Managing Medical Treatment and Care

Getting her to eat more isn’t necessarily the only solution to her weight loss. Check with her doctor to make sure you understand the possible physical reasons your mother is losing weight. If she seems to be eating her meals and is still not getting enough calories, you can increase the amount she takes in [...]

In general, a healthy diet is a balanced diet, one that includes a number of servings from the different food groups: fruits and vegetables, protein, grains, and dairy foods. Of these, fruits and vegetables contain the greatest number of  phytochemicals that are believed to prevent cancer or improve cancer  prognosis.Vegetables and fruits are also low [...]

Should I tell the doctor? Doctors and the medical establishment have been wary of complementary and alternative medicine for a number of reasons. Although some treatments, like traditional Chinese medicine, may represent a centuries-old body of knowledge administered by trained, professional practitioners, they have only begun to be evaluated for safety or effectiveness through biomedical [...]

Alternative medicines and complementary medicines recently have been described as all treatments that traditionally have not been offered to patients in hospital-based oncology practices, including dietary modification and supplementation, herbal products, acupuncture, massage, exercise, and psychological and mind-body therapies. They differ in that alternative therapy is often used instead of standard or “mainstream” medical care, [...]

I sometimes feel that I am doing too much for my father. The doctors and the physical therapist say he needs to do more for himself, including walking, preparing meals, and other things. How can I allow my father to do these things without feeling that I am neglecting him? A cancer diagnosis and treatments [...]

My adult daughter always seems to be complaining of being in pain or fatigue and generally not feeling well. I don’t think she is trying hard enough. Are her “unseen” symptoms real? If so, what can I do to help her? Yes, most likely her symptoms are real. Listening to your daughter’s complaints may be [...]

My Husband Says He Would Rather Die Than Live With The Surgery The Doctors Suggest. Can’t He Just Let His Disease Take Its Natural Course Without Subjecting Himself To This Treatment? Being diagnosed with cancer is a tremendous burden on anyone, and the ability to cope with feelings may be more difficult if someone is [...]

After the initial diagnosis, people with cancer and their families have to make medical decisions and sometimes are uncertain about what the “right” decisions may be. As the patient and family are making important decisions, stress levels are higher. A huge amount of information about cancer must be absorbed. People differ in how much they [...]

It is a good idea to contact the insurance company directly to determine whether the patient’s insurance policy will cover therapy involved in clinical trials. Some insurance companies will pay for all treatment expenses, including any added costs associated with clinical trials (if there are any). At the other extreme, insurance companies may decline to [...]

This is a hard question to answer, since clinical trials entail different potential benefits and risks depending on the individual, the cancer diagnosis and stage, and the treatment proposed. People often believe that they will get more scientifically advanced treatment if they enroll in a clinical trial. Some people with advanced disease who want treatment [...]

Advances in treating cancer often start in a scientific laboratory where potential therapies are first developed and tested. When one of these potential therapies shows promise in treating cancer, it is tested in many ways, including using animals to determine its possible effectiveness and safety. If the potential therapy passes these tests, then it goes [...]

It Seems The More We Find Out, The More Questions We Have. Can Too Much Information Be A Problem? Some family members cope well by learning every-thing possible about the cancer and its treatment. However, there is a bewildering amount of information out there—on the Internet, TV, radio, and newspapers—and being bombarded with all of [...]

We recommend many Internet sites, not only for information about the medical aspects of cancer, but also for information about coping with cancer, including the family, emotional, financial, and work-related issues that often accompany the diagnosis. Further-more, chat rooms and other Web site postings can pro-vide useful tips on locating information, finding doctors who treat [...]

There are a number of sources for reliable information as noted here: a. Your doctor(s), including your primary care physician, medical oncologist, surgeon, and other physician specialists should be your primary source of information. b. Nurses and other medical staff members are also knowledgeable and may be able to answer your questions . c. Books [...]

Playing the “hurry up and wait” game— why does it take so long to do a workup or to see the doctor? One of the most common complaints we hear from patients and their caregivers is about waiting. Waiting for test results, waiting to see the doctor, waiting for procedures, and more waiting. Waiting to [...]

what Can We Do To Make Sure This Doesn’t Become A Problem? Linguistic, ethnic, and cultural differences may exist between you and the medical team; these differences may make communication difficult and add to any initial uncertainty you may feel. If you have questions or concerns about these issues, talk to your hospital social worker, [...]

Between Appointments, My Wife And I Think Of Many Important Questions To Ask The Doctor, But When We Finally Get Into The Exam Room, I Get Intimidated And Distracted. How Can I Be More Relaxed And Better Express Myself To The Medical Team? One of the many ways caregivers support patients is by attending appointments [...]

Mark’s comment: When my mother was diagnosed with colon cancer twenty years ago, we knew that there was a really good clinic (hospital) to go to for treatment in our area, so we went there. But my mother interviewed a number of doctors at the clinic until she found one she was comfortable with—the decision [...]

People use different criteria when choosing a physician. Many factors will influence people’s decisions, including the physician’s experience treating cancer and his or her technical skills, the hospital’s location, insurance coverage, and personal factors, such as the physician’s ability to gain trust and confidence (or “bedside manner”). Interview physicians; assess their experience and other criteria [...]

Who are all these people, and what do they do? The healthcare team is composed of different professionals who are specially trained to deal with the medical and emotional issues you are confronting. Become familiar with these people and the ways they can help you. The following is a list of the standard team members [...]