I would urge her to get informed. The better informed you are, the more you can do for yourself. You can actually help your health care providers by being informed. So I would urge that patient to get informed and get familiar with a whole variety of information sources.
There are wonderful sources of information, for instance, on the World Wide Web. There is a wonderful array of sites where you can get information in plain English that's very understandable, and that's not fringe information. The National Cancer Institute's Web site is a great source. NABCO, or the National Association of Breast Care Organizations, also is a wonderful source of information. Ask your doctor which sources of information he or she would recommend. Then use that information to develop questions that you may want to ask your doctor or whoever is providing your care.
Hyman Muss, MD; Associate Director for Cancer Research, Vermont Cancer Center
Talk with other women who have breast cancer, and use family as a support.
I believe that one of the first steps she should take is to talk with other women who have breast cancer. What did they do? What treatment worked for them? How did it feel? How did they manage? She can then go back and discuss what she's learned with her family.
