I found a need to find out as much as I could about my cancer and what I could do to help myself. I quickly realised that there was so much that I could do to change my lifestyle and my outlook on life. For me, reading was a way to start doing this.

Your Life in Your Hands-understanding, preventing and overcoming breast cancer. Professor Jane Plant ISBN 1-85227-809-9. This is an excellent book which looks at dietary and lifestyle changes that you can make to help yourself not just if you have breast cancer, but also to avoid getting it in the first place! I am now on a dairy-free diet. Thanks for the recommendation, Fin.

Where have my eyebrows gone?

A personal, informative and humorous book which shares experiences of chemotherapy following a mastecomy for breast cancer. It is beautifully illustrated and would make a good present for someone about to undergo chemotherapy.

You can heal your life. Louise L. Hay. ISBN 1-870845-01-3. A book offering some practical steps to healing which includes affirmations and thought provoking exercises. I ignored the bits which blamed me for getting cancer.

Breast Cancer Books a whole list of books via Wellness Books.com on Amazon.

Affirmations, Meditations and Encouragements for Women Living with Breast Cancer

Linda Dackman ISBN 0-06-250209-3 "Meeting the challenge of cancer has strengthened my sense of self". A lovely little book full of words of encouragement which I dip into as and when I feel like It covers the whole range of emotions and situations that you have to go through on this journey.

The Breast Cancer Prevention and Recovery Diet book by Suzannah Olivier ISBN 0-7181-4395-7. This book was particularly attractive because it was written by a woman who was thirty years old when she was diagnosed and at the time of publication (1999) was ten years post-diagnosis. Gave me lots of hope.

Life Strategies-Stop Making excuses! Do what works, Do what matters. Dr Philip C McGraw. ISBN0 09 1819997. Dr Phil "Tell it like it is" McGraw's straightforward and practical book. His 10 Life Laws are thought provoking and life changing. Written in a refreshingly no nonsense style, I worked through the exercises in this book and found it to be very rewarding.

Breast Cancer Care provides a whole range of free and very informative booklets in the UK which are available from this website link or 0808 800 6000

The healing power of mind. Tulku Thondup. ISBN 1-57062-330-9. A book that looks at the links between the mind, body, spirit and heart with a number of healing meditations. It is written by a Tibetan Buddhist in a simple and direct way, drawing on a number of his personal experiences.

Creating sacred space with Feng Shui. Karen Kingston. ISBN 0-7499-1601-X. Readable book overing some of the more spiritual and practical aspects of decluttering and Feng Shui within your home. Can't say that my home is a temple as a result, but it helps!