Talking to Your Healthcare Provider About Esophageal Cancer
Talking to Your Healthcare Provider About Esophageal Cancer
General Tips for Gathering Information
- Bring someone else with you. It helps to have another person hear what is said and think of questions to ask.
- Write out your questions ahead of time, so you don't forget them.
- Write down the answers you get, and make sure you understand what you are hearing. Ask for clarification, if necessary.
- Don't be afraid to ask questions or ask where you can find more information about what you are discussing. You have a right to know.
Specific Questions to Ask Your Healthcare Provider
- Is there anything in my medical history to warrant a look at and biopsy of my esophagus?
- How do I know if my heartburn is being treated adequately to prevent it from becoming cancer?
- What treatments do you recommend?
- Please explain the risks and benefits of each treatment.
- How effective are these treatments?
- How do you expect my cancer to react?
- Can you refer me to someone who has been through what you are proposing, so that I may talk to them about their experiences?
- Please connect me with a pain treatment center.
- Do I need a nutritionist?
- How severe do my swallowing symptoms need be before I should seek intervention to prevent lung complications?
- When should I consider hospice care?
- What can hospice care offer my family and me?
- When should I bring my family in for open progress reports?
When to Contact Your Healthcare Provider
- Before choosing a recommended treatment
- When you are not maintaining your weight
- When you are aspirating (inhaling) food, liquids, or saliva
- When your pain relief is insufficient
- When care in your present situation is inadequate or an excessive burden on your caretakers
References
American Pain Society website. Available at: http://www.ampainsoc.org/about/ . Accessed on November 30, 2002.
Drug Facts & Comparisons. Facts & Comparisons; 2000.
Esophageal cancer. National Cancer Institute website. Available at: http://www.nci.nih.gov/cancerinfo/wyntk/esophagus . Accessed December 2, 2002.
Mayer RJ. Gastrointestinal tract cancer. In: Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 14th ed. McGraw-Hill; 1998.
Neoplasms of the esophagus. American Cancer Society website. Available at: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp . Accessed November 30, 2002.
