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CION Cancer Clinics
What to tell an emergency doctor who does not know you | CION Cancer Clinics
Go to the nearest emergency department or call 108 first. Then tell the doctor four things straight away: the blood cancer diagnosis, the treatment and the date of the last dose, the main symptom and when it began, and your haematology team's phone number. A doctor who has never seen your file can only act on what you say and show, so carry the latest reports and medicine list. At CION Cancer Clinics, our haematology team supports patients and families through treatment, cost questions and life at home.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Basudev PokhrelConsultant Haematologist · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- What should you tell an emergency doctor who does not know you?
- Which details does the doctor need from you?
- What do you say at each point in the emergency department?
- Which words on your report should you read out?
- What do families wrongly assume in an emergency?
- How can you be ready before an emergency ever happens?
- Common questions about talking to an emergency doctor
The short answer
What should you tell an emergency doctor who does not know you?
If this is happening now, go to the nearest emergency department or call 108 first. Then say four things in the first minute: the blood cancer diagnosis, the treatment and the date of the last dose, the main symptom and when it started, and the phone number of your haematology team.
The doctor on duty may be skilled and careful, but has never seen your file. Your centre's records do not travel with you. What you say at the door decides how quickly they think of infection, bleeding or a problem caused by the treatment itself.
Why those four things matter so much
A fever in a healthy young person is often a virus. The same fever a week after chemotherapy for leukaemia can be a serious infection that needs antibiotics through a drip within the hour. The doctor can only make that link if you tell them. The treatment date is the detail most families forget, and it is often the most useful one.
Who should do the talking
Choose one person. Often it is the son or daughter who has been to the appointments. If the patient is too unwell to speak, that person speaks for them, calmly and in order.
This page helps you give information. It cannot tell you whether a symptom is serious. If you are unsure, treat it as an emergency.
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Do not wait to prepare the perfect summary
If the person has a fever or shivering during treatment, bleeding that will not stop, trouble breathing, chest pain, a fit, new confusion, sudden weakness in the legs or has stopped passing urine, leave now. Go to the nearest emergency department or call 108. Grab the report file and the medicine strips if they are at hand. Everything else on this page can be said on the way or at the bedside.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistThe details that change care
Which details does the doctor need from you?
Say them in this order if you can. A short sentence for each is enough.
The diagnosis
Name the condition as it is written on the report: acute myeloid leukaemia, Hodgkin lymphoma, myeloma. "Blood cancer" alone is a start, but the exact name tells the doctor far more.
The treatment and its date
Chemotherapy, targeted tablets, immunotherapy, a recent transplant at another centre, or no treatment yet. Give the date of the last dose or the last cycle.
Also mention
- Steroids taken at home
- Blood thinners
- Recent blood or platelet transfusions
The latest blood counts
Show the most recent report, even a photo on your phone. Point to the date on it. A count from last month may no longer describe today.
Any line or port
If there is a thin tube in the arm or chest, or a port under the skin, say so. It can be a source of infection, and the team may use it or avoid it.
Allergies and past reactions
Any drug allergy, and any reaction to a past transfusion. Some patients have been told they need specially prepared blood. If you were told this, repeat it.
Who to call
Your haematology team's number, and the name of the centre. Ask the doctor to ring them.
Step by step
What do you say at each point in the emergency department?
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At the front desk
Say "blood cancer, on treatment" before you give the name and address. Add the date of the last treatment. This one sentence can move you ahead in the queue and into a separate area away from other sick people.
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When the nurse checks you
Describe the main symptom and when it began. If you checked a temperature at home, give the reading and the time. Say if a fever tablet was taken, because it can hide how high the fever really was.
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When the doctor arrives
Go through the details in order: diagnosis, treatment and date, latest counts, line or port, allergies. Hand over the file, opened at the most recent discharge summary.
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Before any major decision
Ask the doctor to speak to your haematology team. Offer the number and dial it for them if that helps. Ask them to write down what was given and why.
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Before you leave or move
Ask for a written note of tests, results and medicines given. Your own team will need it.
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Words that help
Which words on your report should you read out?
- Neutrophils or ANC
- The white cells that fight bacteria. A low figure means an infection can become serious fast. Read out the number and the date.
- Platelets
- The cells that help blood clot. A low figure raises the chance of bleeding, which matters for injections, lines and any procedure.
- Haemoglobin
- The part of red cells that carries oxygen. A low figure can explain breathlessness, dizziness or a fast heartbeat.
- Irradiated blood
- Blood treated before transfusion for certain patients. If a report or discharge note says this, show it to the doctor.
