The 12 Questions to Ask at Your Next Survivorship Visit
A printable question list that turns a rushed follow-up into a surveillance plan you can carry — organized by heart, hormones, bones, mind, fertility, and money.
Survivorship follow-up visits are short, and the agenda usually gets set by whatever is most urgent that day. This list turns the visit into a surveillance plan you can carry, organized by the systems treatment most often affects.
Heart and vessels
1. Which of my treatments carry cardiac risk, and at what cumulative dose did I receive them? 2. Do I need an echocardiogram, and how often? 3. What blood pressure and cholesterol targets apply to me specifically, given those exposures?
These three questions produce the cardio-oncology part of your schedule. If the answer is that no cardiac surveillance is needed, ask for that to be written down with the reason.
Hormones and metabolism
4. Should my thyroid be checked, and how often? 5. Am I at risk for early menopause or low testosterone, and what would I notice? 6. Do I need diabetes screening earlier than the general population?
Bones and body
7. Do I need a bone density scan, and when is the next one? 8. What kind of exercise is safe for me right now, and are there restrictions I should know about?
Mind, sleep, and daily function
9. The memory and word-finding changes I am having — what should be checked before we call them permanent? 10. Which of my current medications could be contributing to fatigue or fog, and can any be reduced?
Fertility, intimacy, and cost
11. What is my fertility status after treatment, and who should I talk to about it? 12. Which of these tests and visits will be covered, and is there a financial counselor or assistance program here?
The last question is the one survivors most often skip and most often regret skipping. Cost is a clinical variable, because a test you cannot afford is a test that does not happen.
Leave with something written
Ask for each answer to include three things: what the test is, how often it repeats, and who orders it. That trio is what prevents an item from disappearing between oncology and primary care.
Bring your own copy of the list, mark the answers during the visit, and add them to your record afterward while the detail is still fresh.
Frequently asked questions
- What should I bring to the visit?
- Your treatment summary, a current medication list including supplements, and any symptom log you keep. Those three documents shorten the visit and improve the answers.
- What if there is not time for all twelve questions?
- Ask the heart and hormone questions first, and request a follow-up visit specifically for survivorship planning rather than trying to compress everything into an acute-issue slot.