Health Topics

Questions to Ask Your Doctor

Andrew Schorr:

Now, when you get to your doctor though, the burning questions then let's help people form a list. I understand things they can ask at The Learning Center and that's great. What about formulating a list for when they have their visit?

Ms. Cundiff:

I think that probably one of the most important questions would be “What are my treatment options?” And could we talk about each of those treatment options in terms of the specifics for each of those treatment options. Because each treatment option may have different lengths of stay. Some may require some type of inpatient care. Some may require all outpatient care. Finding out whether or not you can get these particular treatments back in your home town. Many times it may be a particular drug that a pharmacy in your home town could dispense. So I think finding out what the treatment options are and the specifics about all those treatment options, that's one of the most important first questions that people should be prepared to ask.

Andrew Schorr:

Okay. Probably another one would be is there research going on at M. D. Anderson in clinical trials and what are my options there, and what are the pros and cons, right?

Ms. Cundiff:

Well, and it may well be, Andrew, that when a patients presents they may be a perfect candidate for a clinical trial that's currently recruiting participants. So if that is the case, then that's also a time to take the question to the next level. What phase is the clinical trial? How long is the clinical trial? And then again you get into the specifics of that clinical trial about the different drugs or the particular type of treatment that clinical trial is offering.

Andrew Schorr:

Right. Then let me back up. Then back at The Learning Center you all can answer the question for the patient to just understand what is a phase I trial, what is a phase II trial, what is a phase III trial, what is an open label trial, placebo controlled trial,

Ms. Cundiff:

Double blind study.

Andrew Schorr:

Double blind study. It is really confusing for someone who's never been around medicine before. So you can talk about the specifics of the trial with your provider, but you can be oriented by the lingo about clinical research from The Learning Center.

Ms. Cundiff:

We've developed patient education booklets that are available through The Learning Center that explain those things. We have videotapes that are available about clinical trials, because clinical trials are very important to the advancement of science. I think most people are aware of that. But it also helps people to understand what a clinical trial is and that it's not really labeled as that I'm a guinea pig or this isn't going to work because it's just a test. Clinical trials have proven very, useful in the treatment of many, types of cancer.

Andrew Schorr:

Let's go back to Gerry Neslony. Gerry, so when you go in for your visits do you go in with a specific list of questions?

Ms. Neslony:

Yes, I do.

Andrew Schorr:

And what's your attitude about the way you see it. I know you told me on the phone that you recognize that you're drawing on healthcare resources but you're at the center of it. You're the customer, if you will.

Ms. Neslony:

Right. Right. We are the customer. And my deal is I want to see everything that's out there so that whenever I to go to see the oncologist I want to ask him in detail what he knows about that particular clinical trial, how would it benefit me, would it help give me more time? And I'll really drill him on it.

And really there's one other thing I want to add. When you meet that doctor for the first time rely on your intuition or your gut feel. Listen to yourself. And if you need to get a second oncologist or a second surgeon's opinion, do that favor and don't second guess yourself. Make sure you get that second opinion.

Andrew Schorr:

Right.

Ms. Neslony:

That will give you a lot of peace later on. And if you need to fight a little bit to get whatever, definitely, they are working for you. You've hired them. And there's wonderful, wonderful doctors, but just sometimes a little personality problem could be there.

Andrew Schorr:

Right. And Elaina, that's something you can do too. M. D. Anderson is a huge cancer center, and there are usually multiple providers in different areas, fortunately. So just what Gerry's getting in is part of it is, as you said, you can look up the biosketch but then you meet Dr. X or Dr. Y and maybe it's a match or not. You can help people navigate the system so they understand the full range of their provider options there too.

Ms. Cundiff:

Exactly. We have done a really good job with just the M. D. Anderson site in general as far as having the different treatment centers broken down easily enough so that people can navigate. They can go to a particular center, the brain and spine center or the breast center or whatever their disease is, and easily click on trying to find out who those cancer specialists are in that center.

Andrew Schorr:

Right. And there's a wonderful group. But of course, and I think Gerry and I are totally aligned, you are at the center of it as the patient, you and your family, so you want to have a team around you sharing knowledge back and forth and you doing your part to be smart, but a group that you're comfortable be with. And I think M. D. Anderson wants that too.

You've been there a long time Elaina, and I'm always impressed with the helpfulness and just the spirit of people coming together to try to, if you will, make cancer history. I think everybody wants to work together towards the same end.

Ms. Cundiff:

Absolutely. It is a very team oriented approach. And that's one of the things, and Gerry can probably agree with me on this, that's a little bit overwhelming too, when you come to an institution like this and you find out that there might be five physicians that may be involved in your care. It's not just one general practitioner that we're used to going to for the common cold, but when you come here it is a team of physicians. And we even consider ourselves a part of that team. Of course, we're just providing that supportive care end, but I feel like anyone who interacts with the patient or family member you're part of that team. We're all fighting toward the same goal.

Andrew Schorr:

Right. So we've kind of given people an idea of some of these burning questions, but what's the way to present it, Elaina? So you go in with a list. First of all, you have to be respectful of someone's time.

Ms. Cundiff:

Absolutely.

Andrew Schorr:

So you want to make it sort of the short list, and you have very specific things you're going for. And then would the way to start, say, Doctor, here I have a list of three, four questions, five questions, whatever it is that I hope we can accomplish here. These are really important to me, and I've prioritized them, and my hope is that when I leave I can feel confidence in the answers that I've gotten.

You have to tell them what you have in store, right?

Ms. Cundiff:

I think that's fair to go into it with a very positive and even assertive type of attitude that you want to make the best of that time, that window of time that you have with that physician. If the physician just starts talking, if you're lucky you may get some of your questions answered by default.

But I think to just say I do have some specific questions here. Maybe when you're through with your physical exam or the information you need to give me today, I'd really like to get some of these questions answered before I leave.

Andrew Schorr:

Right.

Ms. Cundiff:

So I think just laying down those ground rules in the beginning is important.

Ms. Neslony:

Well, Elaina, what I did is I took the list of questions on the internet that you have for like your oncologist or your surgeon, and then I would just pick out the ones that were important to me and then rewrite them on a sheet of paper. And then sometimes I would just hand them to the doctor and just ask him, “These are some of my concerns, can you help we out with these?”