Preparing for appointments

Your medical appointments are the best times to speak with members of the healthcare team.

It’s normal to feel nervous and worry that you will forget to ask an important question during an appointment. Good preparation can improve your comfort levels and can make you feel more satisfied with doctor visits overall.

How you can take an active role in your care

Learning about your cancer will help you make informed decisions with your doctor about your cancer treatment. When you take an active role in your ongoing care, you are better able to cope once you begin treatment and can look forward to the prospect of recovery.

Be an information seeker. Learn about your diagnosis and the most current treatment.
Keep all appointments with the doctor and be sure to talk openly about any fears, concerns or side effects you have.
Contact your doctor about tiredness, fever, pain or difficulty sleeping so that any problems can be addressed early.
Get medical advice if you have changes in mood, feelings of sadness or depression that persist. Depression is an illness that should be treated.
Talk to family and friends about how you feel and how they can help.

Helpful tips

Watch and keep track of signs and symptoms of side effects.

You may be experiencing fatigue, nausea, anxiety, hair loss or brain fog. These and other side effects of cancer treatment should be discussed with your healthcare team and there are ways to manage them.

Read: Managing side effects

Keep a list of all your medications and supplements

Any prescription or over-the-counter medications, and supplements like vitamins and minerals that your doctor has prescribed should be tracked. Take the list with you whenever you see a new doctor as part of your treatment.

Download: Health Manager App

Go to appointments with questions you’ve prepared in advance.

Good preparation can improve your comfort levels and can make you feel more satisfied with doctor visits overall.

Read: Questions for the healthcare team

Take notes during the appointment.

Bring a loved one with you whenever possible and if that’s not possible, ask your doctor if you can record the conversation so you can listen to it again later.

Organize and keep medical records.

Keep all of your medical information and instructions about your care in one place and take them with you to your appointments especially if you are seeing a new doctor.

The outlook is continuing to improve

Remember that the outlook for people with a blood cancer is continuing to improve and new treatments are on the horizon. Researchers are studying new blood cancer treatments in clinical trials for people of all ages and in all treatment stages.

Understanding clinical trials

Get an overview of clinical trials, understand them, how they are planned, evaluate benefits and risks of participating, address concerns and what to ask.

Download

You are not alone

At any time during your diagnosis, contact us to speak with the Community Services Manager in your area to find more information about your cancer type, treatment options, and where you can get support for you and your family in your community.

Access one-on-one personalized support

Worksheets to manage your cancer care

It can take a lot of effort to stay organized and on top of everything you need to know. We’ve created easy-to-follow worksheets that will help to keep you organized and ultimately save you some time.