What should you ask your doctor about aplastic anemia?

It’s important to have frank, open discussions with your medical team. They want to answer all of your questions, no matter how minor they might seem. For instance, consider asking these questions:

• Do you know what caused my aplastic anemia?
• What treatment choices do I have?
• Which treatment do you recommend, and why?
• What are the side effects to the treatments that you recommend?
• What can I do to help reduce the side effects I may have from the treatment?
• What are the chances that my aplastic anemia will come back once I am in remission?
• Do you suggest that I get a second opinion about my diagnosis or treatment, and who do you recommend?
• What is the outlook for my survival?

Along with these sample questions, be sure to write down some of your own. For instance, you might want more information about recovery times so that you can plan your work or activity schedule. Or you may want to ask about clinical trials for which you may qualify. You can find more information about communicating with your health care team in our document Talking With Your Doctor.