Leukaemia

Hello, and welcome to Cancer Care Services.

You’re here to begin your journey for the treatment of your cancer.

On your first visit, the doctor will review any relevant tests and scans, and discuss your diagnosis with you and what the best treatment options are.

You will need to bring any scans you have had to this appointment.

You will need to have a recent blood test before having your chemotherapy each time. This can be done at Sullivan and Nicolaides, QML, or your local hospital on the day prior to coming for treatment.

If you need to have your blood collected on the day of your doctor’s appointment, this will need to occur one to two hours prior to your appointment for the results to be ready for the doctor to review.

It is best to speak with the nurse or doctor regarding the best process for blood collection at your treating unit.

Once your blood results are available, the doctor can review them to determine if your treatment can go ahead.

Your doctor will discuss the results with you at your appointment and check that you are well before treatment can go ahead.

If everything is OK, the doctor will prescribe the chemotherapy orders.

The chemotherapy order is delivered to the pharmacist to check in clinic, and then again in pharmacy.

At most facilities in Metro North, the chemotherapy is ordered and delivered to the pharmacy from an
external company pre-made.

Some chemotherapy is very expensive, or has a short stability and needs to be made up on the day of treatment. This varies at different facilities and can take some time, as there are a number of checks that need to occur to ensure the right treatment is being made to the right patient.

These checks also occur for the pre-made treatments, as there is a requirement for two pharmacists to be available to perform the checks.

After you have finished with the doctor, you will be called in for your treatment appointment.

Depending on the number of patients attending on the day, or if there are any emergent treatments, there may be a delay between the doctor’s appointment and the treatment appointment.

Every attempt is taken to minimize this delay.

If you are a new patient, you will be taken through to have your one-on-one education session prior to your treatment to ensure you understand everything about your treatment, any side effects, and how to manage them. This is a great time to ask questions and discuss any concerns you have with your nurse.

When you are ready, the nurse will take you to the treatment chair or bed and set you up for treatment.

This will mean putting a drip in your arm, or if you have a device, connecting the fluid lines.

The nurse will take your temperature and perform an assessment to make sure you are OK for treatment.

Usually you will have some drugs to help stop nausea before your chemotherapy. Most of the time, these are given through your drip. But sometimes these are oral medications.

When the chemotherapy is ready, the nurse will put on a special gown, gloves, goggles, and mask before they give you the chemotherapy. This is to protect the nurse from exposure to the drugs.

The chemotherapy is good to treat someone with cancer, however, it can cause cancer or affect fertility if the nurse is exposed.

The protective equipment might look a bit scary, but it’s necessary to protect the nurses. And other precautions are taken to protect visitors and the public.

Before the chemotherapy is given, two nurses are required to check the drugs and will ask you your name and date of birth and check your identification band prior to giving you the treatment. This is necessary to ensure the right patient gets the right treatment.

When the chemotherapy is running, it is important to let the nurses know if there is any stinging or burning at the drip site, or if you feel anything out of the ordinary, as this might be a sign of a reaction. This can occur from time to time depending on the drums you are having, so please let the nurses know immediately if this happens to you.

When the chemotherapy is completed, the nurses will put on their protective clothing again to disconnect you and dispose of the equipment in a special bin.

It is important that you collect any medications the doctor has ordered for you to take home. These are usually tablets and stop you feeling sick after the chemotherapy, or may be a part of your chemotherapy treatment. The pharmacist will explain how and when to take them.

You will also need to ensure you have your appointment and blood tests slip for your next treatment before you leave. Or at some facilities, it may be necessary to post your appointment to you. Speak to your nurse before you leave.

If you have any difficulties in the days after your treatment, please contact your treating area during business hours.

Or if it is more urgent or out of hours, go to your nearest emergency department.

For further information regarding your treatment, please refer to other videos and resources on the Patient Portal, or speak with any member of our Cancer Care team.