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What to Expect During Treatment

It’s normal to feel overwhelmed before your first treatment session. We’ll help you get comfortable and put your mind at ease.

How to Prepare for Your Session

Eat a healthy breakfast – nothing too heavy or spicy – and drink plenty of water. Staying hydrated will help your labs and treatment go more smoothly and head off side effects.

We provide lights snacks and a variety of beverages, including water, juice, tea and coffee. Feel free to bring lunch and store it in our refrigerator. (We’re not able to heat food from home.)

Wear comfortable clothes and shoes. Don’t worry about adding extra layers – we have plenty of blankets and pillows to keep you warm and comfortable. We also offer activities, such as an iPad, puzzle books, adult coloring books and a selection of magazines. If you’d like to bring in an electronic device for music or movies, please bring earbuds so the room stays peaceful for other patients.

If you haven’t sent in your paperwork yet, please complete the forms and bring them with you.

What Happens During Treatment

Just as no two patients are alike, no two treatment plans are alike. The type and combination of drugs, dosage, delivery system and schedule will be tailored to your diagnosis and physiology. Although these things differ from patient to patient, the general structure of a treatment day is similar for everyone.

Before

Before the beginning of each treatment cycle, you’ll meet with one of our doctors or our nurse practitioner to review the plans and answer any questions you may have.

Before each session, we’ll draw a small sample of blood in our onsite lab. This helps identify any issues that might interfere with administering your treatment.

During

If your blood work shows you’re able to have treatment, you’ll come back to our infusion room, an open area where you can choose a recliner and get comfortable. Your companion can sit in a side chair.

You’ll start with any pre-medications that have been prescribed to prevent nausea or other side effects of treatment. Once they’ve had time to take effect, treatment will begin.

After

You’ll have time to ask us any questions after your treatment session. If you have treatment-related prescriptions, you can fill them in our onsite dispensary for convenience.

You’ll get a call from one of our nurses a day or two after your first session to see how you’re doing and make sure you’re comfortable with any oral medications you’re taking.

A week to ten days after your first treatment, you’ll be scheduled to have lab work done. At that time, you’ll also meet with your provider to discuss how treatment went and answer any questions you may have. And, of course, you’re welcome to call us on a 24/7 basis if you’re experiencing side effects or have a treatment-related question.

Patient Portal

CareSpace, our online patient portal, gives you convenient 24-hour access to your personal medical information. Through CareSpace, you can:

  • Request prescription refills

  • Read visit summaries and review test results

  • Update your contact information

  • Make payments

  • Download or complete intake forms

  • View educational materials

Treatment Room Policies

We’ve established these policies to ensure that treatments are delivered safely and without distraction and to protect the rights and privacy of patients and their families.

  1. Cell phones are to be silenced.

  2. The treatment chairs are for patient use only and are wiped down by staff after each use. Each patient may have one support person sit beside them in the available side chair.

  3. No one under age 14 may be in the treatment rooms. Our adjacent family lounge is available for additional family or support members. Young children must be supervised at all times.

  4. Patients are welcome to eat lunch during treatment. The family lounge may also be used if you’d like to eat lunch with family or friends, or if the food you’ve brought has a strong aroma that may affect others.