23 Apr 09 BREAST CANCER: INVESTIGATIONS AND DIAGNOSIS
Asking questions
Always ask questions if you are unsure about anything. Never feel embarrassed or foolish, and never go away not having understood something; it will only cause you to worry. Almost all your questions can be easily answered with simple explanations, but if answers are not known, your doctor should be able to discuss with you the reasons.
People tend to forget what they had wanted to ask until they are at home again. It may therefore be a good idea to write your questions down as you think of them, and be prepared with a list next time you talk to your doctor. Uncertainty and confusion cause anxiety which, in most cases, is unfounded, and any good doctor will be happy to answer all your questions, no matter how trivial you think they may seem.
Being told you have breast cancer
Do not be afraid to speak frankly to your doctor. Some doctors avoid mentioning the word ‘cancer’, and feel the need to shield patients from any unpleasant truths. Some will not tell you unless you ask, believing that you would ask if you wanted to know. Most breast care nurses have experience of women who, having been told their diagnosis by the specialist, express relief at discovering that they have a ‘tumour’, and not cancer. Although a tumour is strictly any abnormal swelling, some doctors use the word when they actually mean a malignant tumour -a cancer.
If you are anxious about a lump or do not understand what you are being told about it, it is best to be frank: ‘Is it cancer, doctor?’ should elicit a direct and truthful answer, although it is a question many people will find difficult to ask.
Women who have been told that they have breast cancer will need – and should expect – to talk to a breast care nurse. Coming to terms with this disease is easier if you are given accurate information by a sympathetic, informed professional.
Help and counseling for women with breast cancer and for their families are also available from a variety of organizations. The breast care nurse, your GP or consultant will be able to give you information about these services.
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Tags: Cancer
