Your First Infusion Visit

Hello and Welcome from Parkland’s Cancer Team. We know that coming to your first treatment appointment can be a little scary, so we want to make sure you know what to expect.

Arrive on time Before you come to the clinic, check your appointment time on My Chart to make sure you arrive on time. This will help the clinic to run on time for you and the other people who have appointments that day.

Bring home medications if you need to take these during your time at the clinic: Before you leave your home, check your medication bottles. Are you needing any refills? You can get these conveniently filled at the pharmacy on the first floor of the clinic while you are here for treatment. Will you be due for your pain medication while at the clinic? Bring this with you and let your infusion nurse know when you are planning to take this.

Bring what will make you comfortable: snacks, comfy clothes, a friend: We recommend wearing comfortable clothes. You can bring other items to make you feel free more comfortable such as a blanket, snacks, and something to do. There are food and drink options in the building that you can buy from such as vending machines and a Starbucks café. You are normally able to bring a guest with you into the treatment area but check with Parkland visitor policy here or call our clinic for more information in case the policy has changed.

Where to go: Our infusion clinic is located on the 3rd floor of the Moody Outpatient Clinic building. The address is 5151 Maple Ave and it is located near New Parkland Hospital and the Anderson Clinic. When you arrive, you can park in the parking garage or use the valet service offered. If you do not have a way to get to the clinic, please let us know so that our social worker can assist you. When entering the building, you will see staff at the front desk who can help you get to where you need to go.

What to Expect during the visit: Most patients have their blood drawn before their treatment. If you have a port or a PICC line, this is done by a nurse in the 3rd floor infusion area. If you do not have one of these lines, your labs will be drawn in the first floor lab. Once your labs are drawn, please proceed to the 3rd floor and check in at 3A for your infusion appointment. Your labs usually take between 1 hour and 1.5 hours to result. Once your labs are resulted and verified to be within a safe range to receive treatment, your infusion nurse will call you back to the infusion area.

Back in the infusion area, you will have a recliner to sit in. The nurse will use your PICC line or port or start a peripheral IV line if your treatment requires it. You will receive pre-medications or “premeds” to help prevent some of the side effects of the treatment. During the treatment, you should feel normal. If you start feeling any pain or anything unusual, notify your nurse. There are restrooms conveniently located in the infusion area for you to use during your appointment.

The Parkland Cancer Team is here to support you during your treatment. If there is any way we can help make this journey smoother for you, please let us know. Stay strong! You can do it!