to go to chat rooms or not

One book I read said that cancer chatrooms were a bad idea. I am divided. A discussion like this one, herceptin side-effects forum, on breastcancer.com which is reputable site, as well as others on the definative site the american cancer society site www.cancer.org are helpful but to use a Yiddish expression, they can "drei your kop" which means something along the lines of 'drive you demented'.
That said, the one above on herceptin side effects is very helpful. About two people also report bad taste in the mouth as a side-effect - although I had it only once, one and off for about two weeks though - and many sore muscles in their legs and muscle spasms - I have had three but one was soooooo bad, my calf muscle was still sore for about two days afterwards.

You know you are reading a US site when....

You know you are reading an American site rather than say an African site when this is how 'social worker' is defined in the glossary:

social worker: a mental health professional with a master's degree in social work (MSW). A social worker can help people manage medical, psychological, social, and educational needs. american cancer society glossary

radiation starts tomorrow

Been reading a little about radiation. Start tomorrow and feel a little unclear about it all so, despite some people telling me not to read too much about it as I tend to get anxious, am on that brilliant american cancer society site www.cancer.organd finding out about it.

preventing and managing radiation side effects

You can get through this

My dear friend Zilla in Australia, a former colleague from way back, offered to send me this book about breast cancer, apparently a hit in that country. Written by copywriter Domini Stuart, just leaving the book lying around helps as the title "You can get through this!" written in a bold and large typeface, reinforces such a positive message.


http://www.doministuart.com

Anyway, besides being very well written and an easy read, quite a few things she had to say astounded me, not least her view that one does not need all the facts.

In a chapter titled "You don't need a medical degree to survive" Domini writes: "Do your homework - but only if u want to" and then goes on to say:

"My surgeon told me that one aspect of my treatment had been influenced by a recent study. When I mentioned this to a friend, she was astounded that I hadn't asked for details of the study so that I could read it for myself. She would have wanted to. I msot certainly didn't.
"As far as I was concerned, my team understood the significance of the findings a lot better than I could ever hope to, and they were a lot better placed to decide whether the treatment was appropriate for me. This was all I needed to know."

I agree with Domini. As much as on occasion I think The Tango Man has not told me enough, I have not asked for a prognosis for example as I don't want to know - I am going to get through this and that is all I need to know. Whatever he tells me to do, I do, which is for someone who doesn't take instructions well and is in the information game is quite something - but then, I respect him which is more than I can say for some people who give me instructions.

Oh, and as for the internet, which she also warns against, I know from the past, ie pre-cancer, that when it comes to medical things it is very easy to come with research which convinces you you are dying. So for cancer, the recommended site is
http://cancer.org which is the site of the American Cancer Society. Explore it, it is a useful source of all sorts of information.

And yes, as much as my world has temporarily shrunk and I am getting used to feeling kak-ish as the normal ok-ish: Yes, I will get through this!