How Will The Consultation Help Me?
Our consultations usually take about an hour. A nurse who specializes in breast cancer education and navigation will be meeting with you over the phone or in person. She will go over the "next steps" that you will be taking after a diagnosis. In talking to you about these next steps, the nurse will be referring to your radiology and pathology reports to help you better understand what recommendations may be discussed with you by your doctors. The nurse's role is not to give medical treatment recommendations, but to help you understand what the different choices for treatment may be and to introduce you to medical language that you will be hearing. For example, surgical decisions for breast cancer usually pertain to either a lumpectomy or a mastectomy. These procedures can be hard for someone to understand who is not familiar with breast cancer. The nurse can give you educational information and answer questions to assist in your decision making.
In the initial steps after diagnosis, the nurse will work with you to help set up appointments for a surgical or medical oncology consultation. She can also help you better understand how to establish strong and trusting relationships with your breast cancer physician team, and in addition she will work with your primary care physician, if you have one, to support effective communication between care providers. After the initial consultation, we will be available for questions as you need us.
Our nurses will also help you access non medical resources that may be valuable and do her best to support you and your family's emotional well-being through the maze of information, appointments and procedures you will encounter.
Most women and men will survive a diagnosis of breast cancer. However, hearing the words "you have breast cancer" can cause fear and anxiety which can hinder a person's ability to take in information and take part in the treatment decisions. Our goal is to decrease your anxiety and fear by helping you access objective, credible information through our educational "tool kit" and by talking through your diagnosis with you. We will also work with your treatment team to assist you through decisional conflicts and work with you to navigate through an often challenging maze of choices.
