Breast Cancer: Where To Begin: A Guide to Finding Help and Making Treatment Decisions

By Jamie D. Daniel, M.D.

Every woman fears breast cancer. Whether you have just been diagnosed or waiting to hear results, your first challenge is figuring out where to start this fight. This book is a simple guide to help breast cancer patients find their way on the treatment journey and to empower them in making treatment decisions.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jun 10, 2013
• ISBN: 9781483500768

Book preview

This book is not intended to diagnose or treat any breast condition. It does not replace examination and evaluation by a physician. This book is based on my education as a medical doctor, my training as a general surgeon, and my experience caring for breast cancer patients. It is meant to serve as an easy-to-understand reference guide for women who are worried about breast cancer or who’ve been diagnosed recently with breast cancer. Under the current health care system, physicians often don’t have enough time available to sit with a newly diagnosed breast cancer patient and explain all that they want to, and often patients don’t remember the details of what is discussed because of the emotional turmoil of having a cancer diagnosis. This book is not meant to teach all there is about breast cancer, but to be a simple resource for women (and men) to have a solid starting point in their fight against breast cancer and something they can refer back to when making decisions regarding treatment.

Copyright 2013 by Jamie D. Daniel, M.D. (except Chapter Ten Resources)

ISBN: 9780615803111

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword

Dedication

Chapter 1: Breast Cancer: Do I Have It?

Chapter 2: It’s Breast Cancer—Now What?

Chapter 3: Surgery

Chapter 4: Pathology Results

Chapter 5: Chemotherapy

Chapter 6: Radiation

Chapter 7: Reconstruction

Chapter 8: Follow Up

Chapter 9: It’s All About You

Chapter 10: Resources

INTRODUCTION

As I sit here scanning patient charts into the computer, I strive to find a way to continue to help those suffering from breast cancer. My guilt nearly consumes me, as I’m told frequently how much I’m missed in this community. I’ve been planning this book for months, years even, but as I research and review various breast cancer sources and books, I’ve become even more convinced that most of the information women need is out there. The problem lies in directing people to that information, and I realize that I do still have a mission to help. This book results from my need to continue to do my part after medical retirement from debilitating wrist injuries requiring reconstructive surgery.

I am a licensed, Board-Certified General Surgeon who specialized in breast cancer treatment, and I have helped hundreds of patients through their diagnosis. One thing I’ve realized over the years is that patients faced with a new diagnosis of breast cancer don’t remember everything they are told. I frequently spent one to two hours counseling each new cancer patient on their first visit, explaining the treatments, answering questions, watching them cry. Fortunately, I saw most of them for years after I’d operated on them, and they became like family. Listening to patients after surgery—their questions, their issues—months and years later, it dawned on me that we need to provide certain aspects in an easily accessible, portable format that they can refer back to. Some patients asked the same questions nearly every time I saw them. Some swear they’d never been told certain things, and others would tell me they wished someone had told them about that—and it was almost always something I’d talked about during counseling. I found that direct eye-to-eye communication with my patients was the best way to establish the relationship that is the foundation of the team approach against breast cancer. This book is my version of that face-to-face conversation, that educational breast talk with a group of you, that passionate plea I make for all of you to get the care and treatment you deserve. I hope you find the information straightforward and helpful, and I sincerely hope your journey goes well.

DEDICATION

This book is for all my lovely breast cancer patients. Thank you for your inspiration, your advice, and your encouragement. You are all truly amazing and courageous, and I am so thankful I was able to be a part of your lives. I apologize that my writing has been such a slow process. It’s been difficult to express in written form the passion I have for making sure breast cancer patients get the absolute best care.

I am also thankful to my family for being supportive during this long process, and to my friends for always pushing me to complete my goal. Ethan, the award-winning fictional story you so easily wrote inspired your mom to push through her strong dislike of writing to finish this project finally… You’re the best kid ever.

CHAPTER ONE

BREAST CANCER—DO I HAVE IT?

Every woman I know worries about breast cancer. I’m not sure men walk around thinking as much about prostate or testicular cancer. (I wonder if they think more about breast cancer than male cancers because of all the pink campaigns!) I’m going to back track here because one of the most important things I can share is how someone should go about finding help for a breast problem.

Most of you are probably thinking: Go to the doctor… duh! But some people, either uninsured or underinsured, don’t think they have that option. But help and resources are available… the trick is finding them.

If you have no insurance, call your local health department and ask them what programs you might qualify for. The health department is usually a good source for state and local programs. The Internet is another source of information, but you have to be careful about making sure internet sources are trustworthy.

Let’s assume you don’t have internet access. Or a car. Or a phone. (Unlikely, but possible!) Have a neighbor drive you to the local library (or take a bus). Most libraries now have computer sections available for public use. Search the keywords breast cancer and