Questions for oncologist consultation

I was in such shock that I didn't have any questions for my oncologist on the first visit. But he gave me his nurse's direct phone number so I could call with questions later. His nurses have been very helpful. I also read up a lot on the Mayo clinic site before I went. I was reassured when his course of treatment was exactly what I had read about. I had anal cancer which I guess is pretty rare but responds well to chemo and radiation.

I would like to know how you are doing. I was also diagnosed with anal cancer. I had radiation and chemo in February and March of 22 Dr says I am clear, but I still have trouble with incontinence. Questions I ask are How long will side effects last? When will I have another colonoscopy (which discovered the cancer) I still question whether the radiation caused nerve damage in pelvic area.

I was diagnosed in April of 22 and did chemo and radiation in may\june. Since then I had a PET scan in Sept and a sigmoidoscopy also in Sept. Those both showed that the cancer is gone. I'm doing ok with incontinence but was really struggling with diarrhea. That seems to be working better now. I played around using Imodium and that seems to have helped. I also had a blood clot in Sept that they say was brought on by the chemo. Doctor put me on a blood thinner that he says I need to take for a year. New problem came up last month. I'm 65 female whose had a hysterectomy years ago. Now I'm bleeding. Had some biopsies the other day and just waiting to see if its cancer. It's such a rare cancer that it's nice to talk with someone else who has the same thing. I'm supposed to have another sigmoidoscopy in March. My oncologist says he tests as often as Medicare will let him. He told me I'd hate him in 5 years. Lol I don't think so. As far as I'm concerned you can't test too much.

Hi my name is Mary and i was diagnosis with anal cancer from a polyp I still waiting for result from mri and tomorrow the will repit the rectoscopic .please let me know how you doing with you situation

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Hi Mary Mary 69, I wish you good luck on your journey. Mine seems to have been pretty easy. The chemo wasn't too bad but the radiation caused a lot of burns "down there". That has all healed and everything seems to be working as well as can be expected. Please keep us posted on how you are doing and what treatments you will be doing.

While I appreciated the comments, none of them actually suggested questions to ask the oncologist. Good luck on your journeys.

Hello @ruthg

You are asking a great question! When visiting a specialist, it is important to know what to ask so that you can know what to expect.

To answer your question, give some thought to what you really want to know about your future treatment. For example, do you want to know if more treatments are required such as chemotherapy or radiation? Do you want to know the side effects of these treatments? Do you need any information about activity level?

Whatever is on your mind or whatever concerns you, should be on the list of discussion topics that you bring with you to the appointment.

Often it is helpful to have someone go with you to an appointment. Another person in the room can often help you to formulate your questions and take notes on the doctor's responses.

Do you have a friend or a relative you might accompany you to this upcoming appointment?