Colon & Rectal Cancer

Lorraine Johnston is the wife of an eight-year lymphoma survivor and the daughter of a twenty-year lymphoma survivor. In the years since her husband's diagnosis, she's been involved in a number of support groups that offer emotional and practical support to lymphoma survivors. Her first book is Non-Hodgkin's Lymphomas: Making Sense of Diagnosis, Treatment & Options. In the course of her support group efforts, Lorraine has been interviewed by the Philadelphia Inquirer and by National Public Radio's Marketplace program regarding the best ways to find reliable medical information using a personal computer and various media such as the World Wide Web. She attempts to dispel the myths that access to sound medical information is cloaked in secrecy and that medical literature is impossible to interpret. Using her life-long love of biology and her degree in life sciences, she helps cancer survivors evaluate accurately the material they locate, emphasizing resources such as the National Cancer Institute's databases of treatments and clinical trials, and the National Library of Medicine's MEDLINE, a collection of over nine million published medical research studies. Lorraine's years of study have included many courses in psychology, but she found that nothing in her educational background prepared her adequately for facing the terror and heartbreak of cancer. One of her chief interests is helping the newly diagnosed as well as long-term survivors feel less lonely and less afraid as they confront their diagnoses and weigh their options.

Preface 1. Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Staging 2. Finding the Right Treatment Team 3. What Is Colorectal Cancer? 4. Prognosis 5. Tests and Procedures 6. Modes of Treatment 7. Experiencing Hospitalization 8. Experiencing Chemotherapy 9. Experiencing Radiotherapy 10. Ostomy 11. Side Effects of Treatment 12. Stress and the Immune System 13. Interacting with Medical Personnel 14. Getting Support 15. Insurance, Finances, Employment, Record-keeping 16. After Treatment Ends 17. Late Effects, Late Complications 18. Sexuality, Fertility, and Pregnancy 19. Recurrence of Disease 20. Clinical Trials 21. Traveling for Care 22. If All Treatments Have Failed 23. The Future of Therapy 24. Researching Your Illness A. Resources B. Blood Test Values C. Body Surface Area in Square Meters D. Staging System Equivalents Notes Glossary Bibliography Index