First onco visit, what to expect?

BioAdoptMom

My first visit with the medical oncologist is this coming Wednesday afternoon. I was wondering what I could expect to happen? We have seen the radiation oncologist for a consult, but all they did was take my vitals and talk to DH and me (for a long time I might add). I have already been told to expect lab work (not sure why because I have no treatment plan yet), but that in itself tells me this visit will be at least a bit more detailed. So, what can I expect?

Thanks!

Nancy

jessiesmom1

1st Oncologist visit
Hi Nancy,

I am glad you found this discussion board. You will find a lot of support from the ladies (and men) who post here. Once you are diagnosed with breast cancer your life becomes a whirlwind, doesn't it? Here are a few questions you might want to ask the medical oncologist when you meet with him:

1. What treatment do you recommend? Why are you recommending this therapy?
2. What are the risks?
3. Are there other ways to treat the cancer?
4. Where do I go for chemotherapy or hormone therapy?
5. Will I be able to drive myself home after treatment, or do I need help?
6. How long does the treatment last?
7. What are the risks and side effects?
8. Will my hair fall out? Will it grow back?
9. What about premature menopause and infertility?
10. What should I avoid during treatment?
11. Should I change my diet or lifestyle?
12. Besides the chemo drugs themselves, what other drugs will I be taking? Anti-nausea drugs? Steroids?
13. What will my insurance cover or not cover?
14. Who do I call for after hours questions?
15. Should I get a medi-port? What surgeon do you recommend?
16. What is my hormone receptor status?
17. What is the Stage of my cancer? What is the grade of the tumor?
18. Will I have lab work regularly? What are you looking for in those results?

I hope these questions give you a place to start. It can be overwhelming. You are joining a club of which you never wanted to be a member. You WILL get through this. Keep posting to let us know how it goes. IRENE

Texasgirl10

jessiesmom1 said:

1st Oncologist visit
Hi Nancy,

I am glad you found this discussion board. You will find a lot of support from the ladies (and men) who post here. Once you are diagnosed with breast cancer your life becomes a whirlwind, doesn't it? Here are a few questions you might want to ask the medical oncologist when you meet with him:

1. What treatment do you recommend? Why are you recommending this therapy?
2. What are the risks?
3. Are there other ways to treat the cancer?
4. Where do I go for chemotherapy or hormone therapy?
5. Will I be able to drive myself home after treatment, or do I need help?
6. How long does the treatment last?
7. What are the risks and side effects?
8. Will my hair fall out? Will it grow back?
9. What about premature menopause and infertility?
10. What should I avoid during treatment?
11. Should I change my diet or lifestyle?
12. Besides the chemo drugs themselves, what other drugs will I be taking? Anti-nausea drugs? Steroids?
13. What will my insurance cover or not cover?
14. Who do I call for after hours questions?
15. Should I get a medi-port? What surgeon do you recommend?
16. What is my hormone receptor status?
17. What is the Stage of my cancer? What is the grade of the tumor?
18. Will I have lab work regularly? What are you looking for in those results?

I hope these questions give you a place to start. It can be overwhelming. You are joining a club of which you never wanted to be a member. You WILL get through this. Keep posting to let us know how it goes. IRENE

Hi Nancy
Hi Nancy, I am so sorry that you have a reason to be here, but I am glad you found this board. You will find a multitude of knowledge and caring here. I see that Irene already posted an awesome list of questions for you to ask your onc. Things will move very fast now for you. I know for myself I had my onc appt one day, port placement the next and started my first chemo within 5 days after that. In the meantime, I had an MRI, PET Scan, Bone scan, Echocardiogram and appts with my radiologist and plastic surgeon even though I won't start radiation or reconstruction until after my surgery. Please be sure to have someone with you that can take notes because I promise you that you won't remember everything the onc says to you at the first meeting.

Please stay strong, get lots of rest and keep us posted on how you are doing. There is always someone on this board so if you get scared or just need a friend we are here for you. I wish you all the best with this journey. You can do this, you are stronger than you realize.

God Bless You,

Dawne

laughs_a_lot

oncologists
Because I have a bit of memory problems due to another diagnois, (Not alzheimers) I take my computer with me. A day or two before my appointment I gather all the questions that have been floating around in my mind and put them in a document. As the surgeon was talking to me he answered some of the questions before I got to the computer. However, I went right down the list anyway and when I came to the question he already answered it I would state it in my own words and type it in and he would confirm what I said was what he had told me. This takes the emotion out of the issue for me (only in the present moment of course) and allows me to cement the answers in my brain. Once home if I think I might have muddied up his answer or my husband tries to muddy it up for me I can pull up the document and TA DA I have the answers recorded really well with no chance of loosing the paper I wrote it on. I know it sounds a bit cold or odd but it has really helped me get a handle on the facts of this disease and has minimized my worry. I feel more in control of the treatment process as the doctor has the impression I mean businees and want to keep on top of my issues. I will use this same strategy with the medical oncologist when I get the first appointmen and probably the radiation oncologist as well.

BioAdoptMom

laughs_a_lot said:

oncologists
Because I have a bit of memory problems due to another diagnois, (Not alzheimers) I take my computer with me. A day or two before my appointment I gather all the questions that have been floating around in my mind and put them in a document. As the surgeon was talking to me he answered some of the questions before I got to the computer. However, I went right down the list anyway and when I came to the question he already answered it I would state it in my own words and type it in and he would confirm what I said was what he had told me. This takes the emotion out of the issue for me (only in the present moment of course) and allows me to cement the answers in my brain. Once home if I think I might have muddied up his answer or my husband tries to muddy it up for me I can pull up the document and TA DA I have the answers recorded really well with no chance of loosing the paper I wrote it on. I know it sounds a bit cold or odd but it has really helped me get a handle on the facts of this disease and has minimized my worry. I feel more in control of the treatment process as the doctor has the impression I mean businees and want to keep on top of my issues. I will use this same strategy with the medical oncologist when I get the first appointmen and probably the radiation oncologist as well.

Thank you all
Thank you all soooooooooooooooooo much for your wisdom and advice! I am nervous about tomorrow, but would rather have answers I'm not crazy about than be in limbo any longer. Unfortunately I have a feeling he will want to do the Oncotype test and that will be another couple of weeks of waiting, if not longer for insurance reasons.

Nancy