Preparing for treatment
Although you may have been to the hospital, clinic or doctor’s office for treatment many times in the past, returning for treatment for relapsed indolent non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma can still be quite a daunting experience. It might also have been some time since you last went for treatment.
Preparing yourself before you go will therefore help make the experience much easier.
Here on Lymphoma Life you can find some tips to remind you of things you’ll need to think about before your visits.
Prepare in advance for your treatment visits
If you are going for your first treatment in a course of therapy, it is very likely that you might have to be monitored overnight, and in some cases for longer. This will depend on your personal treatment plan.
If you’re not sure what to expect, you should check with your contact on the lymphoma team, such as the clinical nurse specialist or haematologist. They will be able to answer any questions about your visit before you arrive.
You may also have been asked to take things with you to the treatment visit, such as medical records, for example. It is important that you have thought about this in advance, so that you remember to take everything that has been asked for.
If you’re staying overnight or longer, think about what you’ll wear while you’re in hospital and what you’ll do between treatments or tests. Books or games can help pass the time.
Remember to bring any medication that you’re currently taking with you, and make sure you’ll have enough for the length of your stay.
Think about how you’ll get there and back
Planning your transport in advance will mean you won’t have to worry about it on the day of your appointment.
This can be particularly important if you are going to be having treatment that might make you feel tired or unwell afterwards.
Think carefully about how you expect to be feeling after treatment and whether you’ll need someone to pick you up after the visit. It is a good idea to speak to your healthcare team for advice about this, and they may even be able to recommend local healthcare transport services.
Bring someone with you if you need to
If you feel like you would like some support during the visit, you should consider asking a friend or family member to go with you.
They may be able to keep you company during treatment or while you are waiting, and could help you remember and discuss any information that you receive. The healthcare team will understand if you want someone to be there.
Is there anything you want to know about your treatment before you begin?
It is important that you have a good understanding of what will happen to you during your treatment. You should know what to expect from it, and how you will feel, for example.
You may have been through treatment before, but this round of treatment might not be the same as last time. You could be having a different type of treatment or meeting different people, for example.
Usually, you will have a consultation with the doctor at the beginning of a treatment visit, so this is an important opportunity to ask anything that you need or want to know about your treatment.
It can be difficult to remember all the questions that you want to ask the doctor during one visit – especially when you will be talking about many different things during the appointments that you have. Writing down a list of questions before your visit will make this much easier and help make sure that you don’t forget anything.
Writing down the answers or other notes during the visit can also help you remember things you might need to know. With this in mind, you might like to think about having a notepad and pen with you.
You should also think about what the doctors might ask you when you’re there so that you can think about taking any relevant information with you.