Mesothelioma Cancer Diagnosed- Questions to ask

Following diagnosis, uppermost amongst a patient's thoughts

will be these..."Am I going to die?", "Will I be in much

pain?". As there is no cure for mesothelioma it is important

that the patient is advised that with modern treatment they

can, for months or years, live a normal life for most of

the time. And that the modern drugs are very effective at

keeping pain under control and relieving it.



Obviously the treatment aspect is extremely important and

the patient and close relatives must ensure that they get

the consultant and doctors to explain comprehensively how it

is all going to work. It is advisable to compile a list of

questions to put to the medical staff prior to any

appointments or consultations and to get a relative or close

friend to go along with the patient.



I would advise taking a look on the internet for information

about the disease and printing out relevant bits. I did

this when my father was diagnosed with stomach cancer. When

I showed the consultant what I had been studying, I sensed a

more open discussion and perhaps a few more technical

details were covered that otherwise might not have been.



There is no harm in taking notes with you and you might even

consider taping the discussion. These are potentially

highly stressful and upsetting meetings which might mean

that you don't remember all that was said. You'll want to

know where and when the treatments will take place.



Include questions about possible side effects and the range

and type of drugs they will be taking. And how the drugs

will be taken, injection, by mouth, intravenous etc.



Difficulties arise when a question is asked about how long

the patient has got to live. It is impossible for the doctor

to predict the future exactly for an individual patient and

they would be putting unecessary pressure on themselves if

they did.



This uncertainty is not good for the patient and vague

answers never satisfy anyone. I would push the doctor for an

educated guess based on his experience and the results he

has at hand. This is only my opinion. I would want to know

if I've got months (which could be two or three) or years

(which could be 12 months).



Fears can often be worse than reality. That is why it is

important to collate as much knowledge about the illness and

disease as possible. Discussing this new knowledge with

friends and relatives can help relieve the stress as the

treatment progresses.