[Narrator]

To help you identify how you make decisions about cancer, listen to each of the following statements and then choose one that best suits your style:

• Number 1: I prefer to leave all decisions about my cancer treatment to my doctor.
• Number 2: I prefer that my doctor make the final decision about which cancer treatment will be used, but he or she first seriously considers my opinion.
• Number 3: I prefer that my doctor and I share responsibility for deciding which cancer treatment is best for me.
• Number 4: I prefer to make the final selection of my cancer treatment after seriously considering my doctor's opinion. Or,
• Number 5: I prefer to make the final selection about which cancer treatment I will receive.

[Narrator]

If you chose statements number 1 or number 2, you prefer that your doctor make decisions for you. If you chose statement number 3, you prefer a shared style of making decisions with your doctor. If you chose either statement number 4 or number 5, you prefer to make the decision yourself. Keep this in mind as we continue learning about decision-making skills. Now, let's look more closely at finding out how you can decide about cancer treatment by getting a second opinion and how to identify how much time you have in making a decision. Let's return to our case example with Jim. Do you recognize some of these same feelings? How would you respond in this situation?

[Jim]

We invited our neighbor Bob and his wife over for coffee, to talk. You know, it was kind of tough, but I asked Bob how he was doing, how his cancer was. I was so relieved that he wanted to talk about it. And, once I heard how similar his experiences were to mine, I started feeling better. I wasn't so scared now, and I could see that Bob has been through it all, too. He helped me realize that I have more time to make a decision than I originally thought... more time to make a decision that's right for Eve and me.

[Jim]

Bob said I should get a second opinion about treatment. He suggested that I talk to other guys who have prostate cancer. He said if he had to do it all over again, he would talk to more guys to find out how they handled it. He belongs to a support group now, and he wishes he had known about them before his treatment. He said he wasn't sure if he would have chosen a different treatment. But, he would have felt a lot more comfortable about the decisions he did make. Bob gave me some information about prostate cancer and the name of another urologist, in case I wanted to get a second opinion.

[Jim]

Later that night, Eve and I talked about what Bob said. It helped me to decide to get that second opinion and join a support group. Bob had also suggested that the first thing I should be clear about -- from my first doctor to the second doctor -- is how much time do I really have to make a decision. Is it almost an emergency? Or, do I have time to get more information, think it over before I need to decide what treatment I want?

[Jim]

I realize now that I was ready to let my first doctor make all the decisions for me at the beginning. But, I wouldn't have been comfortable with that. I always want to be involved in making my own decisions. Eve helped me realize that, by getting me to talk to Bob, I would see that I should get more information before making any decisions.

[Jim]

So, I went to the support group to hear more about prostate cancer, to hear about what decisions other guys made about treatment. It was also interesting to find out how they went on with their lives after a cancer diagnosis. Eve and I talked about all of this information. The second opinion also helped a lot. Now, we feel comfortable about making a decision and in moving forward with my treatment.

[Jim]

It's been a while now, I'm involved in my support group and have become involved in an advocacy organization for black men with prostate cancer. I told my children about my cancer diagnosis and treatment. I want my sons to be aware of the risk of prostate cancer and to get checkups on a regular basis. You know, we all feel lucky that I found out about my diagnosis at an early stage, and that we learned to make important decisions. We feel good about our decisions.

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