”This is indeed a remarkable book by a remarkable woman.

If you or a family member has had a diagnosis of breast cancer, then this book will be essential reading. As someone who has been through the process herself, and has experienced both the caring professionalism and the shortcomings of breast cancer treatment today, Dr Thompson speaks frankly and with great wisdom, wearing, as she says, both her ‘doctor head’ and her ‘woman head’. She takes a very balanced and practical view of current breast cancer treatment and lets sufferers and their families know what to expect.

This book approaches what could be a dismal and frightening prospect with honesty and indeed good humour. We meet the people she met along her path to recovery and we feel what she felt. To follow this account of her personal experiences is enormously helpful. It is surprising that even a well-qualified and fully experienced health professional can find herself going through the maze feeling vulnerable and bewildered, but one can only admire the way in which she gradually asserts herself tactfully but respectfully where necessary.

This book will answer so many questions: How am I meant to feel? What should I ask? What should I do if I think my treatment is inappropriate? To what am I entitled? Where can I go for help if I feel I am being ill-served by the system? What can I expect will happen? There is so much sound advice here for both the sufferer and her (or indeed his) family.

Dr Thompson includes guidance on improvements we should all make to our diet and lifestyle to best avoid the incidence and recurrence of cancer. Some myths are exploded and new theories and therapies explored. This has to be the best all-round, self-help book on this subject, though Dr Thompson helpfully suggests others too. I also enjoyed the good written style of the book, which is reassuringly positive and appropriately friendly.

As someone who has been part of the way through this minefield myself, I would not hesitate to recommend this book to any breast cancer sufferer and to their nearest and dearest. I shall be presenting a copy to my lady GP with a recommendation that she makes it available to her patients.“

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“This is the most resourceful self-help book I have ever read. The book is not only for breast cancer patients, it is also extremely useful for all other cancer sufferers, their families and friends.

The author is a medical professional – she is also a great story teller telling a story that I couldn’t put down; it felt like I was watching a gripping TV drama based on true events with a very happy ending. I believe this success story will encourage thousands of cancer patients to become the braver soldiers in the war against cancer.

I was a lung cancer patient myself and I was in the battlefield for a long time. From Both Ends of the Stethoscope has helped me to build up confidence to deal with the most difficult time of my life. From this book, I learnt how to deal with good and bad medical practices; how to make important decisions; where and who I can get help from; what I need to do to take best care of my body and how to prevent the cancer recurring.

You are safe and never alone, if you keep this book at your side.

A big, heartfelt thanks to Dr Thompson’s professional guidance.”

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“This is an extremely well composed book giving a highly informative account of breast cancer with an easy, readable style. I liked the split between technical information and the author’s specific experiences. It was also interesting to see the view point of a doctor dealing with being diagnosed with cancer.

I would highly recommend this book not only to those diagnosed with cancer but also to family and friends who are supporting someone going through cancer. It is extremely helpful to understand some of the emotional turmoil the person is going through and to try and tailor your help and support accordingly. I wish this book had been available earlier to help me deal with family and friends who have been diagnosed with cancer.

Thank you Dr Thompson for putting pen to paper and giving us an insight into your experiences and for giving us some guidance on the science and possible treatments.

To everyone out there dealing with cancer this book is a must read.”

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“I would recommend this book without reservation to anyone diagnosed with breast cancer or who has relatives going through the cancer journey, regardless of the type of cancer. It is a very human account of the processes involved in the diagnosis and treatment of this illness. The medical information is clearly stated in bite sized pieces and I particularly liked the fact that these sections are interspersed with autobiographical accounts of Dr Thompson’s own experiences as a patient. The subject matter is serious but Dr Thompson has managed to keep an underlying sense of hope throughout. I was surprised to find that the book was so very readable, in fact I did not want to put it down once I has started to read. It is humerous in places and the characters we meet throughout the book are very real. It also quite moving and very different from any other medical book which you are likely to come across. This is a useful book for everyone to read. Don’t wait until you need to – read it now!”

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“A really informative book – but also very readable.

Dr Thompson speaks from her own experience – both from the point of view of a patient and as a doctor – about her breast cancer. It gives us an insight into her own battle with with the disease – but also into what might happen in different cases. It also offers helpful advice/options on how one might approach medical professionals if you feel something is not as it should be with the treatment offered. I also found the bits about how the mind may possibly play a role in the outcome very interesting.

I would recommend the book to anyone with the disease – or who is supporting someone through it. It is also very informative to improve general knowledge and awareness even if you don’t fall into either of the categories above.”

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“I found Dr Thompson’s book to be a brilliant and highly informative read. Aside from the authors personal journey through her illness it expands to provide wider guidance for a reader suffering this illness. At times tear jerking and at times highly informative of the inner workings of the NHS and the medical profession. Dr Thompson’s dark humour providing a counterpoint to her fight for survival. A detective novel would be unlikely to have more twists, turns and dramatic moments, but this is for real and that makes it extremely poignant. The writing style I found to be woman to woman. While entirely appropriate for the subject as a man I felt it emphasised that the small number of men suffering this condition are a bit of an afterthought.”

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“For such a subject matter, it’s hard to admit that I really ‘enjoyed’ this book, but I did. The author has struck the perfect balance of easy to understand medical facts against her own personal experience of being diagnosed and treated for breast cancer. The order of the book has a natural progression, walking you through from first signs of cancer, through diagnosis and treatment, though as each chapter seems to be a self-contained section, I think you could easily dip in and out of the chapters as you please. The book is very easy to read, and quite gripping. I couldn’t put it down! Don’t think this will be a complete tear jerker, it isn’t. I found it quite the contrary – there’s a lot of wry humour. This book will appeal equally to those who have breast cancer and those who know someone with it. I definitely recommend it.”

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“Engrossing read. Considering the subject matter this is such a readable book so much so that I nearly missed my stop on the London Underground and my hasty exit resulted in leaving my spectacle case behind. Fortunately I was still wearing my spectacles so I could carry on reading this amazing book.”

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“A must read for anyone whose life is touched by breast cancer. This is a really important book, written by an author who is qualified to speak about this subject as a doctor and also as a patient l I expected to find it useful, but didn’t expect to be unable to put it down – even waking up early in the morning just to have a few extra minutes to read it. The book is written in an easily understanding way which gives advice but doesn’t lay down the law. Kathleen treats those reading the book as adults and understands that everyone’s experiences are different; She offers her own experiences in a straight forward honest way and I know that if I am ever faced with breast cancer, I shall turn to this book straight away and will hopefully feel better able to cope. I shall certainly buy it for anyone I know who is dealing with breast cancer and am sure that it will improve their experience of the journey they are embarking on.”

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“An excellent book for those diagnosed with breast cancer and all concerned about it. Written by a doctor who has been through it herself, it describes her emotional responses and concerns, as well as explaining what is happening at each stage of treatment in short, digestible chapters.”

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