Starting chemotherapy treatment can feel scary and overwhelming. Hear from Joanna, a breast cancer patient, who describes her initial fears and talks about what the experience of receiving chemotherapy was actually like at DanaFarber Cancer Institute. Learn more about the chemotherapy process at http://www.danafarber.org/AdultCare....

Transcription:

Joanna: My name is Joanna, and I was diagnosed with breast cancer in May of 2012. When you first learn that you have to have chemotherapy, it really solidifies the fact that you have invasive cancer. Most of all, I was afraid of how it was going to make me feel and whether I was going to feel up to taking care of my daughter.

Dr. Mayer:How are you feeling?

Joanna:I’m feeling good. Everyday I feel a little bit stronger, and I feel like I’m definitely recovering from the surgery.

Dr. Mayer:Terrific. We’re going to start your treatment today. We’re going to talk today about how one gets chemotherapy and what the schedule is like. We’re going to see you every other week. You’ll get your treatments here, and then you’ll be at home the rest of the time, recovering and living your regular life. When you go over to infusion, you’ll meet your infusion nurse, and she’s going to take really good care of you. She’s going to watch you carefully, make sure you have everything that you need during your treatment. While you’re there…

Joanna: Dr. Mayer did a really good job explaining the process of chemotherapy and all of the potential side effects. Leading up to my first infusion, I was really afraid. I think the scariest part about chemotherapy—and the first session for sure is the scariest part—but it’s just the unknown. All you know about chemotherapy is what you've heard, what other people’s experiences are. Everyone reacts differently, so it’s just so unknown how you're going to react to the chemotherapy, which makes it extremely scary.

Missy:Joanna?

Joanna:Hi.

Missy:Hi, my name is Missy.

Joanna:Nice to meet you.

Missy:Nice to meet you. I’m going to be your infusion nurse.

Joanna:OK.

Missy:We’ll run through what to expect while you're here. When you come for a chemotherapy infusion treatment, you will always have blood work first, either here or on the second floor. You'll then see a provider, nurse practitioner, or physician, and then you'll come to the infusion side with the nurses over here.

Joanna:OK.

Missy:So, first of all, your first stop is always…

Joanna:Missy was great. She sat with me and explained everything that was happening, any potential side effects that I might feel during and after the infusion. She definitely took the time to get to know me. I felt like I was in excellent hands with both my doctor as well as Missy and the other infusion nurses that provide care.

Missy:Any questions?

Joanna:So, you’ll send me home with medications for any potential side effects I might have?

Missy:Yes. We’ll definitely cover you. We’ll give you a bunch of antinausea medications while you’re here, and then we’ll send you home with some, just in case you need anything.

Joanna:The infusion area at DanaFarber is a beautiful space. It’s really well lit. It’s very welcome. There are ceilingtofloor windows with great views of the city of Boston. You have a semiprivate area where you receive your infusion. The chairs are really comfortable. You can get a massage. You can recline your chair. There are people who are volunteers coming around providing hand massages. There’s food and drinks available to you. They have televisions in each infusion area. They provide warm blankets. So, it’s a really comfortable and welcoming space.

The chemotherapy process was much better than I had expected. My advice to anyone who is starting chemotherapy would be to acknowledge that it is a scary process, first of all, and that with each infusion it gets much easier, and to accept help from family and friends who are there and want to offer their help to you during a really difficult time.