Decision Point | Go alone?

jhenicke
jhenicke Member Posts: 7
edited October 2020 in General Discussion
Sometimes I feel like I want to go to my first oncologist appointment alone, but a family member insists on going. It makes me feel anxious.

Comments

  • Jane1212
    Jane1212 Member Posts: 4
    edited October 2020
    Take someone with you. It helps to have 2 people listening so you can make sure you get all the info. You will be anxious and might miss details that you will want to know later. The oncologist will probably want to do a quick internal exam but if your friend/relative/etc. goes in the exam room with you it can be done with extreme modesty. I took my husband and he was on a chair behind my head. That was where the meeting with my doc took place altho I then met with the NP for scheduling and surgery instructions in an office.
  • sugar
    sugar Member Posts: 8
    edited October 2020
    I know what your saying Jhenicke, I took someone with me to all my appointments except for one. When I wanted to speak to the DR by myself I would just ask my husband to give me a few minutes with the DR alone. It helped bc he would remember stuff I didn't and he would ask questions I didn't even think to ask.
  • SandiD
    SandiD Member Posts: 3
    Please always bring someone with you when possible. You can ask to speak with your doctor alone for a minute if necessary. Like the others mention, it’s an emotional time & there is so much info coming at us, we might miss something important. 4 ears are better than 2! Also the person accompanying you might think of a good question to ask the doctor you didn’t consider, I hope it went well for you. I’m on my 3rd cancer so I have experienced this.

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