I am excited to announce (finally) here on the blog that my new ebook, Facing Your Mastectomy & Making Reconstruction Decisions, is now available! If you subscribe to my newsletters, you have known about my new ebook for a while. It always ends up taking me longer than planned to finish any sort of writing project, and this new ebook was no exception.
The title is pretty self-explanatory, right? I tried to come up with a more catchy title, but how do you make such a serious topic sound anything but serious?
To be clear, the primary focus of all breast cancer treatment is saving lives, not breasts.
Believe me, I fully realize the insignificance of breasts in comparison to any woman’s life. However, having said this, having your breasts amputated (yes, that’s what a mastectomy should be called) is a huge deal and that’s why I put together this particular ebook.
Before my mastectomy, I was very unprepared and very afraid. Who wouldn’t be, right?
Fear of the unknown is natural. And when you’re facing cancer and “options” such as a mastectomy and making reconstruction decisions, there are countless unknowns.
So, how in the world do you prepare for a mastectomy anyway? Is it even possible?
You cannot truly prepare for something as awful and as scary as a mastectomy, but you can learn from the experiences of others. You can find comfort in reading about someone else’s experience as well.
Facing Your Mastectomy & Making Reconstruction Decisions can be one more source of knowledge and comfort for the person facing these life-altering challenges.
My ebook focuses on the emotional aspect of things because that’s what I feel is missing during consultations and such. Too often the emotional side of things isn’t discussed much, or even at all.
Here are a few things covered in my ebook:
- Practical tips on how to prepare for your mastectomy
- Self-advocacy encouragement
- Comebacks for those “free boob job” comments you’re sure to hear
- The prophylactic choice
- Grieving for your breasts
- Advice about things such as: what to take to the hospital, how to handle the dreaded drains, what to wear, what you will look like post-surgery worries, your emotions and more
- My mastectomy and reconstruction experiences and as always, no sugarcoating!
Facing a mastectomy is scary. Facing cancer, whether you’ve just been diagnosed yourself, a loved one of yours has been, or if cancer is lurking in your DNA and you are doing everything in your power to avoid a diagnosis, is scarier still.
So, we do what we must, right?
If you or if someone you know, is facing these frightening and life-changing challenges, it can be so overwhelming.
Facing Your Mastectomy & Making Reconstruction Decisions can help the reader come away with a sense of empowerment and readiness to self-advocate with a bit more confidence and a bit less fear.
Keeping it real. Support you can use.
My new ebook offers both.
Facing Your Mastectomy & Making Reconstruction Decisions is available only at Nancy’s Point. This makes it possible to offer it to you for just $3.
To purchase, click here or on the image below.
Maria
Monday 8th of January 2018
Nancy, I was just diagnosed 3 weeks ago and having a mastectomy in couple weeks. So happy found your blog and purchased your book! It is an amazing help and support for me. Thank you so much for your work.
Nancy
Tuesday 9th of January 2018
Maria, I am sorry to read about your diagnosis. You've got a lot to deal with in the coming weeks and months. Thank you very much for letting me know you found my book helpful. Are you speaking about the preparing for your mastectomy one? Wishing you all the best. May things go as smoothly as possible for you. Thanks again.
Beth L. Gainer
Monday 17th of April 2017
Nancy,
Congratulations on the e-book! I know it will help so many people. When I was first diagnosed, I opted for the lumpectomy and radiation. I didn't want to lose a breast if I could avoid it. Yet, 5 years later, I got a scare -- and an MRI picked up a mass that turned out to be benign. With all the scares, I made the difficult decision to get a bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction. It would've been nice to have your book ahead of time. I will be purchasing it.
Nancy
Wednesday 19th of April 2017
Beth, Thank you for sharing about your experience making the tough decisions and thank you for the congrats, too.
Rebecca
Sunday 9th of April 2017
Congratulations on your new book, Nancy! I agree with Lisa, this is a very important topic/area. I remember feeling overwhelmed when I had to make a decision about what surgery to go with. And partially, it was due to my lack of knowledge on the subject, so I opted to have a lumpectomy instead of a mastectomy because it was easier for me. It was also all I could handle at the time. However, I am mentally preparing myself to face a mastectomy one day. One thing I often think about is whether or not I would want re-construction, and my answer is no. But I realize I won't know until I face that moment. I def. think a mastectomy should be called an amputation but I understand how the term may sound too heavy for some patients. Thank you for another helpful guide. And good luck! xo
Nancy
Monday 10th of April 2017
Rebecca, I hate that you find yourself in the position of preparing mentally for a mastectomy one day. That word, 'overwhelmed,' seems to be one that comes up a lot in Cancer Land. Too often these life-changing decisions are made too quickly and without a woman knowing all options available to her. Thank you for reading, commenting and as always, for your support. I appreciate it very much.
Lisa
Saturday 8th of April 2017
Hi Nancy, I'm so glad to see you've done a book on this topic. This is an area where women have tons of questions and it really helps to hear from someone who's been through it. That certainly was the case for me. Having some perspective to navigate this process can make a big difference. Congratulations on the new book!
Nancy
Monday 10th of April 2017
Lisa, I agree completely. While it's relatively easy to scour the internet and find information about the procedures themselves, it's not so easy to find personal accounts that address the emotional side of things. That's what I wanted to focus on. Thank you for your support, Lisa. It means a lot.
Lindsay
Wednesday 5th of April 2017
Congrats on the new ebook!
Nancy
Wednesday 5th of April 2017
Lindsay, Thank you. As always, I appreciate your support. And help.