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- Make a list beforehand of all the questions you would like to ask. You can use 'Your Treatment Diary' to record these down.
As you explore other parts of this website you will find lists of possible questions (for example on cancers, treatments and side effects). You don't have to ask all of these questions…or any of them - they are just ideas. They may help you to draw up your own list of questions.
- Ask your family what they would like to know. They may think of questions that haven't occurred to you.
- Decide which questions are most important to you. Then - if time is limited - you can be sure to get the answers to your most pressing questions.
- Remember, it is up to you how much or how little you ask. You should feel free to ask anything you want to know. Equally you shouldn't feel pressured into asking questions if you don't want to, or if you don't feel you're ready just yet.
- You don't need to ask everything at once. Many patients prefer to get information a bit at a time. Be guided by how you feel.
- Remember that you may have questions your doctor just can't answer.
For example, if you ask whether you will be cured, your doctor can't say for sure. S/he can tell you about survival rates and cure rates for previous patients with your type of cancer, but s/he will not be able to say for certain what will happen to you.It may be frustrating not to have this answer when you desperately want to know… but it would be irresponsible for your doctor to mislead you, so please try to understand.
- In circumstances like this, it may help to talk around the subject and concentrate on what your doctor can tell you. For example, s/he could explain to you how and when your treatment will be reviewed, and how soon it might be before s/he can tell you whether it seems to be working.
- Try not to feel that your question is too stupid or embarrassing to ask. Your doctor has almost certainly been asked it before.
