Lucia Giuggio Carvalho - The Everything Health Guide to Living with Breast Cancer: An accessible and comprehensive resource for women

LIVING WITH BREAST CANCER

Dear Reader,

You just heard the dreaded news. You have breast cancer. Now what? Where do you begin? Your mind races through emotions and thoughts so quickly that you cant get a handle on them. You feel overwhelmed and wonder whether you are going to make the right choices. You are bombarded with medical information and are trying to make sense of it. At the same time, you are too upset to think about your medical treatment options in a rational way.

You feel a sense of urgency, you cant understand why you have breast cancer and you wonder what went wrong. You ask, Why is my body failing me? These are some of the questions and concerns that come with the diagnosis of breast cancer. It challenges your concept of self, what your breasts mean to you, and the importance you place on your body image.

I have been living with the diagnosis of breast cancer for sixteen years. At the time of my diagnosis, I was working on an oncology unit at a major hospital. Even so, I found myself, a nurse, overwhelmed with the diagnosis and the many treatment options that came with it. This is what fueled my desire to start a local walk called The Rays of Hope Walk Toward the Cure of Breast Cancer, which has given many local women and men the resources, education, and support they need. My hope is that this guide will give you the information that you need to make an informed decision about your breast cancer treatment, because an informed decision is always a good decision.

Lucy Giuggio Carvalho

Everything Health Guides are a part of the bestselling Everything series and cover important health topics like anxiety, postpartum care, and thyroid disease. Packed with the most recent, up-to-date data, Everything Health Guides help you get the right diagnosis, choose the best doctor, and find the treatment options that work for you. With this one comprehensive resource, you and your family members have all the information you need right at your fingertips.

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Visit the entire Everything series at www.everything.com

An accessible and comprehensive
resource for women

Lucia Giuggio Carvalho, RN, MSN
and James A. Stewart, MD

Copyright 2009 by F+W Media, Inc.
All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.

An Everything Series Book.
Everything and everything.com are registered trademarks of F+W Media, Inc.

Published by Adams Media, a division of F+W Media, Inc.
57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322 U.S.A.
www.adamsmedia.com

ISBN 10: 1-59869-921-0
ISBN 13: 978-1-59869-921-0
eISBN: 978-1-60550-668-5

Printed in the United States of America.

J I H G F E D C B A

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
is available from the publisher.

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional advice. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.

From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the
American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations

Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and Adams Media was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters.

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All the examples and dialogues used in this book are fictional, and
have been created by the author to illustrate disciplinary situations.

To all the Rays of Hope Walkers in Western
Massachusetts and to all those who have been touched
by breast cancer. We will never lose hope for a cure.

Acknowledgments

Thanks from the bottom of my heart:

To my loving and supportive husband, Jim Carvalho; my stepchildren, Alicia and Kyle; my sister, Connie Torcia and her family; the Giuggio family; and the Mazzaferro family. To Enza Valenti, Marie Jablonski, Joan Sirard, Holly Joy Denis, Susanne McGlynn, Linda Donoghue, Mary Lou Cross, Irina Loban, Karen Johnson, Dr. Paul Hetzel, Dr. William Reed, Dr. Grace Makari-Judson, Sandra Hubbard, Marlene Quinlan, Susan Dugan, Dr. Brian Acker, Kathy Tobin, Deb Levy, my church group friends (Elaine Bloniasz, Phyllis LeFleur, Carolee Arsenault, Bill Whitney), the ladies guild (Marian Broder, Gale Kirkwood, Carol Baribeau), Baystate Medical Center, the Comprehensive Breast Center, the Rays of Hope Steering Committee, the Comprehensive Breast Center Community Advisory Board, Gaetana M. Aliotta, and the Cancer House of Hope, Cancer Connection, and my golden retriever, Sophie.

And all thosetoo many to mentionwho will always remain in my heart, especially all those who have walked before me and those who will walk behind me on their breast cancer journey until there is a cure.

Contents

Introduction

T he EverythingHealth Guide to Living with Breast Cancer comes from the firsthand experience of a sixteen-year survivor. It provides a basic overview of breast cancer, its biology, psychology, and treatment options, along with the practical and spiritual advice needed to get through treatment. It is a holistic approach to facing breast cancer with your mind, body, and spirit. It covers the physical changes that occur with treatment, such as hair loss, early menopause, fatigue, sexuality, weight gain/loss, as well as support systems, medical insurance coverage, financial considerations, complementary and alternative medicine choices, and more.

This guide provides newly diagnosed individuals and their families with an overview of the physical, psychological, and emotional aspects of dealing with a breast cancer diagnosis and the journey associated with it. It also addresses the spiritual and philosophical elements of going through this journey. The guide will also help you to explore ways to take an inventory of your past life and will empower you to live in the moment and decide how you want to live the rest of your life. It teaches you about participating in and enjoying each day, no matter where you are in your breast cancer journey. This guide also incorporates humor and fun into the experience.