1. Health
2. Cancer

Help me deal with doctors and other medical staff

• Article - Documents to Bring to the Oncologist's Office

  Be prepared: The ten crucial pieces of Information you need to have when you visit your parent's cancer doctor.

• Article - Questions to Ask Your Parent's Oncologist About the Diagnosis

  The 20 essential questions to ask the oncologist when your parent is diagnosed with cancer.

• Article - Getting a Second Opinion When Your Parent Is Diagnosed With Cancer

  Guidance from Caring.com on when, why, and how to get a second opinion on your parent's cancer diagnosis.

• Article - How to Find Out Exactly What Kind of Cancer Your Parent Has

  Learn which questions to ask to understand your parent's cancer diagnosis, so you can help her make the best treatment decisions and get the care she needs.

• Article - How to Have Strong Communication With Your Parent's Medical Staff

  Basic approaches to getting the information you need to make good decisions about your parent's medical care.

• Article - How to Create a Strong Cancer Support Team

  A set of guidelines for assembling a cancer support team -- from professional caregivers to family helpers.

• Checklist - 15 Questions to Ask About Radiation Therapy for Breast Cancer

  These fifteen questions about radiation therapy for breast cancer will help you make good decisions about your parent's treatment.

• Article - Cancer Treatment: A Beginner's Guide

  Learn about the basic types of cancer treatments, including surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy.

• Interview - Talking With Hope Rugo

  An oncologist who was also a caregiver to her mother before she died of breast cancer offers advice to other caregivers.

Questions & Answers

• Question - How do I get my parent's doctor to give us complete and honest information?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - How can I get the doctor to be more responsive when my mother has side effects from chemotherapy?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Why do we need to donate blood for a transfusion for my father, whose blood type is O-negative?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - How can I get my father to tell the doctor how bad his pain is?

  How to manage your parent's cancer pain by improving communication with the doctor about his pain and pain treatment.

Tips & Reflections

• Reflection - What I Wish I'd Known: Hope Rugo

  An oncologist reflects on what she learned about care giving when her mother had metastatic breast cancer.