Close the Communication Gap with Your Doctor

Think about how involved you want to be. Some patients are very involved in their healthcare from the start, while others might prefer not to ask too many questions or talk too much about their diagnosis or treatment. If you tend to be less involved, consider that taking an active role in getting an accurate diagnosis and making treatment decisions could have a positive effect on your health and quality of life. You can enlist the help of family members, friends, other cancer patients, and patient advocates to support you with provider communications. Remember that you and members of your oncology team are working together to beat blood cancer.

Ask questions. But don’t just ask questions – make sure you take notes in case you forget anything that you might want to remember later. Not sure what to ask? Go to www.lls.org/whattoask to download printable question guides you can take with you on your medical appointments.

Find out what lines of communication are available to you. Are you the type of person that picks up the phone when you have a question or are you more likely to want to send an email? Ask your medical team if they wouldn’t mind you calling or emailing them with additional questions.