Cancer
Care
Calling Your Physician
When To Call Your Physician
Cancer and cancer treatment can cause many changes to your body. Knowing which symptoms are normal and which are ones you should talk to your physician about can be confusing. If your questions are of a routine nature, your doctor will be happy to discuss these with you during your regular office visit. If you have a problem or a question that occurs between your regular office visits, please feel free to call us during regular clinic hours to discuss this. We will pull your clinic chart to know how your doctor has been caring for you and what medications you have been receiving. Please have your pill bottles or a medication list with you when you call, so we can be certain we know exactly what medications you are taking.
If you develop any of the following problems, you should contact your physician immediately.
- Prolonged nausea or vomiting, prolonged diarrhea or constipation
- Inability to eat or drink or take medication
- Temperature above 100.5 degrees Farenheit, chills or shaking
- Blood in vomit or stool
- Severe cough or sore throat
- Nose bleeds or bleeding gums
- Difficulty breathing or increased shortness of breath
- Sudden, severe headaches
- Drug reactions (itching, rash, swelling)
- Mental changes (severe depression, forgetfulness, hallucinations)
What to Expect
When you call the clinic about your medical needs, or test results, the information will be forwarded to a nurse. The unit secretary answering your call will take a brief message and give it to the nurse. Your medical chart will be obtained and reviewed by the nurse. The nurse will then call you back for more details, focusing on pertinent medical questions. Be sure you provide accurate phone number(s) for us to return your call, and consider limiting the use of your telephone so we may get back to you promptly.
If possible your question will be directed to your attending physician. Sometimes, that physician is unavailable or at another clinic, and an "on-call" physician will review your information. This "on-call" physician will be another oncologist working at MSTI. The nurse will call you back with the physician's advice.
This process can at times be lengthy. The nurse is trained to "prioritize" calls, based upon urgency and severity of the need. We acknowledge that your medical issues are of utmost importance and will continually strive to attend to your request quickly. At times, non-urgent requests may be handled later in the day should more serious issues arise. We appreciate your patience and understanding with this process.
Calls During Clinic Hours
| During clinic hours (8 am to 5 pm) call: | |
Boise: |
Medical Oncology: (208) 381-2790 or 1-800-845-4624 Radiation Oncology: (208) 381-2770 or 1-800-845-4624 |
Fruitland: |
(208) 452-6851 |
Meridian |
(208) 706-5651 or 1-800-473-0331 |
Nampa: |
(208) 467-6700 or 1-800-553-6415 |
Ontario: |
(541) 881-7060 or 1-888-7430 |
Twin
Falls: |
Addison: (208) 737-2441 or 1-800-947-4852 Downtown: (208) 733-7300 or 1-800-707-5591 |
After Hours Calls
There is a doctor on call to help you if you have an emergency after hours. The doctor on call can be reached by calling:
| Gynecological Oncology: (208) 327-8055 |
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| Medical Oncology/Hematology: (208) 327-8055 |
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| Radiation Oncology: (208) 327-8055 |
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| Pediatric Oncology/Hematology: (208) 327-8007 |
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| Surgical Oncology: (208) 381-2222 |
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If you have not received a return call from the doctor within 30 minutes, please phone again.
