Chemo rooms

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playz95
playz95 Member Posts: 2
edited June 2014 in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

I've just been diagnoses with triple negative breast cancer. I met with my oncologist for the 2nd time today and I asked him where I would be receiving my chemotheraphy. He brought me to a room in his office suite that had about a dozen lounge chairs that had chemo hook-ups. I was taken back by this lack of privacy. Is this how it is always done?

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  • poptart
    poptart Member Posts: 101
    edited April 2011

    That's what my chemo room was like.  Snacking, talking, etc.  You could pull a curtain, but no one ever did .... couldn't see what was going on with the curtain pulled.

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  • Leah_S
    Leah_S Member Posts: 8,458
    edited April 2011

    playz95, chemo is a LONG IV so you might end up glad of the set-up. A lot of people end up talking to others who are also having treatment - it helps pass the time and puts you in touch with other people going through the same thing.

    Best of luck with your treatments.

    Leah

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  • chinablue
    chinablue Member Posts: 545
    edited April 2011

    My chemo chair had curtains that were closed all around me, but for one side.  The nurses wanted to be able to keep an eye on me.  Each enclosure had a tv, but since many patients used their tv it was hard to hear the tv in your enclosure.  I brought my laptop with headphones and watched dvd's.  I am a cheerful social person, but when it came to chemo I really wanted quiet time and didn't really want to talk.

    Good Good luck and best wishes. 

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  • Titan
    Titan Member Posts: 2,956
    edited April 2011

    If you need privacy..ask for it...curtain or whatever.  most of the time I had a private room but sometimes I had to share (and they always asked me if it was OK)...I know where you are coming from.....I'm sure if  you want privacy they can accomodate you...even if it is just a curtain...everyone is different on how they approach chemo and no one is wrong in how they feel about it...

    I had to share a room once with a elderly gentleman..he said he had the tv remote...whatever..cranky old guy...

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  • Fearless_One
    Fearless_One Member Posts: 3,300
    edited April 2011

    That's how mine, was.   Tons of snacks, people all around, although they were not noisy or intrusive, portable DVD players if you wanted to watch a movie...

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  • playz95
    playz95 Member Posts: 2
    edited April 2011

    Thank you for getting back to me - everyone. Unfortunately, the room has no curtains or cubicles, no TV sets, no room for family members, no views - except the other patients.

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited April 2011

    My first chemo facility was as you just described.  The second one was like a three ring circus but did have TV's and lunch delivered - also curtains, I think.  The one I'm currently at is incredible.  They still have the lounge chairs but two patients to a unit with curtains, TV's, peace and quiet and a visitors chair.

    My experience is that these places are all different depending on the business model of the organization.  They can also differ in subtle ways that take a long time to decipher.  For instance, the 1st and the 3rd chemo room had their own pharmacist - the 2nd shared one with the Oncology floor.  This could really delay chemo especially when you were getting 5 - 6 hour chemos like me.

    The second place was not big on holding people to appointments and also worked with MS patients and other patients getting blood products.  The 1st and 3rd place did not. This caused a lot of delays.

    There's an old thread called Chemo Room Etiquette that I will try to bump up for you.  It's actually kind of funny - don't let it freek you out.  You will see from all the posts how different these places can be. 

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited April 2011

    I bumped up the thread - it's actually called Infusion Room Etiquette.  It's very funny but does show how women creatively deal with the environments they find themselves in!  The thread is included in Chemo - Before, During, After.

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  • yellowdoglady
    yellowdoglady Member Posts: 349
    edited May 2011

    I had a private room as my treatments lasted all day.  Two comfy chairs, a TV, and it was pretty nice.  We could bring a movie or read or whatever.  Now that I just do a quick dose of zometa once a year, I do that in a large room with other people, and everyone is nice.  It's like a spontaneous support group.  People bring in cookies and pass them around.  But the waiting room is much the same.  Maybe not all doctors create such a positive environment, but they should.

