Living with cancer A step-by-step guide for coping medically and emotionally with a serious diagnosis

This reassuring guide for cancer patients and their families clearly explains just about everything they would want to know about diagnosis, treatment, and quality of life. With coauthor Seaton, Massachusetts General physicians Jackson and Ryan describe this complicated disease in easy-to-understand ways. They do a nice job of tackling tough-to-ask questions and address issues many will not have thought to ask about, including the fact that most doctors advise wearing a condom after chemotherapy to avoid passing along any chemicals to a partner. They tuck in basics, like the potential side effects of chemotherapy and pain-reducing opioids, and they even manage to weave in a little humor (not the norm in a cancer book), sharing an anecdote about a patient who asks at each appointment if it's OK for him to buy green bananas. They cover the usual coping strategies (gratitude, prayer), but they also tuck in some offbeat ones. Feeling short of breath? Among the common-sense solutions they suggest is, sit in front of a fan. An unusually comforting and genuinely useful resource.--Springen, Karen Copyright 2017 Booklist