Preparing for Infusion Treatment

Before your Appointment

• Please take your daily medications before treatment, unless you are told otherwise by your doctor. Also, be sure to bring medications to your treatment appointment.
• Wear comfortable clothes with layers, to adjust to temperature changes as needed.
• Consider bringing a support person with you. One visitor, over the age of 12, can join you in the infusion room during your treatment. Other visitors are more than welcome to wait in the outside waiting area. 
• Try to eat a small, bland meal on the morning of your appointment, if you can. You're also allowed to bring food from home. We also provide coffee, tea, juice, ginger ale, and crackers to eat. Or, you can purchase food from our Terrace Cafe or cafeteria once on campus.
  • Note: Our cafeteria hours are 7-10 am for breakfast; 10-11 am for continental breakfast; and 11 am-2 pm for lunch. The cafeteria closes for the day at 2 pm. 
  • You can find more information about dining on campus here.
• We suggest bringing things to help you keep busy because treatments may last for a few hours, or you may have a wait time before starting treatment. Our Infusion Room offers free Wi-Fi to accommodate tablets or mobile devices. If you don’t have your own, our Resource and Education Center can provide you with an iPad or an MP3 player to use while you’re here. The Infusion Room has TVs for patients to watch regular programming, educational videos and a relaxation channel. So, don't forget to bring headphones!
• Other items to consider bringing:
  • Puzzles, journals and knitting
  • Books and magazines
  • Earplugs
  • Money to buy meals and snacks 
  • Previously-prescribed pain medicines

When You Arrive

When you arrive to the Infusion Room, be sure to sign in for your treatment at the Infusion/Port Check-In desk. We ask that you arrive at least 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment time so that we can seat you and begin your treatment as quickly as possible. Before your first infusion, you will get a patient itinerary. This includes a schedule of your day and more instructions.

Your doctor will order blood work before each infusion to check your:

• Red and white blood cell count
• Platelet count
• Electrolytes
• Liver function

In some cases, your blood may be drawn in either the lab or port room before your infusion. Your care team will check the results of your blood work before giving you your treatment. You may wait up to one hour for the results of your blood work. If you have questions, please speak with your care team.

Wait Times

Fox Chase works to keep your treatments on track and as close to scheduled times as possible. However, there may be times when you have to wait to begin your infusion session. We suggest that you:

• Do not schedule other appointments on your treatment days.
• Ask Fox Chase schedulers for openings during the least busy times in the Infusion Room.
• Schedule healthcare appointments at Fox Chase over two days.

Please note that clinic and lab visits can be paired or separated from infusion visits, if needed.

For Patients Arriving Late

Fox Chase treats patients in order of scheduled appointment time, not arrival time. For patients who will be arriving more than 30 minutes late for their infusion appointment, please call 215-728-2600. Depending on the volume of patients that day, we may be able to schedule a later time slot for patients arriving past their appointment time.

Other Things to Keep in Mind

Many healthcare professionals and patients may be in the Infusion Room at one time. Because of this, the environment may feel overwhelming. We cannot offer patients their own room for infusion, so you may find yourself sitting next to others having treatment at the same time.

Side Effects and How to Manage Them