Page 101 - Creating Spiritual and Psychological Resilience

70 Creating Spiritual and Psychological Resilence

Appendix D.

50 Most Frequently Asked Questions by Terminally Ill Patients

1. How long do I have to live? 19. What are the side effects of
2. Are you sure about your the medicine?
diagnosis? 20. Are there any experimental
3. How much pain and suffer- programs or clinical trials
ing will I experience? related to this illness?
4. Is there anything that can be 21. How do I get enrolled in an
done to prolong my life? experimental program or
5. Are there any experimental clinical trial?
programs I might be able to 22. How much will it cost me to
join? join an experimental pro-
6. What exactly will happen to gram or clinical trial?
my body? 23. Is there research currently
7. Is there any hope? being done in this area?
8. You can’t be serious? 24. Is there anything good you
9. What’s next? can tell me?
10. How did this happen? 25. Is there any immediate threat
11. If you are not sure of the of dying?
cause, what is your best 26. Are there medicines I will
guess? be able to take to relieve any
12. Is my condition contagious? pain?
Can I spread it to others? 27. What would you advise me
13. Is my condition hereditary? to do next?
14. Is there something I did that 28. Should I tell my family?
caused this? Am I to blame? 29. Should I tell my coworkers
15. When did my illness begin? and boss?
16. How much will medical 30. What should I tell others?
treatment cost: medicines, 31. When should I tell others?
nursing home, hospital care, 32. Who else knows about this?
doctors, tests? 33. Can I get a second opinion?
17. Will my health insurance 34. What will happen to my
cover the costs of medical body and mind? Will they
treatment? waste away?
18. Are there medicines I can 35. What will be my quality of
take? life near the end?