100 Questions & Answers About Mesothelioma, Second Edition

Title......Page 2
Copyright......Page 3
Contents......Page 4
Preface......Page 8
Part One: The Basics......Page 14
2. Are there different types of mesothelioma?......Page 15
4. What are the risk factors, or who gets mesothelioma?......Page 16
5. What causes mesothelioma?......Page 18
6. Can mesothelioma be prevented?......Page 19
7. What is asbestos?......Page 20
Part Two: Diagnosis......Page 22
8. What are the symptoms of mesothelioma?......Page 23
9. How is mesothelioma diagnosed?......Page 24
10. Are blood tests useful to diagnose mesothelioma?......Page 25
11. What tests are performed to help diagnose mesothelioma?......Page 26
12. How are biopsies performed, and which biopsy is best for me?......Page 28
13. How will I learn about my biopsy results, and how can I be sure the diagnosis is mesothelioma?......Page 32
14. I have been given a diagnosis of mesothelioma. Since this is a rare disease, how do I know that my physicians have enough experience with the disease to treat me?......Page 33
16. How do I go about getting a second opinion?......Page 34
17. Who treats mesothelioma?......Page 35
18. How do I find the best doctors to treat my mesothelioma?......Page 36
19. What can I do to make my doctor visits as productive as possible?......Page 37
Part Three: Coping......Page 40
20. What types of psychosocial support are available to me?......Page 41
21. What should my family know about mesothelioma in order to assist me?......Page 42
23. What should I know about medical records, and how do I manage them?......Page 43
Part Four: The Politics of Mesothelioma......Page 46
24. I understand that mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases are controversial political issues. Why?......Page 47
25. I’m finding more and more people whose lives have been affected by mesothelioma. We all agree that we want to do something about this disease. What can be done at the community level?......Page 48
26. As someone who’s been diagnosed with mesothelioma, do I and my family have any legal rights?......Page 49
29. Because of the intensity of dealing with the diagnosis, shouldn’t I wait with the legal issues and focus first on medical treatments and recovery?......Page 50
32. Do I need to have a will?......Page 51
Part Five: Treatment......Page 54
33. I have been successful in being referred to a mesothelioma treatment center. What can I expect now?......Page 55
34. What is staging, and why is it important?......Page 56
35. What are the staging guidelines for mesothelioma?......Page 57
36. What are lymph nodes?......Page 58
37. How does mesothelioma spread?......Page 59
38. What is my prognosis?......Page 60
40. What do these scary survival rates mean to me as a patient?......Page 61
41. What is supportive care in mesothelioma?......Page 62
42. What, in general, are the non-supportive care treatment options in mesothelioma?......Page 63
43. What is performance status, and why is it important?......Page 65
45. What determines whether I am able to have surgery?......Page 66
46. What determines which surgical procedure I will have?......Page 67
47. What can I expect before surgery, and what can I do to prepare for it?......Page 69
48. What tests will I need before surgery to define what procedure I can tolerate?......Page 70
49. What should I expect following my surgery? What are the common complications of surgery for mesothelioma?......Page 71
50. What is chemotherapy? How does it work?......Page 74
51. What can I expect during chemotherapy? How many treatments will I need?......Page 76
52. Why are blood tests ordered during my chemotherapy treatment? What are blood counts, and what should I know about them?......Page 78
53. What are the common side effects of chemotherapy?......Page 80
54. What is radiation therapy?......Page 81
56. What is a dose of radiation, and how many treatments will I need?......Page 82
58. What can I expect during radiation?......Page 84
60. How long does each treatment take?......Page 85
61. What are the common side effects of radiation?......Page 86
Part Six: Decision Making......Page 88
62. What are the standard treatment options for mesothelioma?......Page 89
63. What are clinical trials?......Page 93
64. How do I learn about clinical trials, and how do I decide whether a trial is right for me?......Page 94
65. What if I don’t qualify for a clinical trial?......Page 96
66. What are some experimental investigative treatments for mesothelioma?......Page 97
67. What is alternative therapy?......Page 98
69. How do I decide on a treatment plan when faced with multiple options?......Page 99
70. How do I know if my treatment is working?......Page 100
71. What if my disease has remained stable during treatment?......Page 101
Part Seven: Side Effects of Therapy......Page 102
72. Why am I always tired? What can I do for fatigue? Will the fatigue go away after my treatment is over? Could I be depressed?......Page 103
73. Can my shortness of breath be controlled?......Page 105
74. What can I do to relieve my pain?......Page 106
75. What can I do to prevent or relieve constipation?......Page 108
76. Am I at risk for a blood clot? What is a pulmonary embolism?......Page 109
77. Will I have terrible nausea and vomiting during my chemotherapy treatment?......Page 110
78. Will I lose my hair during chemotherapy or radiation?......Page 111
79. Is my cough something I should worry about?......Page 113
80. What can I do if I have lost my appetite?......Page 114
81. Are there long-term side effects from treatment?......Page 115
82. How should I change my diet following a mesothelioma diagnosis? Should I take dietary supplements? Can diet affect my survival?......Page 116
83. What are the benefits of exercise for mesothelioma patients?......Page 117
84. What about returning to work?......Page 118
85. What about follow-up care? How often should I be seen?......Page 119
86. Should I get a flu shot or pneumonia vaccine?......Page 120
Part Eight: Recurrence of the Disease......Page 122
87. What happens if my disease recurs?......Page 123
88. Where is my disease likely to recur?......Page 124
89. How is recurrence treated?......Page 125
Part Nine: Sue Vento’s Insights for Care Providers......Page 128
92. What about those inevitable middle-of the-night situations when my loved one is in pain or has other medical complications?......Page 129
94. How do I balance all of the responsibilities?......Page 130
96. How can family and friends help without intruding?......Page 131
97. What specific things can family and friends do to assist?......Page 132
Part Ten: The Unspeakable Which Must Be Spoken......Page 134
99. What is hospice?......Page 135
100. The battle is just beginning. Where can I go to get more information?......Page 137
Appendix A: The Information Card......Page 140
Appendix B: The Telephone Tree......Page 142
Glossary......Page 144
Index......Page 154