Before choosing chemo as a treatment
option, you should understand the expected benefits, side effects, and risks.
There are some questions that you should ask your doctor before you start a
chemotherapy treatment. The answers you will get will prepare you for the
likely outcome.
These are some of the questions you should ask your doctor:
-What is the goal of chemotherapy for my cancer?
-What are the chances that the chemotherapy will work?
-After chemotherapy, will I be cured, in remission, or relieved of my symptoms?
-Are there other ways to get to the same goals?
-How will I know if the chemotherapy is working?
-If the chemotherapy does not work, are there other treatments for me?
-What are the risks and side effects of the chemotherapy I will be taking? How do side effects of this chemo compare with side effects of other treatments?
-How will I get the chemotherapy, how often, and for how long?
-Where will I be given the drugs? -What can I do to get ready for treatment and decrease the chance of side effects?
-Will I need to change my diet in any way? My activities? My work? Exercise? Sexual activities?
-Will I also need surgery, radiation, or both? If so, when and why? What results can I expect from each type of treatment? -If I have chemo after surgery or radiation, will it kill any remaining cancer cells? Could chemo be used alone?
-Could I take part in a clinical trial?
-How much will chemotherapy cost? Will my health insurance cover it? -If the insurance company asks for a second opinion, or if I would like to get one, can you suggest someone for me to see?
Here are some things you should do to help you remember the doctors answers:
-Take notes during your visits. Don't feel shy about asking your doctor to slow down if you need more time to write. Ask questions if you don't understand something.
-If you can, use a tape recorder during your visit so you won't miss anything.
-Consider taking a friend or relative with you to help you understand what your doctor says during your visit and to refresh your memory afterward.
Mesothelioma victims must seek as much knowledge as they can get about mesothelioma so that they can cope maximally with treatment.
These are some of the questions you should ask your doctor:
-What is the goal of chemotherapy for my cancer?
-What are the chances that the chemotherapy will work?
-After chemotherapy, will I be cured, in remission, or relieved of my symptoms?
-Are there other ways to get to the same goals?
-How will I know if the chemotherapy is working?
-If the chemotherapy does not work, are there other treatments for me?
-What are the risks and side effects of the chemotherapy I will be taking? How do side effects of this chemo compare with side effects of other treatments?
-How will I get the chemotherapy, how often, and for how long?
-Where will I be given the drugs? -What can I do to get ready for treatment and decrease the chance of side effects?
-Will I need to change my diet in any way? My activities? My work? Exercise? Sexual activities?
-Will I also need surgery, radiation, or both? If so, when and why? What results can I expect from each type of treatment? -If I have chemo after surgery or radiation, will it kill any remaining cancer cells? Could chemo be used alone?
-Could I take part in a clinical trial?
-How much will chemotherapy cost? Will my health insurance cover it? -If the insurance company asks for a second opinion, or if I would like to get one, can you suggest someone for me to see?
Here are some things you should do to help you remember the doctors answers:
-Take notes during your visits. Don't feel shy about asking your doctor to slow down if you need more time to write. Ask questions if you don't understand something.
-If you can, use a tape recorder during your visit so you won't miss anything.
-Consider taking a friend or relative with you to help you understand what your doctor says during your visit and to refresh your memory afterward.
Mesothelioma victims must seek as much knowledge as they can get about mesothelioma so that they can cope maximally with treatment.
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