Book recommendations

finallyoverit

Any good reads for dealing with the mental part of the diagnosis? I told my MO recently that I feel like some days I’m fighting cancer PTSD. Most days/weeks/months I do fine, but there have been a couple certain situations lately that took me back to the extreme fear that came with each diagnosis. It’s been years since I’ve felt like that. Just looking for some additional coping strategies

DivineMrsM

Mind over Medicine by Lissa Rankin M.D.

Radical Remission by Kelly Turner Ph.D.

Those are always the first two books that come to mind. I read them both, very readable and positive. Another book I will probably read but haven't yet is “Cure: A Journey into the Science of Mind over Body." It was a New York Times bestseller.

A current best seller that I loved and may not fit exactly what you're looking for but well worth a look is “Maybe You Should Talk To Someone” by Lori Gottlieb. She herself is a therapist who found herself needing therapy. She describes what its like to be a therapist and also be a person going to therapy. It is extremely interesting reading! Prior to becoming a therapist, she was a script writer for numerous popular tv shows,

FInallyoverit, reading is one of my personal favorite ways of coping with mbc. I read almost all non-fiction, and along with the type books I mentioned, I also read biographies and autobiographies of famous people—Olympic athletes are some of my favorites because they have such focus and drive to work through all life’s ups and down. And I read true stories of people who have overcome enormous tragedies in their life. It is fascinating to me how the human spirit can overcome and even triumph over some of the worst things ever; their stories are inspirational.

Jsniffs

I second the first two recommended by DivineMrsM.

I also found the book "The Healer Within" by Roger Jahnke to be life changing. I've always been a super anxious person, and that book has helped me to cope.

finallyoverit

Thanks, ladies! I will check into these titles

ShetlandPony

The Cancer Poetry Project edited by Karin B. Miller For when it helps to hear from people who get it and say it beautifully.

The Human Side of Cancer: Living with Hope, Coping with Uncertainty by Jimmie C. Holland, M.D. of MSKCC

Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories That Heal and My Grandfather’s Blessings by Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D. She counsels people with cancer and lives with a serious illness herself. These are unique books. Each chapter is a story, infused with meaning and influenced by what her grandfather, a rabbi, taught her when she was a young child.

My cancer center has a support center, and it includes shelves of books for patients. If you have access to something like that, you may find some good ones just browsing.

finallyoverit

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! I will check into all of them. I am 50+ pages into “Mind over Medicine”; fascinating read