Outpatient treatment

Carrying out a blood test

Before receiving chemotherapy, a blood sample will need to be taken, either at home by a nurse or at the laboratory. Please tell the nurse the name and telephone number of your laboratory.

The test must be carried out early in the morning so that the results can be faxed to the Eugène Marquis Centre within 15 hours.

A nurse will check the results of your blood test (white blood cells and platelets). If everything appears normal, you will not hear from us.

If your blood test highlights any problems (low white blood cell and platelet levels), the nurse will call you to tell you that:

• Either your treatment will be pushed back by a week

Or

• You need to have another blood test at the Eugène Marquis Centre laboratory

The day before your treatment, please make sure that you are easily contactable in the afternoon in case the nurse calls.

If it is absolutely necessary for you to change the date or time of your appointment, you can call the programming nurse (+31) 02992 52994 who will be able to propose a new appointment time.

Download the Outpatient Chemotherapy Passport

Take all the medicines that your doctor has instructed you to take before chemotherapy (premedication). You should also bring the prescriptions and/or medicines so that the nurse can check what premedication you are on. If anything is missing, it can be administered when your drip is inserted.

If you have an implantable port, place an anaesthetic patch on it before leaving home. (It needs to be applied at least one hour before treatment).

How should I use an anaesthetic patch?

You may need to stay at the Eugène Marquis Centre for anything between a couple of hours to a full day, depending on how long your treatment takes, whether you need to be monitored and how long it takes to prepare you for chemotherapy.

At your first chemotherapy session, your medical team will explain to you what your care involves as an outpatient.

Please do not hesitate to talk to your doctor or nurse about any negative side effects you may be experiencing, as this will help them to adapt your care to your needs and to direct you towards support services to help you cope.

Did you know? At the Eugène Marquis Centre, all treatments are prepared on site at the pharmacy. This allows your team to adapt your treatment to your weight and size. This is also why, depending on the type of treatment you are going to receive, you may have to wait longer for it.

You will be given advice about self-care and about monitoring any negative side effects that occur between sessions.Please do not hesitate to contact the Centre if required.

Complementary medicine

You may be using, or wish to use, complementary medicines. Any decisions you make to improve your well-being will be respected.

For your safety, however, some basic principles need to be followed:

• You must tell your oncologist about any complementary treatments you are taking.
• Never stop taking treatment prescribed by your oncologist.
• Be careful with phytotherapy, as it may interfere with other treatments.

In addition to the outpatient treatment that you receive at the hospital, the support care team is at hand to help you if required.

In addition to your medical consultation, you are also entitled to a paramedical support consultation before starting treatment.This is an opportunity for you to obtain additional information about your care, ask questions and assess your support care needs: See the Support Care page

Once your chemotherapy session has finished, the nurse will remove your drip and place a dressing on the site, which must be kept on for 24 hours. The nurse will schedule your next session and, if necessary, an appointment with your oncologist or the outpatient doctor.

While you are receiving the chemotherapy, you will be told what time you will be discharged so that, using your own mobile phone, you can inform whoever is going to take you home (a friend or family member, a taxi or patient transport service). We will ask you to tell us the name of your ambulance service.

You can choose your own ambulance service; please inform the coordinating nurse, who will contact them.

Following your treatment

You should never be left without a follow-up appointment in the months following your treatment. If you have not received an appointment letter, contact your oncologist’s secretary.

Overview of the effects of treatment

Preparing your skin

Preparing your skin before surgery is important in order to prevent infections in the area of the surgery. This includes two important elements:

• Body hygiene: showering
• Preparing the skin for operation

Showering is an important part of your care and must be carried out thoroughly. Showering helps remove a large proportion of squames (dead skin flakes) on the surface of the skin and will reduce the risk of infection.

The morning of your operation, you should take another shower at home in the same way as the night before. You do not need to wash your hair again. Dress in clean clothes and do not use any cosmetic products (creams, deodorants, perfume, make-up, etc.). Remember to brush your teeth, even if you are fasting. If you are admitted to hospital the day before your operation, you will take a second shower in the department.

Download Guidance on Preparing Your Skin

Download the Skin Surgery Passport

Three different processes may be used during operations:

• Pure local anaesthesia, during which an analgesic is injected into the area to be operated on in order to numb it. This is the process most commonly used in basic dermatosurgery.
• Conscious sedation (local anaesthesia combined with tranquillisers), during which the patient remains awake but relaxed. The patient may not remember the procedure. This method is often preferred for reasons of personal comfort or when performing complex free flap surgery, in particular on the face.
• Classic general anaesthesia, during which the patient is completely asleep. This is rarely used in dermatosurgery.

Your surgeon and anaesthetist will discuss the options with you in order to choose the right one.

Post-surgery guidance

If you have recently undergone surgery, it is important that you follow certain guidance.Download Post-Surgery Guidance.If you need to contact us after you have returned home, you can call the Centre on:

Surgery Department, (+31) 02992 53022 (open 24 hours).

Note

If you have any problems during your stay, speak to your attending doctor or to the department manager, who will try to resolve the problem as soon as possible.

If you are not satisfied with the solution provided, you can contact the Service Users Committee (CDU) [Commission des Usagers], which, in line with the Act of 4 March 2002, was established by the Eugène Marquis Centre to provide patients with assistance, guidance and information about their rights.

Before leaving the Centre, your care team will provide you with personalised advice and instructions.You must not spend the first night after your operation alone at home. The day after your operation, the team will call you to check up on you.  

If you need to contact us after you have returned home, you can call the Centre’s surgery department on (+31) 02992 53022. 

If you have recently undergone surgery:

• The dressing should be kept on, changed and removed in accordance with the instructions provided. If the dressing is waterproof, you can shower normally with your usual products. Once the dressing has been removed, it is important to thoroughly dry the scar by patting it dry with a dry towel after showering. Do not put any antiseptic products on the scar (such as Biseptine or Betadine).In some cases, you will be instructed to call a nurse to come to your home to change the dressing as required. You will need to occasionally apply a special cream to your scar. You will be given a prescription for the cream. Although the stitches are dissolvable, the ends will need to be removed by a nurse at your home on the date given in the instructions provided. You will be prescribed painkillers during the consultation with your anaesthetist or when you are discharged. You are advised to take them regularly for the first 48 hours, and then to take them as required over the following days.
• You may be discharged with a drain still in place, in which case a nurse will visit you at home to check on it. Guidance for caring for the drain will be included on the prescription. You will be provided with drain bags before you are discharged. If you run out, please contact the Centre. We recommend wearing a bra day and night for the first 15 days. It should be wireless and supportive (to prevent pain and help healing).
• Depending on the type of surgery that you have undergone, you will also be prescribed physiotherapy to be carried out by an independent physiotherapist.

You will have a post-surgery consultation with your surgeon 15 to 21 days after your operation. At that appointment, your surgeon will discuss with you your results and the next steps in your care. An appointment letter will be sent to your home or given to you when you are discharged.

Possible complications in the days following surgery:

Lymphocele

A build-up of lymph (yellowish clear liquid) around the surgical site. This is a physiological response. If the build-up becomes too large or irritating, it may need to be drained. Draining is not painful and can be carried out in the department.

Haematoma

A haematoma may appear around the surgical site. If it is large or irritating, you should contact the surgery department.

Infection

You may develop a fever, or the surgical site may become hot and red. You should contact the surgery department or your general practitioner.

Problems with healing

You can ask the surgery department for advice about healing, if required.

Please do not hesitate to contact the Centre if you have any problems. The surgery department can be contacted on (+31) 02992 53022.