Healthcare questions to ask if you have been diagnosed with a blood cancer

millss — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:55:55 GMT

Hearing the words, “You have cancer” can make you feel like your life has changed in an instant. You may feel worried about making treatment decisions and handling money matters. Many people with cancer say they wish they had more information right from the start. Over time they found that taking an active role in choosing doctors and making other treatment decisions had a positive effect on their health and quality of life.

But it can take a while to get your thoughts together. So we offer printable healthcare question guides on many topics (in .pdf format). These will help you get the information you need to be involved in your treatment to look forward to recovery. You can select the topics you want and have these with you when you talk to your doctor and other members of your medical team.

Choosing a Specialist

Questions to ask when you are in a discovery consultation session with a specialist.

Treatment

Clinical Trials

Questions to ask when discussing clinical trials with your oncologist.

Complementary and Alternative (CAM) Therapies

Questions to ask when discussing CAM therapies.

Second Opinion Consultations

Learn more about the issues surrounding these topics by visiting www.lls.org/whattoask.

Have questions for us? Contact our Information Resource Center at (800) 955-4572 or via our Contact Us form.

Five ways to cope with a blood cancer diagnosis

millss — Fri, 30 May 2008 14:14:06 GMT

No one response to a blood cancer diagnosis is universal, but for many people the time of diagnosis may be a challenging and confusing time. Here are a few ideas on ways to cope, based on tips in our online Coping booklet (downloadable as a .pdf).

Consider sharing your diagnosis. If you have been newly diagnosed with cancer, you may wonder if you should share this diagnosis with others. It’s possible that you may encounter some people that will have a hard time showing support, but more often than not you may find that many will give you the support you need. If you do share, make sure you are ready and comfortable.
Talk about it. As the patient, you may want to talk about your diagnosis and treatment. It is important that the family member or friend you want to talk to is ready to discuss this, as they are likely feeling stressed about your diagnosis as well. Ask them directly if this is a good time to talk, and respect the answer given.
Ask questions. Newly diagnosed patients benefit from asking their doctor(s) questions about their cancer and treatment. If you have several questions, you may want to write them down prior to your appointment to make sure you don’t forget any of them. You can also print out some of our question guides which cover different aspects of diagnosis and treatment.
Coping with side effects. Cancer treatment can be unpleasant, but remember that most side effects are temporary and that the goal is to destroy the cancer. Ask your medical team if there are medications you can take or things you can do to deal with the various side effects like nausea or hair loss. You may also want to warn your family or friends of potential moodiness, which can be a side effect of treatment. Giving them a heads up on this can help to avoid misunderstandings or conflicts.
Understand your health insurance coverage. It is important to know what treatment is covered by your health insurance. Coverage can vary depending on what plan you have, and it is a good idea to keep track of what medical fees the insurance company is responsible for paying.

Download the Coping booklet which has many more beneficial tips for patients, caregivers, family members, and friends affected by a blood cancer diagnosis. You can also download the Spanish-language version of Coping, Lidiando con la Supervivencia: Apoyo para personas que padecen de leukemia en adultos, el linfoma y el myeloma. You may want to download another booklet as well, Each New Day, which also has suggestions on how to cope with leukemia, lymphoma, or myeloma.

What are some ways you have been able to cope with a blood cancer diagnosis?

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Blog

Healthcare questions to ask if you have been diagnosed with a blood cancer

Five ways to cope with a blood cancer diagnosis