What Should You Ask Your
Doctor After a Breast Cancer Diagnosis?
A breast cancer
diagnosis is a lot to take in. I know that it can be intimidating and you may
be at a loss for what to say. However, it’s important to ask your healthcare
provider a lot of questions in order to ensure that you thoroughly understand
your diagnosis. If you are in shock after your diagnosis, I suggest asking your
healthcare professional if you can take a step outside to take some deep
breaths and collect your thoughts. If you don’t want to do this, go home and
write down a list of questions that you think of and ask your provider these
questions at your next appointment. A few questions that you may want to ask
include:
- What are my treatment options?
- What stage of breast cancer do I have?
- What does this mean?
- What risks and side effects should I expect to experience from treatment?
- What can I do to make this process easier?
- Has my cancer spread to my lymph nodes or other organs?
- Should I change my diet or exercise routine because of diagnosis?
- Will I be able to have children after my treatment?
And remember,
don’t be afraid to collect your thoughts and ask questions. You need to
understand your diagnosis so that you can decide what steps to take next.
References:
1. Questions to Ask My Doctor About Breast Cancer. (n.d.). Retrieved November 7, 2014, from http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/003284-pdf.pdf
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