First oncologist visit

Welcome

I too wish it was in better circumstances but glad you connected with us just the same .

The first meeting with the oncologist can be a tough one as they sometimes go into prognosis and unless that’s something your dad wishes to talk about it can be a good idea to alert  the oncologist to his wishes regarding that at the beginning of the meeting . My mum decided against it and we just requested that we were interested in hearing about treatment options and plans but not prognosis at this juncture .

The positive side it does feel good to hear that there are many treatment options and that some people do very well on it . 

They mainly go into how chemo is administered and potential side effects . You might like to check that you have a firm grasp on how to contact nurses etc if you are wanting to ask questions about side effects etc . Find out the local procedures in your area .

They might go into how many treatments he will have and then rescan . I liked to know the timescales of scanning etc .

My mum started treatment for stage 4 cancer over ten years ago and the chemo did a fantastic job . 

Send your dad our love and people here will be happy to walk through any questions he might have as it goes along .

take care ,

Court 

Hi court 

thank you for your reply , I’m happy to hear your mum has responded so well and that has given me hope and relief ,as I have read threads on this site that are only bad news.Very few good news stories about stage 4. I don’t know if that is because those who are doing well are getting on with their lives , or those with the bad experience are reaching out for support . Either way your story has given me hope and comfort and I thank you for that  

Hi ,

They are out having fun for sure . There are some patients that have been on chemo for years with very skilled oncologists at the helm . Others have successful treatment that opens up other options . Sadly not all but it’s most certainly not a situation without hope . We are also hoping more better treatments to come through . Slowly that is coming and lots have changed in the last ten years . 

They don’t give much away until they see how your dad as an individual responds and that’s where I think the hope lies . It just needs to work for him . 

I get where you are coming from as I did exactly the same thing ten years ago . 

I hope your dad has an amazing response to chemo . 

Take care ,

Court