's been a help, as much as any help can be. . .definitely "scared new discoverer" friendly. I'm glad I have this book as a kind of warm, loving, informative, accurate and supportive "guide."
16 It's Getting Me Through It
Of the many, many things I have read on this subject since my diagnosis and surgery last month, Just Get Me Through This is far and away the most helpful. It's warm and cheerful, and I wish I could buy a copy for every woman who's heard or is going to hear that gosh-awful m word.
17 Excellent !
I came across this book via co-author Deborah Cohen's "webchat" over the Washington Post's web site a couple of weeksago...Her and Dr. Gelfand's clarity in presenting the various phases of breast cancer - diagnosis, treatment and follow-up options in understandable terminology and good-humored, easy-to-read conversational style made this book, if not the actual experience of breast cancer, enjoyable. I recommend it especially to anyone recently- diagnosed with breast cancer (and her friends and family) as a "road map" through the initial "emotional tidal wave" experience.
18 "A must read for any woman"
I recently completed Deborah A. Cohen's book about breast cancer, and I was blown away. Ms. Cohen has made a very important contribution to the woman's health field while fighting her own battle with breast cancer. I thought the tone of the book was non-threatening and engaging, and the content helpful, interesting, and enpowering. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who has breast cancer, has a family member or friend with breast cancer, or simply wants to better understand the breast cancer experience.
