Concerns about the future - as well as about medical tests and treatments, hospital stays, and sexuality - are common. Talking with doctors, nurses, or other members of the health care team may help ease fear and confusion. Patients should ask questions about their disease and its treatment and take an active part in decisions about their medical care. Patients and family members often find it helpful to write down questions as they think of them to prepare for the next visit to the doctor. Taking notes during talks with the doctor can be a useful aid to memory. Patients should ask the doctor to repeat or explain anything that is not clear.
Most people want to know what kind of cancer they have, how it can be treated, and how successful the treatment is likely to be. The following are some questions patients might want to ask the doctor:
- I would like my partner / friend / family member to be with me during this consultation. Is that OK?
- What type of testicular cancer do I have?
- What tests are you going to do?
- Why - what are you looking for?
- After the tests will you know for sure whether I have cancer and if it has spread?
- Are they painful?
- How should I prepare?
- How long do the results take?
- Can you do a biopsy instead of removing my testicle?
- Can I have a fake testicle (prosthesis) put in during my operation?
- What are the blood tests for?
- What stage is my testicular cancer?
- How likely is it to be cured?
- Can it still be cured if it comes back after I am treated?
- Are there any treatment choices?
- Is it possible to keep working during treatment?
- How will you know if the treatment has worked?
- Am I likely to be able to father children after my treatment?
- Will the treatment affect my sex life?
- Should I have sperm banking before my treatment starts?
- Are there any clinical trials for testicular cancer treatment?
- How will you know if the cancer comes back?
- For how long will I need to come back for tests after my treatment has finished?
- Who can I talk to about problems with sex and fertility?
- Does the hospital offer counselling?
- How should I talk about the disease with my family and children?
- My son / brother is worried he might get testicular cancer. What should I tell him?
If you have testicular cancer there is further information that you might need - on new treatments, or individual drugs for example. Information is important when you have cancer and there are several organisations that can provide it and help with making choices. They produce ranges of literature, web sites and helplines to make it easier for you and your family to discuss concerns and gather more information. See our links page for a list of organisations that may be of help.
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