(This post is also in the Getting Through It Section)
Many cancer patients find themselves navigating in the medical world for the first time. Many of us led relatively healthy lives prior to our cancer diagnosis and we have no real experience trying to locate and use good quality health care. I always went to 'ole doc Smith whenever I had a bad cough or broken toe. His advice carried me through those things just fine. He was reliable, familiar and safe. I didn't need to understand his advice - I just needed to follow his instructions. Then I got cancer.

Now doc Smith tells me I need specialists - doctors I don't know. Now I'm in unfamiliar waiting rooms and meeting new nurses and lab techs and meeting new people almost every day. New and confusing medical information is coming at me from every direction, and faster than I can digest it. So many questions. So many new words to learn. So many scary thoughts running through my mind. How can ANYONE keep all this straight and get good treatment??

Here is what I need: What do we tell new cancer patients about advocating for themselves? How is that done? What are the steps? How do we advise new patients about how to talk to their cancer team - how to ask questions - how to 'demand' everyone's best efforts?? How to become involved in the decision making and care planning?

Can anyone help me with this??? Thanks, Tom J


SCC BOT, mets to neck, T4.
From 3/03: 10wks daily multi-drug chemo,
Then daily chemo with twice daily IMRT for 12 weeks - week on, week off. No surgery. New lung primary 12/07. Searching out tx options.