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  • epgnyc
    epgnyc Member Posts: 101
    edited May 2011

    I'm sort of late posting a reply to this question.  I think they have the Presidential Suites of chemo rooms where I go.  I'm being treated at Sloan-Kettering in NYC and they built a brand new building about 1 1/2 years ago.  Each room is private and huge -- honestly there are chairs for you to bring as many as 3 other people with you.  I have a huge lounge chair where you can put your legs up.  The rooms are beautifully appointed and each has a large window, making the room very sunny on a nice day.  I'm sort of a private person and always bring a friend or family member with me so I relish having a room all to myself.  They even have big, opaque sliding glass doors if you want complete privacy.  It's also outfitted with a large flat screen TV.  I feel lucky!

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  • tracie23
    tracie23 Member Posts: 598
    edited May 2011

    I sat in a room with 15 other people being infused with blood, chemo etc... no privacy... I went to an oncologist and they wanted $7500.00 per chemo session.. they had REALLY nice chairs.:)

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  • Kay_G
    Kay_G Member Posts: 3,345
    edited May 2011

    I am going to UPENN.  They have a building that is about one and a half years old.  The entire third floor is for breast and gyneacologic cancers.  The chemo lab is in the back.  I think there are 22 suites.  They tell me what room to go to after I've had my blood drawn and seen either the NP or the onc.  All the suites have a tv and a lounge chair for the patient and a few other chairs for visitors.  The ones around the outside of the building are bigger and have huge windows with a view of downtown.  The rooms around the side are smaller and have no windows, but still the tv, lounge chair and visitor's chairs.  It might be coincidence but it seems like I've had the big room with the nice view on chemo days where I've had longer infusions and the smaller rooms when I've had shorter infusions.  Also they have a few kitchenettes spaced between some of the rooms with microwaves and refrigerators if you want to bring food in.  They always have soda, coffee, tea, juice and crackers and peanut butter there if you want that.  I think I prefer this kind of atmosphere to the large room where you can see what is going on with everyone, but I'm a private person.  I can see that others would like the camaraderie of going through it with others.

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  • hydeskate
    hydeskate Member Posts: 297
    edited May 2011

    When I first stated it was open room with curtains some had four chairs others had 6 charis....when they opened the new hospital  it was a spacious cubicle with a curtain in front if you want total isolation, 4 chairs in a section with a nurse station for every 2 sections.  Also has 2 seats for family, counter to place your bags etc, Only had 2 treatments in the new place before I got a Chemo break, I want to say each cubby had a fridge two but I may be mistaken.  The kids floor actually had video games, I told next time I had chemo, I wanted to go to that kiddy floor. I kinda missed the old place, I used to love when they brought the prisoners for treatment becasue I get to hear the crazy stories from the guards.

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  • spouse1
    spouse1 Member Posts: 47
    edited May 2011

    While my wife was doing chemo, she had a combination of type rooms.  When she was doing chemo that took several hours, we had our own private room with TV, couple chairs etc. - private and nice.  They also had a room that we used when she did chemo that lasted only an hour or so or when she had to get a quick injection.  It had twelve or chairs but wasn't bad - usually not too crowded.

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  • mrsnjband
    mrsnjband Member Posts: 1,409
    edited May 2011

    My infusion room was large room with about 40 chairs, no curtains & only one tv with sound turned down.  It has lots of windows which makes the room seem bright and more cheerful.  I sure the reason for no curtains so they could keep an eye of everyone in case someone had a reaction. NJ

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  • ATeamNana
    ATeamNana Member Posts: 464
    edited May 2011

    mine was pretty open also...but I could have pulled a curtain if I chose to.

    My sister or husband went with me to all my treatements and snacks were offered.

    I do not like being closed in so I left mine open...I did have allergic reaction a few times (I have asthma) so I was glad I could get someones attention.

    Good luck and I hope you are able to get comfortable with the situation you will be in.

    I got to know all my nurses and several other patients .... They were all great!

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