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What
information would be helpful to have on the first visit?
Before your first appointment, you should ask that your referring
physician send or provide you with the following information:
• Pathological documentation
of your cancer including the Pathologist's report and the
pathology slides. These will be returned to the institution
where the cancer diagnosis was made.
• A clinical summary of
your medical history including physical examination, laboratory
data, and results of relevant diagnostic studies including
radiological studies such as CT scans, MRI and nuclear medicine
scans.
• If you have had surgery, a report of the operation.
• If possible, it is helpful
to provide the original or copies of the radiology studies.
The physician then has the benefit of the actual scans and
the radiologist's interpretation.
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How
should you prepare for the visit?
Planning your visit by anticipating the consultation should
include the following:
• Organize information for
the visit including a list of the physicians involved in your
care with their addresses, telephone numbers, fax numbers,
and other relevant information.
• Prepare a list of your medications including names, dosages,
and frequency of your taking the medication.
• Have your pharmacy information including the address, telephone
number, and if you have one, the name of the pharmacist.
• Bring your insurance documents, if possible copies that can
be turned over to the physician's office.
• Write down your questions in advance.
• If you have not already
done so, use a notebook or diary to keep track of information
as it is presented to you. A diary is also very useful to
document your own observations of the events.
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