What should I ask the doctor?

Question

My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer 3 years ago. She had been undergoing chemo until last may. She mainly suffered from endema in one of her legs and loss of appetite. The loss of appetite was mostly early on, but she was able to get around on her own until a month ago.

The doctor switched her to injections in July and things seem to have taken a turn for the worse. She is very fatigued, the endema has now spread to her stomach, she can't walk anymore and the list goes on.

She didn't want to go back into the hospital, so my sister suggested to my mom that they call the ambulance, so that my mom could be taken to another hospital. My mom was very open to the idea, but she did not want to go back to the hospital where she's been treated for the last 3 years. The ambulance took her to a different hospital, but when the hospital called the hospital she had been going to, her doc had her transferred.

I'm driving 2 hours to see her tomorrow. What should I ask her doc?

Answer 1

I'd like to help, but, I'm sorry, I don't have a clue what exactly your needed help with.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

well, first, I think you need to ask your mom why she doesn't want to go back to this hospital in particular. Is she not happy with the doctor she has? Does she think the chemo isn't working and is just more trouble than it's worth? Does she want a second opinion? Is she worried that the doctor might tell her that there's nothing else they can do?

As for questions for the doctor, I suggest you make your own list written down so you don't forget, although I assume you've probably been doing this. How about... Is there anything we can do to help my mom's edema so she can move about better (including diuretics)? If the treatment she's currently receiving isn't working, are there other options? Are there any new treatments being researched at this or other hospitals that my mom might be eligible to participate in? Is there anything we can do to help treat her current symptoms and improve her quality of life?

hope this helps, and good luck to you both.

Answer 4

With more information about your mom's condition it would be easier for us to give you advice. But from the info you provided, it sounds like your mother's treatment has gone from some type of pills (probably hormonal therapy) to chemotherapy? If that's the case, it likely is due to presence of metastatic disease. Her prognosis will depend on the type of response she has had to chemotherapy. However, it seems like her condition has been poor, whether that is because of her cancer or the treatment itself I cannot tell.

One of the things you should talk to her doctor about is a better idea of how her cancer is responding to the therapy. Another question would be whether her physical condition will allow her to obtain more treatment. The idea of chemotherapy, in the metastatic disease setting, is not for cure but for palliatiion, that is to say, to improve her symptoms from cancer. If her condition is worsened by therapy, then it would probably not be helpful in the long run.

The other questions you should ask are not to her doctor, but to your mother. You should find out what it is that she wants. She probably knows her own condition better than anybody, and she had good reasons to not want to to go to the hospital that she has been treated at and the doctors who know her best. Without sounding too gloomy, it would be important for you and your family to know what her wishes are and what ultimately will make her happy and comfortable.

Answer 5

1. where has her cancer spread?
2. why is she swelling and edematous
3. Is the swelling related to her cancer or is it because she is not
eating and dropping her protien stores
4. is her cancer cured (not treated, but cured)
5. do you reccomend more treatment
6 what are the chances the treatment will cure her
7. does further treatment prolong her life or cure her.
8. will radiation help to make her more comfortable
9. should our mother only have a short time to live can we
have a hospice consult.
10. what are our options for further care.
11 if this were your mother, would you continue treatment or
just keep her comfortable until the end
12. without treatment, how long does she have to live
13. with treatment, how long does she have to live
14. is her weakness d/t something other than her cancer



cancer RN

Answer 6

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Answer 7

Be straightforward ...askl about her prognosis....and ask the doctor what his plans are to find out if the cancer had metastasized somewhere else.... and be ready for an honest answer. Discuss all the options. Don't attempt to transfer her to another hospital again where they don't know her. You can get another doctor's opinion but transferring her to another hospital is useless.

Answer 8

She really should have discussed the situation with her doctor first, before showing up at a different hospital.
She should tell the doctor exactly what it is she is unhappy with. Is it the edema? The fatigue? What makes her unable to walk?

Answer 9

i dont really understand your question but in any case i would make sure the new doctor knows every single little thing that you and your mother know about her condition dont leave anything out.anything thats happened recently or in the past

Answer 10

ask the doc every question you guys can think of... write them down if you need to.