Christian Country CONTACT
offers this unofficial website to encourage and support
Cancer Patients
This page has been accessed 
times since March 30, 1998.
Diagnosis Day : NOW WHAT?
- Call the Cancer Information Service at 1-888-939-3333 (toll-free number good throughout Canada) and request information about the kind of cancer you have.
- Start a personal health record. Carry a notepad and pen with you to jot down notes, thoughts, questions, names and contact information about doctors and counsellors
you meet.
- Set up a file for cancer-related documents so that you will have all of your information in one place.
- Call your local Canadian Cancer Society office to find out what kind of cancer services and support groups are available in your community.
- Make sure you have business cards from every medical professional you visit. If this is not possible, record mail address, phone number, name of
attending physician, date and purpose of the visit in your notepad. This resource may prove invaluable when filling out government forms, insurance
claims, and so forth.
- Once you have reviewed all available literature on the type of cancer you have been diagnosed as having, make an appoiintment for an extended visit
with your doctor so that you can get answers to your list of questions. (Be sure to take your notepad with you.)
- Tell your doctor or specialist how much detail you wish to know about your particular situation. If you do not understand
the answers you are given, ask for clarification.
- Don't be afraid to ask questions! Some questions, like those about life expectancy, may seem too scary to explore initially. Take
your time and ask when you are ready. Your doctor will provide as little or as much information as you request.
- Every person's experience with cancer is different. The stories you hear may not apply to your particular situation.
- Focus your energy on things that make you feel good. It often helps to discuss your feelings with friends, family or professionals.
- Friends and family may want to help but need to know how. Make up a list of activities that would help you or your family, and
refer to it when someone offers assistance. The person offering and the person needing the help both benefit.
- Borrow or buy an answering machine so you can stay in touch with callers and choose when to return calls.
- Keep a positive attitude. REMEMBER: YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE ALONE!
The foregoing list was adapted from the pamphlet "CANCER: Helpful Hints for the Newly Diagnosed"
which was developed by the Central West Ontario Regional Cancer Task Force
The pamphlet is available from the Canadian Cancer Society as #371600 Sept./96.
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This page was created by Doris E. Howie with Rudy Brinkman's incomparable RHTML.ZIP
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Updated April 5, 1998