visiting your GP (family doctor)
Your GP will examine you and usually arrange for some tests, such as x-rays, to be done. There may be a number of reasons why you're feeling unwell, so it can be difficult to immediately diagnose the problem. If they can't find the cause, you'll be referred to a specialist at the hospital.
at the hospital
Where you're referred to will depend on the results of the tests. You may go straight to a doctor or hospital specialising in bone cancer, or you might see doctors with more general experience first.
You won't necessarily need all of these - and further tests will often depend on the results of your first ones.
Waiting for tests and results is a scary time. But understanding a little about them - what will happen, how you'll feel and when you'll get the results - can help you cope.
If it is cancer, you might need a few more tests to check how your body is working in general. These could be blood tests, or ones looking at your heart (an echo-cardiogram or electro cardiogram - ECG or or a nuclear medicine scan of your heart called a MUGA scan), lungs (chest x-ray), or kidneys (urine collection or EDTA clearance).
This may seem like a lot of tests, but they are necessary to help the doctors provide the best treatment for you.
