Chemotherapy and Radiation for Dummies

Chemotherapy and Radiation for Dummies was the first resource I turned to after getting my cancer diagnosis, and it helped me quell the fear and begin to understand what was ahead of me. The book is well-organized so that you can pick and choose the chapters you need when you need them. As a breast cancer survivor, Patricia Corrigan writes with authority, compassion, and humor. The book told me what I needed to know about the chemo drugs I'd be taking and their side effects along with very practical information such as how to take care of my teeth during treatment. I continue to refer back to it when a new issue arises. I've recommended it to other patients and they've found it helpful, too.

This book is wonderful for those going through the challenges of chemotherapy and/or radiation. I purchased it for my mom----who is now in the middle of this experience herself. Wish I would have known about it months ago! My mom loves that it is written by two oncologists---for the medical info---and by an author (Patricia Corrigan)--who has personal experience with chemo and radiation herself. Mom also loves that it has an index to look up particular topics when needed. She later told me a couple tips about chemo that she learned from a Pat Corrigan. I thought she was talking about some friend of hers, but found out she was talking about the author---Patricia Corrigan---quoting from her book!! As if she was her close friend!! She was able to laugh about things that Patricia mentioned (the "fuzzy" thinking for one thing---that goes away after chemo is over!) Patricia's sense of humor and encouragement are really appreciated by my mom and I. What a gift this book is!

First you scream...and then you start looking for control. At least that was least that was my experience. As I read "Chemotherapy & Radiation for Dummies" I kept wishing it had been around eight years ago during my own cancer journey. For those newly diagnosed, I highly recommend adding this insightful, practical resourse to your nightstand. Doctors Lyss, Fagundes and author/survivor Patricia Corrigan have provided current, relevant answers to some of your most immediate questions and concerns. And, they've done it in a caring, conversational tone that validates what you are most likely feeling. They've taken two mystifying subjects and made them understanable for the average patient. Speaking authoritatively and candidly about treatment options, side-effects and how to cope, they provide practical advice for how to become your own health advocate and lessons in how to work effectively with your medical team. Let these experts help you win back some control and give you hope. You CAN regain a measure of control over your life...do yourself a favor and read this book.

"Chemotherapy & Radiation for Dummies" is exactly what I need in understanding my own early diagnosis of cancer. The text is informed by superb medical writers but for me the great gift is the voice of cancer survivor Patricia Corrigan, whose wit and wisdom is legendary in the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Written with compassion and just the right touch here and there of humor, this book sits on my shelf as my number one guide for my own journey with cancer. Mixed in with exact information about what to expect are resources for staying sane, such as a Web Site called "Tumor Humor" that "offers cancer-related jokes and discusses the many physiological benefits of laughter." The book is serious, practical, and full of things I would never have thought of if left to myself. And it is organized so even "a dummy" like me can find my way to anything I need to know. Bravo! Bravo!