About.com Rating
Updated June 08, 2015.
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The Bottom Line
Having personally experienced the overwhelming confusion that accompanies a diagnosis of cancer, Vladimir Lange, MD has brought it upon himself to help others better cope during this difficult time. In "Be a Survivor - Lung Cancer Treatment Guide," Lange not only addresses a multitude of issues that can help you navigate your treatment, but also explores the emotional side of a lung cancer diagnosis.
Written in an empowering fashion that is extraordinarily readable and personable, this guide to lung cancer treatment is something I believe could benefit anyone facing a diagnosis of lung cancer.
Pros
- Helps a layperson navigate those intial scary days with lung cancer and beyond
- Empowering and positive throughout, without ignoring difficult issues
- Personal - many real life quotations from people who have "been there"
- Clear and concise, but comprehensive and thorough
- Lists of questions to take ask your doctor with handy tear out pages
Cons
- The book could be longer and explore topics in even greater depth
Description
- Author: Vladimir Lange, M.D.
- Publisher: Lange Productions
- ISBN: 978-0-9819489-1-1
- Copyright: 2010
- List Price: US $24.95
- Book Details: Paperback, 169 pages
Guide Review - Review of "Be a Survivor - Lung Cancer Treatment Guide"
"Empowerment. This book is about empowerment." I can think of no better way to summarize this book, than these words penned by the author in the introduction.
In a positive -- yet not misleading fashion -- Dr.
Lange carries the reader up and down the rollercoaster of lung cancer in this book. It begins not with treatment options, but the first crucial steps. What does it feel like now that you have been diagnosed with lung cancer, and how can you cope with those feelings? How do you break the news to your loved ones that you have lung cancer? How do you go about choosing a health care team that is right for you?
And as you reflect on those emotions and decisions, you are not alone. Stories from real lung cancer survivors complete with pictures make the world feel a little smaller. They too dealt with questions ("why me?"), coped with the stigma of lung cancer (such as those never-ending questions about whether you smoked), had to find the best health care possible, and much more.
Only after laying the groundwork does this book address the treatment issues: "What are the stages of lung cancer?" "What can you expect if you have chemotherapy, surgery, or radiation therapy?" "Should I be in a clinical trial?" The illustrations and photographs provide clarity where a thousand words would still be confusing.
Lung cancer isn't often faced in solitude, and an entire section is devoted to caregivers. What does your loved one with cancer need from you? How can you improve communication? And, very importantly, how can you continue to meet your own needs?
This book wouldn't be complete without addressing end-of-life issues, though as the author admits, "giving you advice on how to face the prospect of dying if your treatments fail is a daunting task." Without taking away hope, "Be a Survivor" talks about hospice care, advance care planning, and, continuing with its empowering approach, leaving a legacy.
The book concludes with a list of resources where you can find further information, and, finally, lists of questions in tear-out form that you can bring to your doctor.
Other than wishing this book were 1,000 pages (which likely would take away, not add, to its strength), my only regret is that this outstanding and encouraging resource took until 2010 to get published.