What To Read - Pink Thoughts Thursday - Week Four

I read a lot from the time I was diagnosed until after treatment.  I read mysteries and I read books of spirit and inspiration.  I read books that made me laugh and I read fiction.  I read biographies to see how others had made it through this life.  I read a lot in my recliner in the Chemotherapy Suite at the hospital.  I'd arrive around 7:30 a.m. or 8:00 at the latest to get blood work done (always a crowd and the earlier you arrived, the sooner your results were sent to oncology) and then head to the cafeteria for something to eat and drink before settling in.  Back to the chemo suite for weigh in, blood results and blood pressure and off I'd go to "my" chair (it seems everyone ends up in a favourite spot), get my IV in and then settle back to read.  I'd pop up the foot rest, snuggle back (it was always cold in there and the fluids going into the veins was also cold too), wrap my sweater around myself (always brought that!) and make myself comfortable.  Lunch would be served around 11:45 and as much as I was grateful to have it, it always tasted like cardboard.  No taste buds left and the metallic taste in the mouth as the drugs flow through isn't exactly a happy environment for food.  Soon after lunch I would find myself drifting off to sleep.  The benadryl they give you to prevent allergic reaction was one of my favourite things about chemo.  My eyes would close and I'd just surrender to the feeling.

What I didn't read at this time was anyone else's account of cancer and their experience with it.  There are good books and there are books that are not as good.  Some of that comes down to personal taste, but I really didn't want to be overwhelmed with facts or someone else's journey.  I knew I needed this to be my own.  By the time I was finishing Herceptin I was ready to venture into the writings of others who had faced this beast.

This is on my mind today because of Suzanne Somers and her new book.  I won't even mention the title...it has the word cancer in it...because she is encouraging cancer patients to abandon traditional chemotherapy treatment and opt for alternative medicine.  Suzanne is dealing with cancer in her own life and from what I have read in the newspaper, she is going strictly alternative.  What strikes me as dangerous about this book is that she might very well sway others to this thinking...others whose cancer would be better treated with chemotherapy.  I am not an advocate for either or.  I knew what I needed and I followed my own beliefs.  I do believe that we can use other treatments in conjunction with traditional medicine.  I am a great believer in complementary treatments such as visualization, reiki, and other spiritual approaches.  I used some of these myself. However, I am not convinced that doing away with chemotherapy is THE answer and I don't know enough about alternative approaches to cancer treatment to speak about that other than to say that I am leery about it and question the validity.  I'm not saying that it isn't valid I'm saying that I don't have faith in it.

These are some of the books I read post-treatment that I found helpful.  I found myself in some of the writing and was ready to share the experience I had been through by hearing how others had coped.  If you are looking for some material for yourself or someone you know who has been diagnosed with breast cancer, these are some excellent authors and their work. What strikes me most about these books is that they have all been written by younger women.  The rise in the rate of breast cancers in women 30 and under is incredibly alarming.  What is in our environment? What effect is it having?  Perhaps it is time for a woman of more mature years (ahem) to put her own thoughts and experience out into the world....