Overview

A cancer prognosis has the tendency to knock the person and the family, off their feet. Nothing prepares one for the big "C." Soon after the diagnosis, it feels as if one has lost control of one's life, and nothing will be the same again. A lot of the fear and dread associated with cancer is due to our lack of knowledge about the disease, its diagnostics, the treatment modalities, and the unexpected side-effects. There exists a lot of literature about cancer, but it is difficult for a lay person to understand. This book describes the journey of Prema (diagnosed with breast cancer) and Prem (her caregiver), finding themselves in similar circumstances; immediate shock and helplessness, mad scramble for understandable information, struggling to understand and decipher it all, and finally deciding to fill that lacuna by writing this book. This book covers the whole gamut of processes involved from the point of diagnosis till the woman is declared cancer free. It covers diagnosis, medical treatment options, physical and psychosocial side effects, complementary therapies, and the importance of patient-centered care to improve the quality of life of breast cancer survivors. A conscious effort has been made to present all the required information, medical and non-medical, in simple language, without compromising the integrity of information. We hope future breast cancer patients, their caregivers, and families will benefit from our book and prepare themselves well to face the challenges of dealing with breast cancer.