Preparing for Your First Anti-Cancer Treatment Appointment
Smilow Cancer Hospital
• There is no special preparation before your treatment appointments. You can eat, drink fluids and take your daily medications as you normally would, even the morning of treatment.
• Because you don't know how your body will react to the different medications, it is a good idea to have someone drive you to and from your first treatment. There are no restrictions on the number of visitors you bring to your appointments.
• The infusion area has snacks and beverages. Feel free to bring your own food in a cooler if you have specific food/drink items that you would like to have during treatment. There is a microwave to heat up any food that you bring in from home. Please note that food cannot be stored in the refrigerator in the infusion area. All infusion chairs are recliners. There is a TV and free WIFI available for each patient. There may be more than one person receiving treatment in the same room. There are curtains separating each patient for privacy.
• You will be sitting in the treatment area for an extended period of time, so it is important to be comfortable. It is a good idea to wear a top with a loose-fitted neckline, V-neck or button down to allow for easy access to your port-a-cath. If you are receiving treatment with a peripheral IV or a PICC line in your arm, it may be a good idea to layer your clothing, wear a short sleeve shirt or make sure that sleeves are loose enough to pull up past your PICC line or IV.
Blood Work
You will be scheduled for blood work before every treatment. The results of your blood work will determine whether or not you will be cleared for your treatment. Depending on the results of your blood tests, your doctor or nurse practitioner may recommend delaying your treatment or using specific medications to improve your blood counts.
Treatment
Once you've been cleared by your doctor or nurse practitioner to receive treatment, you will be directed to your infusion chair. Once you arrive to your infusion chair, your nurse will order your treatment medications from the pharmacy. Once the treatment medications are received, your nurse may administer steroids, anti-nausea medications and/or anxiety medications. After medications are infused, treatment will be started. The length of treatment depends on which treatment is prescribed to you. Once your infusion is complete, your IV access will be flushed, removed or de-accessed. Some treatments require you to go home with a pump to infuse one of the treatment medications over a few days. If this applies to you, you will receive additional education and information regarding this pump. For a more in-depth explanation about what happens during your treatment infusion, you can refer to the treatment video that will be sent through MyChart
After Treatment
Once you are home, it is important to follow any instructions given to you. Be sure to take your medications as prescribed, rest, hydrate and eat. If you develop any side effects or new symptoms/feelings, call our providers office as soon as possible to discuss We can't help if you don't keep us up to date about what you are feeling. There are many tips and medications for managing side effects of your treatment and the nurses on staff can help you determine what will work best for you. Please do not send MyChart messages about side effects or anything that needs an immediate response. These messages are not monitored 24/7 like phone calls and may delay getting treatment for your side effects. If you are experiencing any symptoms or side effects after hours or on weekends or holidays, there is always a doctor on call who can help you.
Medications
Your provider may send prescriptions to your pharmacy that you should pick up prior to your first treatment. Please check with your pharmacy and contact your providers office if prescriptions are not received.