Take Charge of Your Breast Cancer

Most newly diagnosed females know little and fear much. Books like this help the lay person learn and sort out options. I know. I did.

After getting them for my mom, I highly recommend this book and his earlier one ("Survival Guide"). There's quite a bit of overlap, but I wouldn't want to be without either one. I wish we had read this book before we rushed into surgery. It discusses some situations in which chemo is done BEFORE the surgery, with the advantage that you can see whether the chemo is working or not by how much the tumor shrinks. Often less radical surgery is then necessary. And if you're feeling shy about asking for a second opinion, you won't anymore after hearing the experiences of his mother and sister... Also recommended for many helpful tips and coverage of the psychological and family issues (but it's about a year less up to date than this book): "Just Get Me Through This." A great overview and starting place before the books by Dr. Link.

This book is an excellent companion book to Dr. John Link's first book "Breast Cancer Survival Manual". His first book is a good crash course on all the information and terminology needed to understand your diagnosis and treatments. This book however is more personal. It empowers you to be your best advocate. He encourages second opinions and treating the WHOLE woman... not just her cancer. So often physicians only see the woman as a part that is damaged. They don't consider quality of life issues along with their treatments. I recommend this book highly.

A diagnosis of breast cancer can make you feel powerless. You are thrust into a world where nothing makes sense and asked to make life and death decisions - or have others make them for you. Dr. Link is a practicing oncologist who understands this.Taking Charge of Your Breast Cancer empowers you. It gives insight into what is going on in your body, in the doctor's office and in your world. The advice does not come packaged in a condensending tone. You feel that this man knows what it is like to be a patient. I found myself nodding in agreement with so much that he said. Second opinions, alternative treatments, chemo before surgery... so many topics that are presented clearly. This book makes taking charge - getting control back - so much easier. The focus of this book is curing breast cancer. Recurrences are real and he deals with this, but he concentrates on living life to the fullest. The positive message is good to hear.

This is a must-read book for women with breast cancer. Dr. Link's advice in a nutshell: Make sure you get the best medical care available, know your chance of long-term survival is good, and don't let breast cancer stop you from living your life to the fullest. If you've been newly diagnosed with breast cancer, read Dr. Link's first book to understand the basics of what you need to know to make the best decisions about your treatment. Then read this book, which is about the experience of breast cancer within your life as a whole. It is extraordinarily well written and readable, and will help you gain perspective about the emotionally devastating diagnosis of breast cancer.