The Do's and Don'ts of Fighting Cancer

Fighting cancer is hard enough without the added stress of issues with your insurance provider, feeling down about your appearance, and all of those other things that might be stressing you out. Read on for some Do's and Don'ts that will help you through your cancer journey.

Dealing with Insurance

• Do take the time to understand how your health insurance plan works.
  
  The last thing you need right now is to return home from your second chemotherapy treatment and find a Explanation of Benefits (EOB) in your mailbox from your insurance company telling you to expect a $5,508.94 bill from the hospital for your port placement.
  
  Every insurance plan is different...click here to read about some of the common ways a health insurance plan is structured.




• Do take care in selecting doctors and hospitals that are “in network” for your health insurance plan.
  
  Click here to find out the difference between in-network and out-of-network service providers.




• Do review every statement, Explanation of Benefits (EOB) and correspondence from your insurance provider and your hospital / doctor’s office.
  
  This is a big one, and here's why.

Other Do's and Don'ts

• Do make a list of questions for your doctor before each office visit.
  
  My simple method just may work for you, too…




• Don't be afraid to ask your doctor about ANYTHING that's on your mind.
  
  No question is dumb or too silly when it's concerning your health.
  I found that following this rule may have saved my life!




• Do strongly consider participating in a clinical research study as part of your treatments if given the opportunity.
  
  Click here to find out why participating in a clinical research study is important.




• Don't feel guilty about having "bad" days as you go through your treatments.
  
  Fighting cancer is hard work. You don't have to keep a positive attitude all day, everyday. You're going to have a bad day here and there - have it, then move on. Tomorrow is a new day.




• Do double-check the prescriptions and dosages of medications that you pick up from the pharmacy.
  
  You will no doubt be put on quite a few medications during your cancer treatments. My oncologist had me taking nine different pills on a daily basis, and with that many different medications to juggle, it can get hairy - for you and for the pharmicist. Before taking any medication, be sure that the pills inside the bottle match the description on the outside of the bottle; often, individual pills are marked with a number that indicates the dosage (5 mg, 10 mg, etc.).
  
  Also, double-check that the med description on the pill bottle matches the prescription from your doctor!




• Do keep your family and friends informed of your progression throughout treatments.
  
  Consider creating a page at either CarePages or CaringBridge and inviting your friends and family to join your page. You can even have a close friend or family member update it for you if you're not up to it.
  
  When I was going through treatments, I created a distribution list within my email address book that included all of the people I wanted to keep up-to-date on how I was doing; I sent updates to the list every other week or so.
  
  The bottom line is that the people who care about you want to know how you're doing - and sending out regular emails or updating a page that others can access is an easy way to make sure everyone is in the loop. An added benefit is that you won't have to respond to the same questions 100 different times from friends and family members - believe me, it can be overhwhelming to have to explain over and over that, yes, you've lost your hair, and, no, you didn't receive your last chemo treatment because your blood counts were too low.

Return to Home from Do's and Don'ts of Fighting Cancer