Questions to ask your medical team

After receiving an early breast cancer diagnosis, you are most likely going to have a lot of questions

for your medical team. But if you're unsure where to start, let me help you find the words. [MUSIC PLAYING]

Honesty is the best policy when it comes to communicating with your medical team. Tell them how you're feeling about your care, your concerns,

and if you need clarification on anything. It can also be helpful to write down questions ahead of time,

so you don't forget to ask them during your appointment. For starters, you should check with your doctor if any more testing needs to be done

to either confirm the diagnosis or to find out what treatment choices exist for your particular subtype

of cancer. You should ask what stage your cancer is in. The stage describes the size of the cancer

and whether it has spread. As far as treatment is concerned, ask about your options and what each of those options

would mean for you, how long those treatments will last, whether they have any short or long-term side effects,

and assuming surgery is necessary, does it happen before or after other treatments?

You should also ask about what treatment might cost and what insurance might cover if you don't have insurance,

ask about what options you have to pay for treatments. It's also a great idea to bring a friend or family member

with you to your appointment. They can help advocate on your behalf and write things down, as it can be

overwhelming to do these initial appointments on your own. I also invite every patient to record our initial consultation

on her smartphone for future reference, because you will probably hear a lot of new information that can be hard to remember, even just a few hours later.

Most likely, you will have a lot more questions. That's OK. Remember, your medical team is there to help you through this.

So ask them anything that comes to mind, even if it seems silly to you. As trite as it may sound, knowledge is power.

And the more you can learn about your cancer and your plan, the more in control and more hopeful you will feel.