Chemo Infusion – What to Expect
#2 Essential Guides
What a depressing place. There are folks there in all different levels of illness. Some are in remission and there for their port flush. The extreme patients look like their time is at any moment. Most people are in the middle, like I hope you are.
You may have a slightly different experience, but this was mine a seemed pretty standard based on watching others, every treatment. There were a lot of treatments.
1. PRE-INFUSION PREPARATION
· Hydrate well (water/clear fluids) before you arrive
· Wear comfortable clothes. A low cut or easy access shirt for the nurses to reach your port. There are no medical gowns.
· Bring comfort items (e.g., blanket, book).
Bring a fully charged phone to scroll and put it on silent. Don’t make or accept calls as that is very disturbing for the other patients.
2. REGISTRATION & VITALS
· Check in with staff.
· Meet your nurse. They rotate nurses so you don’t usually get the same nurse every time.
· Vitals taken (Blood Pressure, Temp).
· Complete pre-treatment blood test and for me, I had a urine test too.
· Wait for those results and then for the chemo to arrive.
3. ACCESS & MEDICATIONS
· The nurse will clean and access port or start an IV.
· Receive pre-infusion meds (e.g., anti-nausea, steroids).
· Review treatment plan with nurse. (After a few times, they tend to skip this part)
4. TREATMENT ADMINISTRATION
· Infusion begins via an automated pump.
· Times vary by drug (minutes to hours).
· Nurses check on you regularly. If you feel anything that seems off, get the nurse immediately. I had an allergic reaction to Oxaliplatin, after weeks of getting it without incident. That was a chaotic mess.
5. POST-TREATMENT DISCONNECT
· Port/IV is disconnected and flushed.
· Clean dressing applied.
· Review home-care instructions. (After a few times, they tend to skip this part)
6. MANAGING AFTERCARE
· Know common side effects (e.g., fatigue).
· Call the doctor if your side effect symptoms are severe.
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