Am I Getting the Right Treatment?

Am I getting the right treatment?

Breast cancer is a complex disease.  For every individual that is diagnosed with breast cancer, there are many factors that influence the treatment that you will receive.  These include the type of breast cancer, its stage and grade, hormone  receptor and HER2 status, plus your age, overall health and in some cases, personal preferences.  That means that there isn't one right way to approach diagnosis and treatment.   Your treatment is going to depend on your breast cancer.

Y-ME Peer Counselors are there to help you understand your diagnosis and the possible treatments for your breast cancer. 

They recommend that you:

• Get the information you need to understand your breast cancer.  The more you understand about exactly where you are, the more actively you will be able to participate in the decision making process, and the more comfortable you will be with the decisions that you and your doctor make.
• Realize that information and understanding are not necessarily the same thing.  You can find a huge amount of information from your medical records or on the internet, but unless you understand your breast cancer and how the information applies to your case, information alone is likely to be confusing and overwhelming.  You need to be able to interpret the information, and that often requires help from your medical team or another reliable support system.
• Don't be afraid or timid about asking questions of your doctor and treatment team.  Bring a family member or friend with you to appointments to take notes or just provide another set of ears and eyes to absorb what you are told. 
• From day one, try to keep your medical records complete and organized.  Many large centers have on-line patient portals that are valuable tools to help you do this, but with or without this resource, it is very useful to have your records and be able to access them when you need them.
• Choosing the right doctor, treatment team and center are still the most important factors in assuring that you get the best available and most appropriate treatment.  Breast cancer is a complex disease which involves a number of physicians from different medical disciplines and other staff, such as nurses, social workers, nutritionists and psychologists.  You want to be treated in a place that has doctors and support staff who specialize in treating cancer, or specifically breast cancer, and who work together as a team to develop your treatment plan.  In the end, getting the right treatment and feeling comfortable with your decisions, means having a skilled, experienced medical team that you trust.