Cardinal Health System, Inc. Appointment Information at the Cancer Center at Ball Memorial Hospital

Appointment Information

First Appointment

After being referred to Radiation Oncology, you will receive a phone call from our registration staff to pre-register your initial consultation. When you enter the Cancer Center please check in at the R1 Radiation Oncology reception desk. Please bring the following things to your first appointment/consultation:

Your current insurance card and information.
Current medications in their containers/bottles.
Herbal medications and vitamins in their containers/bottles.
Please let us know whether you have received radiation therapy before.
For more information, visit our website at thecancercenteratbmh.org

Being diagnosed with cancer and receiving treatment is emotional, and patients need support during this difficult time. It is important at least one person, who is significant to you, understand your treatment plan. May we suggest you bring that person with you for your consultation and first few visits? We realize how important it is to have someone with you but please bear in mind our rooms are small so we can only allow two other individuals to accompany you back in the exam or consultation areas.

During your consultation, the radiation oncology nurse will obtain a medical history, list of current medications and vital signs and prepare you for a physical examination by the radiation oncologist.

The radiation oncologist and nurse will examine you and review your previous health records and recent X-ray studies. At that time, our physician will discuss your radiation therapy plan and possible other treatments. They may also order additional diagnostic tests to help determine the extent of your illness. From this information, the radiation oncologist will advise you on the best possible course of treatment.

The radiation oncologists rotate between facilities, therefore they take a team approach to cancer care for our patients. It is possible after your initial consultation that you will be seen by more than one of our physicians.

You should expect to be at the Cancer Center for approximately two hours for your initial consultation.

Simulation
After your consultation, if you decide to proceed with external beam irradiation, you will be scheduled for a simulation. This procedure takes approximately 30 to 90 minutes. You will be placed in either simulator room, depending on what area of the body we will be treating. In either room, the simulator technologist/radiation therapist will position you on the table according to the radiation oncologist's instructions. You will be required to lie still while a series of special measurements and X-rays are taken. All of this is necessary to determine the exact area on your body to be treated by radiation therapy and to determine the dosage to that area and surrounding structures. This is NOT a treatment. It is one of possibly two days of the simulation process.

Marks will be drawn on your body to identify the area X-rayed. Be careful not to wash off the skin marks. DO NOT attempt to redraw them unless instructed to do so by the staff.

Treatment Planning
Before your first treatment can be delivered, the treatment planning process must take place. The medical physicist, dosimetrist and your radiation oncologist use the information gathered during the simulation to plan treatments. The exact area to be treated, direction the radiation will be delivered from and the number of different directions will be determined during this planning. The dose to the treatment area and surrounding structures will be calculated at this time as well. The amount of radiation and the numbers and frequency of treatments is determined by the radiation oncologist and is individual to each patient. You will be told how many treatments you will receive and when to come for your appointments once the planning process is complete. It is sometimes necessary to change the total number of treatments, and if this occurs the radiation oncologist will inform you of the change. Once the planning process is complete, you may be asked to come back for another type of simulation. During this session, the radiation therapist will position you according to your initial simulation. They will then proceed in making adjustments according to the treatment plan and take a series of X-rays to verify the actual treatment area defined by the radiation oncologist to check any special blocking the doctor may have designed to spare healthy tissue around the treatment area. This is NOT a treatment.

8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Closed holidays.
Your appointment will be scheduled depending upon your preference and availability (usually it will be the same time each day).
On routine treatment days plan on being here 15 to 30 minutes.
It is best to wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothes that are easy to remove. You will be given a coded card to be used each day to speed up your check in at the front desk.
We are located at the corner of Celia and Gilbert.

There are two therapy machines or linear accelerators in the department. You may be treated on one or more machines during the course of your therapy. You will see a light shine from the machine onto the area of your body that is to be treated. The only discomfort you might feel is lying in the same position for a period of time.

While receiving your treatment, you will be alone in the treatment room for several periods of time. A closed circuit TV monitor outside the room allows your radiation therapist to see you at all times. There is also an intercom system, so the therapist can hear and speak to you should you need anything.

Radiation Oncology

The Cancer Center at

Ball Memorial Hospital

2401 W. University Ave.

Muncie, IN 47303

(765) 747-3148