For the one in eight women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, a warm, practical, relatable handbook that dispels the terror and takes you step-by-step through the process, from diagnosis to post-treatment.
When Andrea Hutton was diagnosed with breast cancer, she wanted to know everything. She read books voraciously, devoured articles, surfed websites, and talked to everyone she knew. But nothing she found prepared her for what the surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation would feel like. Were there tricks for easing pain and discomfort? What was "fatigue" and how would it affect her? When people gave her a hug, could they tell she was wearing a prosthesis? What Hutton wanted was something she could not find: a clear how-to guide for the Cancer Girl she had become.
Bald Is Better with Earrings is Andrea Hutton's answer -- a straightforward handbook, leavened with humor and inspiration, to shepherd women diagnosed with breast cancer through the experience. Warm and down-to-earth, Hutton explains what to expect and walks the listener through the intensely emotional process of testing, telling loved ones, surgery, chemo, losing hair and shaving one's head, being bald, and radiation treatments.
From tricks for treating skin during radiation and keeping track of meds to tips for tying headscarves and preventing lymphedema, Hutton offers a wealth of invaluable advice, organized into practical Top 5 Tips for each stage of treatment and beyond. Compassionate, friendly, and shaped by Hutton's firsthand knowledge, Bald Is Better with Earrings is the comprehensive, essential companion for anyone dealing with breast cancer, from someone who's been there.