This book takes a unique and uncensored look at living with prostate cancer, telling the stories of ten men from a wide array of backgrounds, geographic locations, and occupations. Each of the men was diagnosed at a different stage of the disease, and each has taken a different approach to his individual treatment. Here, these courageous survivors (and some of their wives) tell, in their own unique styles, what they experienced, from diagnosis, to treatment, to dealing with doctors. They discuss their personal experiences and treatments in detail, including the physical and psychological side effects of the diseaseand the impact those side effects have had on them and their wives. Prostate Cancer: Portraits of EmpowermentA Celebration of Life! is more than a survivors' storyit explains the advantages, disadvantages, and costs of different treatment options. The book provides strategies on choosing and communicating with a healthcare team, deals with insurance and financial issues, defines terms, tests, and procedures, and gives information on support groups and organizations.
Contributors explain the process of diagnosis, treatment, and recovery, discuss advocacy and education, examine issues of sex, love, and intimacy, and consider the possibility of recurrence and survival. Prostate cancer is expected to strike approximately 210,000 men in 1998 alone. Thanks to the breadth of experiences presented here, this book is intended for everyone from the newly diagnosed to the those who have been living with the disease for years; for the loved ones in their lives; and for the healthcare providers who aid in their recovery. Every patient deserves dignity, respect, and compassion. The empowered patient demands to be treated as an equal partner in all of the healthcare decisions that affect him. This book serves as an important first step toward realizing that sense of empowerment.
Industry Reviews
Here's a ready-made support group for men facing prostate cancer: the instructive personal stories of ten men at various stages of battling prostate cancer, highlighted with updates on medical treatments and options. Jelsing (a television health and medical reporter) met with a discussion/support group whose members ranged from ages 49 to 67 years at diagnosis. The staging of their disease and prognosis when the disease was discovered varied widely, as did their circumstances, their initial medical/surgical treatment, their ongoing regimens, and the alternative therapies tried. Jelsing relies on the words of each man (and several of their wives) to convey the reaction to their diagnosis and to describe how they gathered their resources to create a plan for treatment and for living with the disease. The group discussions and medical sidebars go on to cover such specifics as choosing a health care team; dealing with side effects of treatments; the thorny issues of sex, love, and intimacy; insurance and finances; and perhaps most important, how to face an uncertain future. The range of life experiences before and after diagnosis is wide enough that fellow sufferers will find company and comfort here, the accompanying medical information is accurate and up-to-date. (Kirkus Reviews)
