REFLECT ON THE TREATMENT DECISION

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If you've carefully read each step up to this point, you'll realize that you've simply been gathering information about treatment options. You have not yet made any treatment decisions. Now it is time to systematically review your treatment options one last time prior to crossing this Rubicon.

First, compare. Are you receiving consistent information from:

•          The doctor who made the initial diagnosis?

•          The oncologist whom you consulted for your second opinion?

•          The recommendations were made through your independent research?

You should expect to see a reasonable consistency in the recommendations you receive from these sources. Most variances should relate to differences in levels of toxicity and degrees of invasiveness. If there is fundamental agreement, your decision- making process will probably be straightforward.

If the recommendations are inconsistent, then your information gathering is not complete. When you receive mixed signals, it is a certain sign to obtain a third qualified and independent opinion. This is time and money wisely spent.

In all but the very rare case, the few days spent in gaining a third or fourth opinion are well worth the wait. As a patient you are after the very best treatment. You should expect a consistency of recommendations, if not a consensus.

Terry is a 47-year-old man from Indiana who was diagnosed with lymphoma. He obtained eight different opinions before agreeing to a program of treatment. Terry's determination to find the best has proven wise, and today he is alive and well.

Terry's experience points to an objection patients often raise: "But my insurance won't cover a third opinion."  Don't let insurance coverage limits determine this issue. Borrow the money or seek out a free clinic. There is nothing more important in your life at this moment.

Once you attain clarity and conviction in terms of the medical treatment, another evaluation needs a second reflective look. Are you comfortable with the people who will give you treatment and the place where the treatment will be administered?

June, a single mother in her fifties, had ovarian cancer. The treatment program in which she had the most confidence was recommended by doctors at a Comprehensive Cancer Center that was located more than an hour's commute away over busy California freeways. She was expected to visit the center weekly while undergoing treatment. The commute was a problem. June didn't want to drive in rush-hour traffic; a friend or family member would have to act as chauffeur. She also didn't feel completely safe in the part of the city where the center was located.

June expressed her concerns about the drive and her physical safety to the supervising oncologist. The doctor's response was compassionate and understanding. He was able to make arrangements at a hospital only ten minutes from June's apartment. She could receive her weekly treatments there and visit the cancer center just once a month. To this day, June believes the change in location was an important part of her successful recovery.

Does the recommended treatment program truly have your conviction? Are you convinced that the recommendations are the finest? Conviction implies a sense of certainty. While there are no guarantees, your treatment program and the people who administer it should elicit a strong degree of certainty that this is the right path to be taking at this time.

The Cancer Recovery Foundation of America has helped thousands of cancer patients walk through this treatment option analysis. Invariably the question arises, "What about all the alternative approaches? I really haven't checked them out." We have consistently recommended this strategy: First, explore the conventional treatment options. Surgery, radiation, and chemo-therapy are the basis for the overwhelming majority of survivor success stories.

If the conventional treatment methods hold no real promise or are unsuccessful, then analyze both the investigative options, through National Cancer Institute—sponsored clinical trials, and the complementary and alternative therapies.

With all the options, integrate improved diet and nutritional supplementation, plus the psychosocial and psychospiritual techniques. Mobilize body, mind, and spirit. I believe that a physician who withholds this integrated treatment approach is no longer offering an informed medical opinion.

Allow yourself time to reflect on these important decisions. Don't be pressured by anyone to hurry a decision. When the treatment recommendations are consistent, the people who ad-minister the treatment have your confidence, you understand the importance of integrating body, mind, and spirit, and you can say with conviction that this is what you should be doing now, then, and only then, are you ready to go to the next step.

An Important Thing You Can Do

Consult your notations in your Wellness and Recovery Journal. Thoughtfully, carefully, systematically, reflect on your treatment decision. Take another break. Reflect . . . again.