- PICC line or port
- A long tube or small device placed for treatment. Say where it is and when it was last flushed.
Commonly believed
What do families wrongly assume in an emergency?
"Every hospital can see our records on the computer."
In most cases they cannot. Records at one hospital are rarely visible at another, even in the same city. Assume they know only what you say and what you hand over.
"If we mention cancer, they will send us away."
Emergency teams are there to steady the person first, whatever the diagnosis. Hiding the blood cancer is far more dangerous. The doctor may give a medicine or do a procedure that is unsafe with low counts. Say it clearly and early.
"The fever came down with a tablet, so it is not worth saying."
A tablet can lower the reading without treating the infection behind it. Tell the doctor there was a fever, how high it went, and exactly what was taken and when. That history matters more than the number on the thermometer now.
"We should wait for our own doctor to call back first."
Do not hold back care while you wait for a return call. Let the emergency team start, and keep trying your haematology team in parallel. The two can speak when your doctor rings back.
Before it happens
How can you be ready before an emergency ever happens?
Make a one-page summary now, while things are calm. Ask your haematology team to check it at the next visit. Keep one copy in the report file, one in the patient's bag, and a photo on two family phones.
What the summary should hold
The diagnosis in full, the treatment plan and the dates of each cycle, current medicines by name, any allergy or transfusion reaction, and whether a line or port is in place. Add the team's daytime and night-time numbers. Leave space to write the latest counts and the date of each new report.
What this page cannot do
It cannot tell you which hospital to choose, or what treatment the emergency doctor should give. Those decisions belong to the doctors in front of you, guided by your haematology team. Your part is to make sure they have the full picture.
Never stop, skip or change a medicine on your own because of an emergency. Tell the doctors what is being taken and let them decide.Questions we are asked
Common questions about talking to an emergency doctor
What is the one sentence I should say first?
"This person has blood cancer and had treatment on this date." Say it at the front desk and again to the doctor. It tells the team that infection and bleeding risks may be high, and it moves the right questions up. Then add the main symptom and when it started.
We do not know the exact name of the cancer. What do we say?
Say "blood cancer" and show whatever papers you have. The diagnosis is usually written near the top of the discharge summary or the bone marrow report. If you have nothing, give the name of the centre and your haematology team's number so the doctor can ask them directly.
Should we carry all the old reports to the emergency room?
Carry the file if it is ready to grab, but do not delay leaving to sort it. The most useful papers are the latest discharge summary, the most recent blood count report and the current medicine list. Photos of these on your phone are a good backup if the file is left behind.
The doctor wants to give a medicine our team never mentioned. What do we do?
Ask what it is for, and ask whether they can speak to your haematology team first. In a true emergency they may need to act straight away, and that is often the right call. Do not refuse care out of worry. Ask for the name to be written down so your team knows.
Can the emergency doctor speak to our haematologist at night?
Often yes. Many centres keep an on-call number for exactly this. Check with your team now which number to use after hours, and save it on more than one phone. If no one answers, let care go ahead and keep trying.
What if the patient cannot speak for themselves?
The family member present speaks for them. Give the same details in the same order: diagnosis, treatment and date, latest counts, line or port, allergies, team number. Say how the person normally is, too. New confusion stands out only if the doctor knows what normal looks like.
Does CION's team take calls from other hospitals?
Yes. If the patient is under CION's haematology team, the treating doctor at another hospital can call the helpline and ask to be put through. The team can share the treatment history and discuss next steps. Decisions in the emergency room stay with the doctor there.
What should we ask for before going home?
Ask for a written summary of the tests, the results, the medicines given and any follow-up advice. Ask which signs should bring you straight back. Take a photo of the summary and share it with your haematology team the same day or the next morning.
Your Haematologist
Meet CION's haematologist. One specialist for your blood report and your plan.
Dr. Basudev Pokhrel reviews blood counts, transfusion needs and blood disorders, and works with the CION tumour board on blood cancers.
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Where to find us
Our centres in and around Hyderabad
Addressed by landmark, because that is how this city navigates. A haematology consultation can be booked at any of these centres through one helpline, and your team will tell you where each test or treatment takes place.
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Sources
- National Cancer Institute — Infection during cancer treatment
- NHS — Sepsis
- Macmillan Cancer Support — Cancer information and support
- Blood Cancer UK — Blood Cancer UK
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
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Want help preparing an emergency summary?
If it is an emergency, call 108 or go to the nearest hospital first. For anything else, call the helpline and our haematology team will help you put the key details on one page.