Hi
My wife has her first meeting with her Oncologist on Friday - we are trying to think of all the questions we should have ready to ask. Anyone got any suggestions?
My wife has had WLE, then Mastectomy and then ANC (1 out of 10). Due to start Chemo but we don’t know what sort yet.
Thanks
Hi there
They will probably tell you most of what you need to know.
Type of drugs they will use ( write them down and you can check them out on the cancer backup site )
Risks of infection ( swimming pools, coughs/colds, ask about anything she does that might be risky )
Possible side effects ( sickness, mouth ulcers, fertility )
How many treatments and how often ( usually 6 sessions 3 weeks apart )
Treatments ( how long will each treatment last )
Hair loss or not ( ask about the cold cap which can be used to help stop hair falling out 1 in 4 success rate )
Hair loss ( do they provide an NHS wig or voucher to use they should )
I’m sure some more ladies will be on with lots of other questions you can ask.
Once I had seen my oncologist I had to have my pre assessment a week later in the chemo unit. I had a good look around and it didn’t seem at all scary as I thought it might. Ask if you can visit the chemo unit to see what it’s like.
She will probably have her bloods done just before each session or a couple of days before to check that she is ok to go ahead, they check blood cells and other things.
There is a thread on here called chemo tips that might be worth a look at. There are quite a few of us a thread called newly diagnosed movers if she wants to ask any questions most have had one session or are about to start.
Hope this helps.
Take care.
Ann
xxx
Leaflets and info on chemo
hi there
I agree with Ann - the oncologist will tell your wife everything she needs to know in advance, and give her literature to bring home and read at leisure to recap everything - because there is so much info to take in it’s impossible to remember everything, and for that reason they only tell her what she needs to know at each stage of treatment, but leave the lines of communication open to phone up and ask any questions as and when they occur. I have kept a notebook handy through all of this to remind myself what I need to ask.
If I may just share one top tip - she would do well to avoid eating favourite foods on chemo day and possibly the couple of days after. For some reason, some of us have developed a bad “association” with whatever we eat on chemo days, because when the nausea kicks in, it is a side effect of the drugs BUT it tends to return every time we think of what we ate that day. As an example, I have gone off pizza, spagetti bolognese (or in fact anything made of mince beef) omelettes, ham sandwiches, chicken nuggets and oven chips, soup. Thankfully these were my LEAST favourite foods and I ate them on purpose cos I can live without them if my taste for them never comes back. Conversely I have not had a curry since March as life would not be worth living without Indian food, and my partner is half Indian so his family would be upset if I turned my nose up at their food for the rest of my life.
Oh and it’s a good idea to get some Gaviscon in, as some people get awful acid reflux in the first week of a chemo cycle.
I hope all goes well for your wife and she is lucky to have you on here asking concerned questions on her behalf 
I think Ann covered everything in her post and Clarabel34 gave some good advice about food associations. There will be questions to ask that come to mind after your wife’s visit so keep a note and ask one of the Breast Cancer `Nurses (BCN) when she either starts her chemo or has a visit prior to treatment starting. Questions also come up during treatment so jot them down and ask the onc, if you get to see them, or one of the BCN’s. It’s also a good idea to do a search on this site for previous experiences of the chemo drugs she will be on - there’s far more ‘real’ info than some of the leaflets give, or start a thread with a question and you should get loads of replies. The main thing I’ve found that has helped me (I’m halfway through chemo) is being on a thread with ladies who started at the same time, we support each other, moan, discuss side effects and most importantly have a laugh. Your wife will definitely find several ladies in the same boat as her.
Hope all goes well and do post on here again if there’s any questions you might have - we’re a clever bunch 
Nicky
Thanks all - really useful comments.
Mark
A couple of things I’d add.
Let the onc know how much you want to know as they don’t like to overwhelm you and you don’t get as much time as you need in my experience although I am an information junkie. So if you want to know as much as possible let them know, make sure your missus feels the same way though. Do you want to know the numbers that the database gives them? These numbers are part of what helps them plan the treatment so I wanted to know myself but some find that disconcerting (I did, but still glad I asked)
What I didn’t ask was what difference there would have been if I had been on a different regime eg I am on 6 X FEC, what if I had been on say 3 X FEC and 3 X Tax.
I had the preassesment the same day, this was just weight and height being taken if I recall correctly, seems like months ago… Oh it was
I personally have had very few side effects and the chemo nurse says that my “just get on with it” attitude helps but I think luck and physiology has as much to do with it as anything.
I should say I wish I had asked about why those specific drugs.
depending on the diagnosis of the cancer…that will depend on the chemo and what is best for your wife…
as ther is differant types of chemo’s / regimes
but the onc will go through all of this withb you and can give you a print out of what to expect on what ever regime your wife will go on
best of luck
sal