Bald Is Better with Earrings: A Survivor's Guide to Getting Through Breast Cancer

Unfortunately, everyone is touched by cancer. Either directly themselves or through a loved one. When the words "you have cancer" hang in the air, everything becomes more complex and confusing. This book is a wonderful guide. While no two people's cancer experience is the same, there is such helpful advice in here. You often hear "be your own advocate" and this book gets specific in telling you how to be. How to ask for a different tech/nurse that you are more comfortable with. How to get copies of your own records. How to tell loved ones when they are not being helpful. And perhaps most importantly - how to allow your own feelings and experience. By the way - did you know you could get a wig made of your own hair?!?!!! Andrea has written an easy-to-read and amusing book that walks you through the experience of diagnosis, treatment, recovery and ongoing survival. I picked this book up because a loved one has cancer - but not breast cancer. It helped me understand some of what she is going through and how to best support her on her journey. It also gave me new perspective on other loved ones who have had breast cancer, what their experience was, and what they may have experienced. Women will tell you that no one ever tells you the gory details of labor and delivery - or the days that follow. Well no one ever tells you what happens when you get breast cancer. Andrea Hutton walks you through some considerations and gives you specific actions and reminders to help on your journey. This book can be read all at once or be used as a reference guide for a wherever someone is in their journey. I highly recommend this and applaud Andrea for sharing her experience.

I just read this, 2 months after my bilateral mastectomy. I felt like I was reading my own bio! She is spot on with her description of the cancer experience, as well as being full of good advice, a little humor, and a great attitude. I learned a few things from her that should help me in my own experience. One thing I experienced that she does not address is the nonstop diarrhea from chemo. So not fun!! It’s manageable (with MORE drugs and diet changes), but it never really goes away. It’s another one of those things no one warns you about. I also wish there was a section on reconstruction. The author chose not do it, but I plan to. Would love to have such a candid retelling of someone’s experience with that. Overall, great reading for anyone at any stage of breast cancer!

As a recent survivor, I found details that resonated and that helped. Hutton concentrates on how breast cancer affects you, while including enough details about tests, treatments and side effects to know what to expect without jumping out of your skin. Hutton starts at the scariest time - diagnosis, with the true statement that "this is a treatable disease." Every chapter ends with tips for that part of the experience, and she even includes tips on how to tell your kids, "Step 1 - Here's a cookie. Step 2 - I have cancer but I'm going to be ok. Step 3 - Here's some money." Actually, that advice came from one of her kids. A warm, funny, honest overview of the breast cancer experience with solid information on how best to take care of yourself.

When I got my breast cancer diagnosis, I immediately went looking for books that would help me know what to really expect. So many other books were mostly medical mumbo jumbo. I wanted the practical point of view. This book was perfect. I have shared it with my oncologist's NP and continue to refer to it. My doctor told me I wouldn't start losing my hair until after my second round of taxotere. So I was pretty shocked when out it started coming on day 14 after my first round. In Andrea's book she says to expect on day 12 (which is when my scalp became really sensitive). Too many other practical tips and advice to mention, but it felt like I was talking to a girlfriend . This book is a must read for the early diagnosed with breast cancer!!

Great book

I absolutely loved this book and would highly recommend it to anyone facing breast cancer and their families. Ms. Hutton takes her personal experience and turns it into a practical guide for the breast cancer patient. She tells her story with grace and humor but her end of the chapter suggestions are awesome. I wish that I had found this book before I started my treatment but it will be a welcome guide as I continue on to chemotherapy. This is a book that I will continue to return to as my treatment continues. If you or anyone you knows is dealing with breast cancer, buy this book immediately!

This is a great book because it was written by a woman who experienced almost everything a woman dreads about breast cancer. The author tells what happened to her, but she also mentions the experiences of others she has talked with. However, she tells her readers to ask their own oncologist and follow her/his advice - after carefully choosing the oncologist. The reader is taken step-by-step from discovering a lump to getting a mammogram to having a biopsy, then surgery, chemo, and radiation. The author tells about her emotions, her physical problems, her relationships, and her victories. She also informs her readers that each case is unique so they should consult with their own doctors about any and all concerns that they have. I think I found two typos altogether in the book, and they were very minor. The value of the book way overrides the tiny typos. Whether you yourself are facing breast cancer or have battled it in the past - or whether you know a friend or family member who is battling it, you will be better informed by reading this book. The book is well-organized with lots of white space to help tired, old eyes. It doesn't take long to read, but you may want to keep it to help others in the future.

I read this book after I completed all of my treatments, but I still found it helpful. I highly recommend this book to ANYONE that you know that has been diagnosed with Breast Cancer! The author covers every test, treatment and the emotional roller coaster that each patient goes thru. She uses humor and facts, and makes you feel like you are not alone on this scary journey. I plan to give a copy to anyone I know that might need it!