Frequently Asked Questions
Please bring a copy of your complete medical record, including:
Patients who have completed chemotherapy need to continue, at least for a while, some of the special care used during treatment.
You may find that you still need extra rest while your healthy tissues are rebuilding. Keep taking naps as you need to, and try to get extra sleep at night. It may take some time after treatment to regain your strength, so don't try to resume a full schedule of activities right away.
If you followed a special diet during your treatment for nausea or diarrhea, you may need to continue the diet for a time after the treatments have stopped.
If you need any additional instructions, Dr. Omar Atiq or Dr. Ahmad Ali Fora will tell you when your treatments are ending.
After treatment for cancer, you're likely to be more aware of your body and notice slight changes in how you feel from day to day. Dr. Omar Atiq or Dr. Ahmad Ali Fora will want you to report any symptoms. If you have any of the problems listed below, call us right away:
There may be side effects from chemotherapy. First, it may cause you to feel fatigued. Fatigue occurs in a majority of people with cancer and can be described as a condition that causes distress and decreases your ability to function due to lack of energy. If you become fatigued, make sure you are able to rest adequately. Fatigue is common after chemotherapy or radiation therapy and may persist over a period of weeks to several months.
Side effects may also include allergic reactions, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, loss of hair, loss of appetite, sore mouth and throat, numbness and tingling in your fingers and toes, as well as other side effects depending on the drugs used to treat your cancer. We will provide you with reading material that includes side effects related to chemotherapy. If your side effects are bothering you, or you are experiencing problems you did not expect, please tell any member of your chemotherapy team.
The duration of your visit depends on the type of chemotherapy you will receive. You will have your blood drawn and assessed for treatment. This blood specimen will be drawn by either venipuncture or through the mediport.
Your chemotherapy regimen will begin once lab work is reviewed and approved by either Dr. Omar Atiq, Dr. Ahmad Ali Fora, or the chemotherapy nurse. During your treatment, a chemotherapy nurse will be in contact with you at all times to monitor you closely.
Please bring a copy of your complete medical record, including:
Your radiation therapy, also called your "treatment course," begins with a planning visit. To ensure the radiation therapy you receive can be given the same way each time, your treatment team will fine-tune the location of the treatment and decide on the exact position you'll be in during each treatment.
Dr. Hameed and the radiation therapy team use a special procedure called CT simulation to determine your exact treatment position. The simulator and laser lights are used as guides to move you into correct position. The radiation therapy team then makes notes in your chart so you will be placed in the correct position each time you receive a treatment. Your skin will be marked over the treatment area so each treatment will target the same area. A photograph will be taken of these markings and placed in your medical chart.
While the simulation uses CT images, or x-ray images, to determine the treatment area, the images are not used for any sort of diagnosis or treatment assessment. They are only to ensure you are exactly where you need to be to treat your cancer. Occasionally, the treatment area may change as the treatment progresses. When this happens, Dr. Hameed and the radiation therapy team may change your treatment lines, and a new planning visit may need to be done.
Your first visit to the cancer center will be a busy one. Please plan to spend about one to two hours in the clinic. When you arrive at the center, check in with the receptionist and then have a seat in the waiting room. You may need to fill out a health questionnaire. Often, your medical records and x-rays have arrived before you and have already been reviewed by Dr. Shahid Hameed. If you have brought any with you, please give them to the receptionist.
You will be called into an exam room when the doctor is ready to see you. You will have your heartbeat, respiration, blood pressure and weight checked. During this visit, you will discuss the daily routine of your radiation therapy treatment.
To develop the treatment plan your radiation therapy team will follow, Dr. Hameed will review your medical records, discuss your medical history with you, and perform a physical exam. You may need to undress for the physical exam and wear a hospital gown. The doctor may order additional blood tests or imaging exams, if needed.
Each visit takes 15 to 30 minutes. Additionally, you will meet with Dr. Hameed, your radiation oncologist, regularly during your treatment course to discuss your progress.
Undergoing treatment is very similar to having an x-ray exam. The treatment will cause no pain or discomfort.
During your treatment, your radiation therapist will be in continual contact with you. You will be monitored through closed-circuit television. There is also a two-way intercom system so you can communicate with your therapist. If you have any problem, we will turn off the machine immediately and help you. When the machine is turned off, the radiation stops right away.
Normally, treatments are given daily, Monday through Friday, with a rest on weekends. Your therapist will notify you of any holidays on which you will not receive treatment. We will try our best to make your daily appointments convenient for you. If you find it necessary to change your treatment time, please ask your therapist.
There are some side effects from radiation therapy. They generally happen to the skin and tissues in the treatment area. Dr. Hameed and your radiation therapists will discuss specific side effects with you when you begin treatment.
One side effect of radiation therapy is that it may cause you to feel fatigued. Fatigue occurs in a majority of people with cancer and can be described as a condition that causes distress and decreases your ability to function due to lack of energy. If you become fatigued, make sure you are able to rest adequately. Fatigue is common after chemotherapy or radiation therapy and may persist over a period of weeks to several months.
If your side effects are bothering you, or you are experiencing problems you did not expect, please tell any member of your radiation therapy team.
A common misconception is that radiation therapy makes you radioactive. This is not true if you are receiving your radiotherapy from a machine.
Patients who have completed radiation therapy need to continue, at least for a short while, some of the special care used during treatment.
If you experienced skin irritation during treatment, this could persist for several weeks after treatment is completed. You should continue to be gentle with the skin in the treatment area until it has healed. We recommend using a good moisturizer for local skin irritation.
You may find that you still need extra rest while your healthy tissues are rebuilding. Keep taking naps as you need to, and try to get extra sleep at night. It may take some time after treatment to regain your strength, so don't try to resume a full schedule of activities right away.
If you followed a special diet during your treatment for nausea or diarrhea, you may need to continue the diet for a time after the treatments have stopped.
If you need any additional instructions, Dr. Shahid Hameed will tell you when your treatments are ending.
After treatment for cancer, you're likely to be more aware of your body and notice slight changes in how you feel from day to day. Dr. Shahid Hameed will want you to report any symptoms. If you have any of the problems listed below, call us right away:
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