One Man’s Advice From Four Cancer Battles

[flashl]

Hamilton Jordan, the former White House chief of staff for President Jimmy Carter, was a well-known force in the health community. During the past 24 years he battled four different forms of cancer and urged cancer patients to empower themselves with information.

...

In his 2001 memoir, “No Such Thing as a Bad Day,'’ Mr. Jordan outlined his “Top 10 Tips for Cancer Patients.'’ He spoke about them during this undated interview with WebMD. Here they are:

No. 1: Be an active partner in the medical decisions that are made about your life.
No. 2: Seek and know the truth about your illness, and prognosis.
No. 3: Get a second opinion.
No. 4: Determine upfront how broad or narrow your physicians’ experience is.
No. 5: If you have a poor prognosis, or a rare form of cancer, try to get to a center of excellence.
No. 6: Do not allow your caregivers to project their values, goals and expectations onto you.
No. 7: Understand the economics of cancer care.
No. 8: Ultimately, find a doctor that you trust and believe in.
No. 9: Treat your mind as well as your body.
No. 10: Your attitude and beliefs are your most powerful weapon against cancer.

To read the full interview, click here.

NY Times

[cosmik debris]

1. I like #8

I'm amazed at the number of people who pay doctors that they don't trust for advice that they don't follow. And then they complain about the doctor!

Edit: These ten items apply to all illness, not just cancer.

[But....]

2. I'm a little worried about #7....

is that like if you can't afford treatment too bad?:-(

[flashl]

3. Explanation from article ..

You don’t want to be in a situation where your doctor wants to run a $150 test that your insurance doesn’t cover, but it contains critical information for making your diagnosis or deciding treatment. You need to understand what your insurance covers, and let your doctor know what you’re willing to do to supplement that coverage to get a good diagnosis, and the best possible treatment. If your doctor says that he wants to run another test, but insurance won’t pay for it, find out what it is. Why does he want to run it? Find out the cost, and determine whether you should pay it yourself. It might save your life.

[But....]

4. Thank you..

It's a very useful list, I made a copy and pinned it to the wall. Ash's has been in remission for over 6 years now. This is an issue that's going to touch all of us.:hug: