"Your Breast Cancer Treatment Handbook" Called the Most Effective and Empowering Breast Cancer Book both by Patients and Healthcare Professionals
Columbia, SC June 28, 2004 -- Across America thousands of women with breast cancer have gained the support needed to be a survivor thanks to educational and support systems pioneered by Judy Kneece, RN, OCN, author and breast health specialist.
Kneece, a certified oncology nurse with a specialty in breast cancer, is author of Your Breast Cancer Treatment Handbook, (ISBN 1-886665-22-2, 210 Pages, 6th Edition, Copyright 2004, $24.95) a woman's guide to understanding the disease, treatments, emotions and recovery from breast cancer.
"Breast cancer has invaded my body but it need not invade my spirit. There may be scars on my chest, but there need not be scars on my heart," is a personalized statement Kneece tries to emblazon in the thoughts of all women who have breast cancer.
The author's passion to provide breast cancer patients and their families with educational and emotional support was born out of her own personal experience. Kneece cared for her father for almost three years while he was dying of leukemia and was a continual support for her sister-in-law who battled breast cancer for seven years before dying. She learned firsthand from these experiences the need for cancer patients and their families to have someone that can answer their many questions and help them deal with this unwelcome guest.
"I learned firsthand that anyone going through a crisis needs the support of someone who cares and needs to have knowledge about how to make immediate decisions and move forward through the tough times in life," says Kneece. "My philosophy is to give a person wings by supporting them during the initial period of shock upon learning they have cancer, then giving them the information they need to overcome what they are going through, and a way to reframe or make meaning out of that crisis."
Kneece was one of the first in the oncology field to conduct serious research into the recurrence of breast cancer in women and was one of the early researchers into the impact of breast cancer on a woman's sexuality after chemotherapy administration.
Kneece has trained over 1000 nurses across the country to fill the role of a breast health specialist/educator in hospitals and breast centers. The breast health specialist begins working with patient from the time of diagnosis through the stages of treatment and beyond, to serve as the patient’s advocate, and to provide her with education and support.
Another popular guide written by Kneece is Helping Your Mate Face Breast Cancer: Tips for Becoming an Effective Support Partner. "Men are traditionally problem solvers and breast cancer is a problem they cannot fix," says Kneece. "And men can be directive sometimes, demanding that things be done and things not be done. The woman feels overwhelmed and the man feels inadequate. Most mates are unsure of how to help. But men learn to be supportive and learn to live through their fears while helping their wife deal with her fears."
Kneece also has authored Solving the Mystery of Breast Pain and Finding a Lump in your Breast: Where to Go … What to Do, Solving the Mystery of Breast Discharge, and is creator of a computer CD-ROM featuring almost 300 breast health topics for clinics, hospitals and physicians to use for individual patient education.
Your Breast Cancer Treatment Handbook is a guide for the patient journeying through breast cancer. It provides the patient with current, easy-to-understand explanations of procedures and treatments; decision making guidelines; and inspirational support. No treatment advice is given, allowing the patient to work as a partner with her medical team for final treatment decisions.
Hospitals and cancer centers across the country provide Your Breast Cancer Treatment Handbook to their newly diagnosed patients. "This is the most complete reference for breast cancer patients that I have ever read. It covers every aspect from diagnosis through recovery; most importantly, it addresses the fears and anxieties of all patients. Facts are presented with hope. It fills a void and will empower patients to be better informed and more in control. I give it to every newly diagnosed woman in my practice", says Rosemary Lambert-Falls, MD.
"The one thing that all women should know is that breast cancer, except for inflammatory cancer, always provides enough time to gain knowledge, support and information before having to make any major decisions," stresses Kneece, "There will be time to educate yourself and make informed decisions about treatment. All we do is to help women learn to work as informed partners with their healthcare team to make decisions about their future treatment. Women need educational support to stay in control of decisions being made about their body."
"Getting well is more than surgery and treatments; it is a woman understanding the vital role she can play in managing her own recovery," adds Kneece, "And always remember that breast cancer is usually a treatable disease. It certainly is not an illness you would choose, but it is an illness with many proven treatments."
Your Breast Cancer Treatment Handbook covers such topics as: emotional impact of breast cancer; relationship with your mate; telling your children; calming your fears; surgical treatment decisions; reconstructive surgery; the surgical experience; understanding your pathology report; understanding treatments; radiation therapy; sexuality after breast cancer; complementary and alternative therapies; prosthesis selection; monitoring your emotional recovery; future fertility; care of the surgical arm; health insurance and employment issues; diet and exercise; monitoring your future health for recurrence.
The worksheets cover such matters as fear management, questions to ask about surgery, surgical decision evaluation, questions for the reconstructive surgeon, healthcare provider records, personal treatment records, drain bulb record, hospital discharge instructions, questions for the medical oncologist, questions for the radiation oncologist, patient appointment reminder, exercise guidelines after breast cancer, and personal recovery plan.
For more information on breast cancer and Kneece's book, patients and professionals may go to www.educareinc.com .
This article courtesy of http://www.seecancer.com.
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