Talking With Your Doctor

Hearing that you or a loved one has cancer is overwhelming and stressful, but there are tips and tools to help you adjust to and deal in the best way possible with this diagnosis. One way to begin is to make sure you and your health care team understand each other and that you are an active team member. Everyone is there to work with you, so you need to clearly say what you need from them. By communicating well with your health care team, you stand to be as successful as possible in this situation. Some tips to keep in mind:

Speak openly and honestly with your team. They need information from you to make sure your needs are addressed.
Make sure your doctor listens and understands your needs and concerns. Don’t be afraid to speak up if you don’t think you are being understood. To make sure you’ve been understood, it is often helpful to repeat back to the doctor what you understood him/her to say.
Ask questions and gather information. Make sure you understand and that you have the best information you can have to make decisions.
Make a plan with your team for your treatment and care. Getting that plan in writing or electronic form is ideal but not always possible in every situation. Knowing what to expect can help you feel more at ease and able to address issues better as they arise.

View the Full “Teamwork” Publication

Order a Copy From the NCCS Store

Download “Teamwork” in PDF format

English version also Available for Amazon Kindle.

Latest News

NCCS Urges President Biden and Congress to Support and Protect Medicaid

March 24, 2023

This week, NCCS joined with more than 30 patient advocacy organizations as part of the Partnership to Protect Coverage to urge President…

NCCS Advocates for Access to DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction Surgery

March 10, 2023

The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship recently joined the Community Breast Reconstruction Alliance (CBRA), a group of patient…

NCCS Advocate Spotlight: Betsy Glosik, A Cancer Survivor's Journey Through Integrative Healing and Advocacy

Betsy Glosik: A Cancer Survivor’s Journey Towards Integrative Healing and Advocacy

March 8, 2023

For Betsy Glosik, the early 2000s brought one trauma after another. She lost her aunt to melanoma. Then, tragically she lost her 20-yr old daughter to a car accident. In 2003, after years of mentioning her concerns about a mole on her foot to her dermatologist, and repeatedly having her concerns dismissed, Betsy was diagnosed with melanoma...

Make An Impact

We are relentless in improving the quality of care and life after a cancer diagnosis. Your support makes all the difference right now.

Make a Gift »

Join CPAT

The NCCS Cancer Policy & Advocacy Team (CPAT) is a program for survivors and caregivers to learn about pressing policy issues that affect quality cancer care in order to be engaged as advocates in public policy around the needs of cancer survivors.

Share Your Story

NCCS represents the millions of Americans who share a common experience – the survivorship experience – living with, through and beyond a cancer diagnosis.

STAY CONNECTED

Together we can improve cancer care for survivors! Sign up to be the first to know about cancer policy issues and ways to take action

National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship
8455 Colesville Road | Suite 930 | Silver Spring, MD 20910
877-NCCS-YES | info@canceradvocacy.org
Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions

Copyright © 1995-2023 by the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship
National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, NCCS, Cancer Survival Toolbox, and related Logos are registered in the United States as trademarks of the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship.