Advice To Women Newly Diagnos... Video Transcript

Webcast Transcript

There's a lot of misinformation on the Internet, but there's a lot of fabulous information, and I would walk into my appointments with a list and I wouldn't leave until the list was answered. And I tell that to women all the time, "Don't leave. Don't leave questioning. Leave understanding. If you can understand what they're going to do to you, you're going to help that medicine help you."

HYMAN MUSS, MD: I think the better informed you are, the more you can do for yourself. And actually you can help out the health care providers by being informed.

ANNOUNCER: Checking out where your insurance stands on cancer treatment is important while finding support from friends, family and support groups can be invaluable.

AMELIE RAMIREZ, Dr.P.H.: Talk with other women immediately. What did they do? What worked for them? And get to speak with a counselor and find out exactly what are the alternatives that they have. Go back and discuss that with their family. But at the end, the woman needs to make the final decision. But she needs all the type of information that's necessary for her to make an informed decision.

ANNOUNCER: Whatever course of treatment is chosen, it's important to acknowledge the emotional strain.

SORAYA: She can cry and she can scream and she can punch whatever's next to her. Hopefully it's not human, but if it's a pillow she should. You know we have to embrace all those emotions. It's OK. It's OK to scream. It's OK to say, you know, "Why is this happening?" That's all fine, but give yourself a window of time to do that and then knock it off. Shake it off.

ANNOUNCER: Naturally the most important message that medical professionals give is to not only be proactive but positive.

HYMAN MUSS, MD: Most women today who get breast cancer survive it. So I would try to reassure her that with proper treatment and good care that it's not -- it doesn't mean that life has ended today.

Related Videos

A Good Doctor-Patient Relationship in Breast Cancer
Preparing For Side Effects: What to Expect From Breast Cancer Therapies
A New Voice in Breast Cancer Activism: Soraya's Story
Cancer and Cancer Treatment: Can it Affect Sleep?