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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffYou're likely to start by first seeing your family doctor or a general practitioner. If blood tests or other tests and procedures suggest leukemia, your doctor may refer you to a specialist in the treatment of blood and bone marrow diseases and conditions (hematologist).
Because appointments can be brief, and because there's often a lot of ground to cover, it's a good idea to be well prepared for your appointment with a hematologist. Here's some information to help you get ready for your appointment, and what to expect from your doctor.
What you can do
- Be aware of any pre-appointment restrictions. At the time you make the appointment, be sure to ask if there's anything you need to do in advance, such as restrict your diet.
- Write down any symptoms you're experiencing, including any that may seem unrelated to the reason for which you scheduled the appointment.
- Write down key personal information, including any major stresses or recent life changes.
- Make a list of all medications, as well as any vitamins or supplements, that you're taking.
- Take a family member or friend along, if possible. Sometimes it can be difficult to absorb all the information provided during an appointment. Someone who accompanies you may remember something that you missed or forgot.
- Write down questions to ask your doctor.
Your time with your doctor is limited, so preparing a list of questions will help you make the most of your time together. List your questions from most important to least important in case time runs out. For chronic myelogenous leukemia, some basic questions to ask your doctor include:
- Can you explain what my test results mean?
- Do you recommend any other tests or procedures?
- What is the phase of my CML?
- What are my treatment options?
- What side effects are likely with each treatment?
- How will treatment affect my daily life?
- Which treatment options do you think are best for me?
- How likely is it that I'll achieve remission with the treatments you recommend?
- How quickly must I make a decision on my treatment?
- Should I get a second opinion from a CML specialist? What will that cost, and will my insurance cover it?
- Are there any brochures or other printed material that I can take home with me? What Web sites do you recommend?
In addition to the questions that you've prepared to ask your doctor, don't hesitate to ask questions when you don't understand something.
What you can do in the meantime
Avoid anything that makes your symptoms worse. For instance, if you're feeling fatigued, rest as much as possible. Focus on only the essential tasks of each day. The nonessential tasks can wait for a later day.
If you're having trouble eating because you feel full very quickly, choose smaller, more frequent meals. Consider sipping a nutritional supplement shake. These high-calorie shakes can help you temporarily to get the calories and nutrition you need if eating is uncomfortable.
- Chronic myelogenous leukemia. Fort Washington, Pa.: National Comprehensive Cancer Network. http://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/PDF/cml.pdf. Accessed Sept. 11, 2008.
- Chronic myelogenous leukemia treatment (PDQ) patient version. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/CML/patient/allpages/patient. Accessed Sept. 11, 2008.
- Chronic myelogenous leukemia and related disorders: An overview. In: Lichtman MA, et al. Williams Hematology. 7th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill; 2006. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2148618. Accessed Sept. 11, 2008.
- Leukemia - chronic myeloid - CML. Cancer.Net. http://www.cancer.net/patient/Cancer+Types/Leukemia+-+Chronic+Myeloid+-+CML. Accessed Sept. 17, 2008.
- Integrative medicine and complementary and alternative therapies as part of blood cancer care. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/attachments/National/br_1150734030.pdf. Accessed Sept. 17, 2008.
- Questions about treatment. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/graphics/National/Allquestionsworksheets/QuestionsabouttreatmentPS172R.pdf. Accessed Sept. 16, 2008.
- Kantarjian H, et al. Chronic myeloid leukemia. In: Abeloff MD, et al. Abeloff's Clinical Oncology. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone; 2008:2279-2291.
- SEER stat fact sheets - chronic myeloid leukemia. Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results. http://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/cmyl.html. Accessed Sept. 19, 2008.
- Tasignia (prescribing information). East Hanover, N.J.: Novartis; 2007.
- Gleevec (prescribing information). East Hanover, N.J.: Novartis; 2007.
- Sprycel (prescribing information). Princeton, N.J.: Bristol-Myers Squibb; 2007.
