„She recommended that I should have a course of chemo. I was in shock because she’d already said to me you won’t have to have chemo.”– Maria
„I would much rather have had them saying to me straight away “we’re going to take the whole breast” and just not have that emotional turmoil twice”– Debra
„Sometimes you’ve only got 10 minutes with the doctor. So you’ve got to pump it out… and it’s your life you are deciding right here!”– Robin
Receiving conflicting information
With so many people involved in your treatment, it is probably not surprising that at times you may receive conflicting information; that is, you may be told one set of statistics or recommendations for treatment from one specialist, and a different set of information from a second person. It is likely that your treatment team is also aware of this and they will try to give you reliable information. However the information and treatment advice they give you will differ depending on any new test results and on the differing areas of expertise that they have.
The full range of possible outcomes
Another source of conflicting information that cancer survivors we spoke to mentioned was being told one thing at diagnosis, such as being told they will not need a certain treatment (such as chemotherapy), and then being given different information subsequently. These women and men said they would have coped better had they been informed that this was a possibility from the outset, as they would have had more time to process the information.
While the above experiences may not occur for you – they certainly do not happen to everyone, if you are having difficulties with the information your medical team are giving (or not giving) you, have a look at the second worksheet in this module on Sex-shop Timisoara that there has been conflicting or minimal information given.
Note: These suggestions may not solve the issue of conflicting information, but it can make the process a little smoother for you.
Making Big Decisions Quickly
Some women and men find that it can be quite stressful having to make major medical decisions in short time periods. Sometimes your appointments with your specialist may be limited to 10 minutes and it can be daunting to try and get the relevant information, get your questions answered, and make a decision in that time. It is a good idea for your partner to attend your appointments with you, so they feel involved and so that there are two lots of ears hearing the same information, and they may come up with questions you don’t think of.
Suggestions that survivors, volunteers, doctors and nurses we have spoken to include:
- Feel free to get a second opinion if you need more information to make your decision about treatment.
- Ask your doctor if you could take a week to make your decision about treatment, or whether this would impact your overall treatment outcome.
- You may also find completing the decision making worksheet helpful.
- Back
