01. Meeting With Your Doctor
What to Expect: Meeting With Your Doctor
A mesothelioma cancer diagnosis can feel like a whirlwind of emotions and information. After taking some time to process the diagnosis, patients and their doctors will meet to discuss further. During this appointment, doctors explain diagnostic details, like prognosis, and treatment options.
It’s also a great time to ask any questions you have. It may be useful to gather a list of questions in advance. This helps ensure your mesothelioma doctor explains everything you want to know. To make this as easy as possible for you, we’ve created a list of printable questions.
Access Printable List of Questions Here
Getting Your Questions Ready
With so much information to process, knowing where to begin can be hard. Some patients prefer to let their doctors direct the initial appointment, which may work for you. However, by coming prepared, you may get even more out of the conversation.
This appointment can cover a wide range of topics, so you might want to be prepared to take notes. Bringing someone with you to the appointment is helpful, too. They can offer support, take notes for you and ask their own questions.
Reviewing a list of questions before the appointment can give you a better idea what it will be about. Having that list of questions also ensures you don’t forget to ask anything. Our printable list has key questions and space for you to write notes. Feel free to add any other questions you have.
02. General Questions
General Questions for Your Doctor
You may want to ask some general questions about your doctor and their experience before discussing your diagnosis and treatment. These questions can help you understand your doctor’s familiarity with mesothelioma. You can also learn about any other people you may work with on your healthcare team.
| 1. Who is my main point of contact for future questions? Notes: |
| 2. Will you be the physician treating my mesothelioma? Notes: |
| 3. How much experience and success have you had treating patients with this type of mesothelioma? Notes: |
| 4. Should I get a second opinion about my mesothelioma diagnosis and treatment options? Notes: |
03. Mesothelioma Diagnosis Questions
Questions About Your Mesothelioma Diagnosis
Like all cancers, mesothelioma is an individual and complex diagnosis. You may have questions about your mesothelioma type, stage, symptoms and other diagnostic results.
| 5. What is important to know about my type of mesothelioma? Notes: |
| 6. How advanced is my mesothelioma and has it spread beyond the primary site (metastasized)? Notes: |
| 7. What does my mesothelioma stage mean for me? Notes: |
| 8. What is my prognosis? Notes: |
| 9. Will I need other tests to ensure my diagnosis is correct and that we’re targeting all possible tumors? Notes: |
04. Mesothelioma Treatment Questions
Questions About Your Mesothelioma Treatment Plan
A large part of the appointment will likely focus on treatment. Your doctor may already have a treatment plan or various options in mind for you. Common mesothelioma treatments include chemotherapy, surgery and immunotherapy. Treatment plans take a lot into consideration, so you might have many questions.
| 10. What treatment options do I have, and which do you recommend first? Notes: |
| 11. What is the process and timeline for receiving my treatment(s)? Notes: |
| 12. Will I need surgery and, if so, what will the procedure and recovery be like? Notes: |
| 13. What are the benefits and success rates for my mesothelioma treatment plan? Notes: |
| 14. Are there any risks associated with my treatment plan? Notes: |
| 15. What are common side effects of my mesothelioma treatment plan and how can I manage them? Notes: |
| 16. What are the chances my cancer will come back (recur) with my treatment plan? Notes: |
| 17. How should I prepare for my mesothelioma treatment(s)? Notes: |
| 18. Will treatment affect my ability to work or perform other daily activities? Notes: |
| 19. What mesothelioma-related medications will be prescribed for me? Notes: |
| 20. Should I combine any mesothelioma treatments, including complementary therapies? Notes: |
05. Follow-Up Questions
Looking Ahead: Follow-Up Questions
You might find it helpful to discuss the bigger picture of your diagnosis and treatment, too. These questions might cover things like monitoring treatment progress or recommended lifestyle changes. You can also ask the doctor if there’s anything remaining they’d like to talk about.
| 21. How will you monitor me during treatment to tell if it’s working and what kind of post-treatment testing will be performed to ensure it has been successful? Notes: |
| 22. Are there any lifestyle changes I should consider to further support myself during this time? Notes: |
| 23. What other patient resources, like counseling or support groups, may be available to me? Notes: |
| 24. Are there any mesothelioma clinical trials available for me to participate in, and if so, how can I get more information about them? Notes: |
| 25. Is there anything else you think would be good for me to know? Notes: |
With this list of questions, you’re one step closer to a productive appointment.
Similar to this list, we offer various supportive mesothelioma patient resources. Examples include a free mesothelioma guide and a mesothelioma specialist database. Valuable information, like using health insurance for cancer treatment and guidance for nutrition, is available too.
