Questions to Ask After a Mesothelioma Diagnosis
47158
Health & Fitness
Oct 9, 2007
johnsonlawgroup
Questions to Ask After a Mesothelioma Diagnosis
The days and weeks after a mesothelioma diagnosis can be a frightening, confusing time. Whether you're a patient or a family member, you're bound to have many questions about what to expect, what treatment options are available to you and how your disease will affect your life. It's very important that you ask these questions and get the answers that you need in order to plan for the future. If your doctor has suggested that you might have mesothelioma, here are some of the questions that you should ask. What exactly is mesothelioma? Mesothelioma is a virulent form of cancer with only one known cause - exposure to asbestos fibers. Hundreds of thousands of people were exposed to asbestos fibers in the past sixty years. Many of them have developed lung problems over the years, including asbestosis and pleural plaques. A small percentage of them develop mesothelioma, which is caused by asbestos fibers lodged in the pleural, pericardial or abdominal lining. How did you reach a mesothelioma diagnosis? While your doctor may have done many tests to find out what was wrong with you, the most accurate test for determining a mesothelioma diagnosis is a tissue biopsy. Your doctor may have performed a fluid biopsy to look for cancerous cells in the fluid surrounding your lungs or heart, but fluid biopsies are not considered reliable because of the high rate of false negative results. Ask your doctor about the reliability of the tests used in arriving at your mesothelioma diagnosis. Should I get a second opinion? Getting a second opinion on a life changing diagnosis like mesothelioma is always a good idea. Getting a second opinion isn't the same as getting a second diagnosis. In most cases, there will be no need to repeat the tests you've already had - the second doctor will generally review the results of tests ordered by your first doctor. Occasionally, the doctor giving a second opinion may order other tests to clarify the results he's reading, or that he feels should be taken to be certain. What treatments are available for mesothelioma? Your doctor should be your first resource for the best and latest treatments for mesothelioma, but you can and should be an active participant in researching and making decisions about your care. Many of the treatments available for mesothelioma are standard treatments for other more common types of lung cancer, but there are new treatments being developed, and some surprising and hopeful breakthroughs in the treatment of mesothelioma and other cancers. Discuss all your options with your doctor, and don't be afraid of asking about treatments that he or she may not have mentioned but of which you've heard. Your doctor may have specific reasons why a particular treatment isn't appropriate in your case, but there is always the possibility that your doctor may not have heard of a new clinical trial or treatment yet. It's always better to ask than to wonder. What are clinical trials? Because of some very active advocacy groups consisting of doctors, patients and lawyers who work with people given a mesothelioma diagnosis, there is an upsurge of research into treatments for mesothelioma. Clinical trials are one of the final steps in testing a new treatment before the treatment is approved. Often, clinical trials offer treatments that are not yet available to the general public but which show a great deal of promise in treating disease. Pharmaceutical companies and research groups seek out patients with a particular set of conditions like a mesothelioma diagnosis to participate in "real life" testing in order to confirm the effectiveness of the new treatment, determine side effects and establish safe and effective dosages, among other things. How am I going to pay for my treatment? Finances are often a major concern for a patient who has been given a mesothelioma diagnosis. Many health insurance policies cap benefits for those with cancer or mesothelioma in particular. If your health insurance doesn't cover the necessary treatment for your illness, you may be eligible for care through the Veterans Administration if you are a veteran, or get assistance from the Social Security Administration. If you have a mesothelioma diagnosis, you may also have the right to bring suit against the companies that were responsible for your exposure to asbestos. There are a number of funds that have resulted from mesothelioma lawsuits, and you may be eligible for benefits from one of those, or you may be able to bring an individual suit against a company. Because mesothelioma is almost always traceable to asbestos exposure, you should consult a skilled mesothelioma lawyer as soon after your mesothelioma diagnosis as possible. You have rights to recover medical expenses and damages under the law, and a lawyer skilled in asbestos litigation and settlement is your best source of information on those rights.
Nick Johnson is lead counsel with Johnson Law Group. Johnson represents plaintiffs in many states and focuses on injury cases involving Fen-Phen and PPH, Paxil, Mesothelioma and Nursing Home Abuse. Call Nick Johnson at 1-888-311-5522 or visit http://www.johnsonlawgroup.com
send email to johnsonlawgroup
Write a Review
Add to My Favorite
Refer it to Friend
Report Article
Other links owned by this user
When it comes to looking for a beautiful and convenient place to live, there is nothing quite like the master-planned community to provide everything you need and more.
Category:
The days and weeks after a mesothelioma diagnosis can be a frightening, confusing time.
Category:
Each year 3,000 cases of Mesothelioma are diagnosed and most of the people who are diagnosed with this deadly cancer have never heard of it.
Category:
Nursing homes are supposed to exist to care for the aging members of our society who are no longer able to care for themselves.
Category:
Mesothelioma is a heartbreaking condition caused by exposure to asbestos.
Category:
Nursing home abuse is a terrible problem that is striking our country and leaving many of our sickest and neediest citizens helpless and in pain.
Category:
I heard someone state once that Texas communities were a dime a dozen. It was as if they had run through all the developed preplanned communities in Texas and determined that regardless of the differences, they were all pretty much the same and it didn't
Category:
You've decided that the best way to get the home that you want is to build a new home. Congratulations! You've just taken the first step toward living in the house of your dreams.
Category:
Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that is caused by exposure to asbestos.
Category:
When you have received a Mesothelioma diagnosis, one of your first thoughts should be to contact a top New York Mesothelioma lawyer to help you bring your case to court and to get the money that you will soon be needing for your care and treatment in the
Category:
Hearing news from a doctor that you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma is never good.
Category:
Mesothelioma is a rare and deadly form of lung cancer, and a diagnosis of Mesothelioma can often leave people wondering how and where they contracted such a terrible disease.
Category:
You'd think that the multimillion dollar settlements seen in some mesothelioma lawsuits would have taught us a lesson.
Category:
These are just a sampling of recent headlines about asbestos and mesothelioma lawsuits in the state of New York.
Category:
Public transportation is supposed to be a safe and economical way to travel, also easing congestion of our roads and helping to keep traffic running smoothly.
Category:
It is never an easy decision to place a loved one in a nursing home - as anyone who has ever done that knows only too well.
Category:
Are you concerned about yourself or a loved one because they have been diagnosed with mesothelioma?
Category:
Other links at Health & Fitness
A look at the use of prescription sunglasses as a method to protect your eyes against sun damage in the light of global warming.
Category:
In the article we discuss the problem of back pain, its causes and treatment.
Category:
We all know smoking is injurious to health and to quit smoking is really a difficult task. The addiction of smoking takes many lives every year worldwide. Although death rate due to smoking and diseases caused by smoking is very high people are not ready
Category:
Most articles on fitness generally advise consulting an experienced physician before starting any exercise program. This is suggested mainly due to the fact that if exercise is done improperly, it might lead to an injury. Read on to find out more ...
Category:
Although detoxification is not a treatment for pain killer addiction, it can help relieve withdrawal symptoms while the patient adjusts to being free of pain killers or other prescription drugs.
Category:
Site Sponsor
Directory Statistics
Articles: 68285
Categories: 501
Yahoo Entertainment
