Seek and Search is about venturing into the unknown as you explore potential providers and treatments. This phase can feel chaotic with both fear and forward movement. Meeting with providers and learning about treatment recommendations takes people with cancer and their loved ones to an edge. Trust that any vulnerability you feel contains your power. Know that you can reach a confident decision about next steps.
1. Choose Oncologists and Providers for Consultations and Schedule Appointments
After you have evaluated all of the information gathered during Step 2: Research about your diagnosis, providers, facilities, and treatments, and perhaps consulted with an Integrative Guide, create a list of your top potential oncologists and other key providers. Make appointments with those individuals. Consider consultations by telephone if possible. Assess your travel options if the best providers appear to be located far from your home. Evaluate how you feel about seeking care outside of your local area.
If you've contacted a medical facility and they haven't called you back, try again. Be proactive. It's unfortunate that some phone calls to providers are not returned. But when people with cancer have the experience, they need to follow-up. Call them again and again if necessary. Contact the provider's assistant, provider, nurse, or someone else in their department. If you absolutely do not have energy for the follow-up calls, ask a familiy member, friend, or even Integrative Guide to help you.
2. Ask for Support
Ask a family member or friend to join you for your appointments to serve as your advocate and perhaps even help you prepare for consultations.
3. Identify Questions for Appointments
Identify questions for each appointment. A comprehensive list of questions is provided in Questions for Evaluating Cancer Treatments and Providers. Know that your questions often change from appointment to appointment.
4. Confirm your Diagnosis
More than one pathologist should confirm your diagnosis. Variability exists and one pathologist may label the type and stage of the cells differently than another. Confirm the cancer type and stage with multiple experts. The pathology diagnosis is best done before your oncology appointments if possible.
5. Consult with Oncologists
Get your Questions Answered
Make sure you have your list of questions, including Questions for Evaluating Cancer Treatments and Providers. Maintain the priority to have your questions answered. Ask your support person to maintain focus on this task by repeating questions that have not been answered and requesting clarification about any unclear responses from providers. Add questions to your list during the consult as necessary. Feel empowered toward collecting full answers from providers about any and all questions and concerns.
Recognize that Treatment Recommendations Differ
Providers are unique in how they think, communicate, and relate to their patients. Treatment recommendations also vary depending upon the person making them and where they work.
Optimize Patient-Provider Communication
Tell the provider if you prefer detailed, technical explanations with scientific reasoning about complex procedures, or if you would rather be given a general explanation. Ask providers to repeat important information, emphasize the most critical pieces, and, if necessary, meet with you during more than one appointment.
Consider Recording Conversations
Emotional overwhelm can impair comprehension during clinical appointments. Studies suggest that cancer patients may not retain information given to them during their appointments. Listening to recorded conversations can be helpful.
Collect Research Studies
Ask for references to research studies supporting treatment recommendations. Learn about different levels of scientific evidence in Evidence-Based Medicine.
Learn the Complexity of Statistics
Statistics reflect estimates based on large groups of people and that the numbers are typically compiled 10 to 20 years earlier. As circumstances change, including treatments and the knowledge about what each individual can do to support their own wellness, the survival curve changes. Statistics can never predict the fate of a single individual.
6. Collect Multiple Opinions
Studies indicate cancer care is uneven. Different facilities and providers offer different types of care. Compared with several countries in Europe such as France, Germany, and Great Britain, overall, cancer care in the United States is also more aggressive. To make the most informed, educated decision toward the best care, consult with several oncologists and other providers. Acquire a second, third, and even a fourth opinion if necessary.If you are receiving different recommendations, ask the provider to explain these discrepancies.
If you are the most comfortable with a treatment plan recommended by an oncologist far from your home, you might be able to find an oncologist in your community to coordinate your treatments.
7. Evaluate Opinions and Recommendations
Review opinions and recommendations from providers you have met. Analyze the answers you have collected to your questions. Create a chart with the information if that helps your evaluation process. The chart might assess the providers you have consulted with, their recommendations, answers to your questions, and areas of support within an integrative cancer care model.
8. Choose an Oncologist
Tell the oncologist you have chosen that they are now a part of your team. Know that only a limited number of oncologists practive varying degrees of integrative cancer care.
9. Choose Other Providers for your Integrative Cancer Care Team
Even if you choose an integrative oncologist, you will need additional integrative providers with expertise in different areas. The potential scope of other providers in your integrative cancer care team was discussed in Step 2: Research in #7 Research Providers for Other Components of your Integrative Cancer Care Team.
Now go to Step 4: Work in Progress for more information.
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