Ignorance, confusion and unspoken fears can isolate people from one another. In a situation filled with anxiety, the isolation can be especially severe and painful. When family and friends share information about treatment plans, medications and side effects, cancer becomes more understandable and bearable for everyone concerned.
Besides reducing misunderstandings and improving communication, the use of audiotapes has the advantage of making the doctor's explanations more organized and concise. For the doctor, it will also mean fewer unanswered questions and fewer calls from family members trying to find out what's going on.
Getting More Information Besides the discussion and the audiotapes, your doctor may provide you with information in the form of handouts, pamphlets or recommended reading. These are available free from the National Cancer Institute , the American Cancer Society and many support organizations.
Pamphlets and books have their place in giving you both general and detailed information about your cancer and its treatment, but videotapes can accelerate the learning process. Videotapes may be especially important in the period just after your diagnosis because the emotional adjustment you have to make to having cancer can interfere with the concentration necessary for reading. A decrease in attention span and comprehension—a kind of emotional or mental paralysis, really—is not unusual. So videotapes to explain CT scans, radiation therapy , good nutrition, exercise or any other aspects of cancer and cancer therapy can be very helpful.
