You’ll be given a date to come in to hospital to have your treatment. If you’re having surgery they sometimes ask you to come to a ‘pre admission clinic’ a few days before where you have stuff like x-rays, blood tests and a check-up by the doctor. This is to help them prepare for your operation and will only take a few hours.
When you come in to hospital for the first time, there’s a bit of paperwork they need to do. They need to check your address and phone number, date of birth and so on. They ask questions about your health and diet (if you have any allergies and that kind of thing) and your religion and spiritual beliefs if you have any. This just gives them an idea of how you are and what they can do to make things as comfortable as possible for you. They won’t quiz you every time you come in. All this information is kept in your medical notes so that when you go in again they’ll just ask about your health.
If you haven't already had all your tests and scans done, you will have them during the first couple of days in hospital. This can be a very busy few days for you while your doctors are preparing to start your treatment.
This may be the first time that you've seen people who are having treatment for cancer. You are likely to see people with drips running and most of them will have no hair. This can be a shocking and upsetting time for you and your family. The nurses on the ward are there to support all of you and help you to deal with what you are going through. The activity co-ordinator and the psychotherapist are other members of staff who can support you and help you to deal with your emotions.
