Chemo Bag

vane89

What are some things you packed for chemo? I start friday....

fishingal68

Hi, vane89!

I go for chemo round #3 today. In my bag, I have a phone charger, magazines/books, thank-you notes (to catch up on all of those that I haven't written yet), hand lotion, peppermints, chewy sweetart candies, hard Jolly Rancher candies, anti nausea wrist bands (I haven't used them yet), hand sanitizer, a soft blanket, and slippers.

Before I get to the clinic, I will stop to get a fruit smoothie. (Someone else told me these are good to drink throughout the infusion. I tried it the first two times, and it really helps. Take a couple of sips each time they change your iv meds, or flush it. It helps cover the nasty metallic taste that happens at that time. Also, choose a flavor you can tolerate, but don't actually love. I was told we would never want that flavor ever again after we finish chemo).

Good luck on your journey!

Moderators

Vane, the following thread may be of help:

• More Tips (and a Shopping List) for Getting Through Chemo

Good luck, and let us know howit goes!

The Mods

Mucki1991

my center is cold I always take an electric blanket

AgathaNYC

Hi, Vane89. Good luck with your first infusion.

I sort of laugh at myself when I think of the difference of my tote bag between my first and fourth chemo treatments. Totally over packed the first time.

Here's what I'm down to:

• Lip balm
• Phone charger
• Notebook/pen
• Snack like apple slices or baby carrots (nothing that has any odor at all, even peanut butter or orange could turn the stomach of another patient)
• slipper socks because I like to take off my shoes, you don't need to
• My center has blankets so I don't bring my own but if they don't I'd bring one

With my last infusion I started icing my hands and feet so that has it's own little bag of goodies, but you won't need to worry about that yet.

Kicks

took tatting, a puzzle book (sudoku), book, paper/pen, and a few snacks to the first neoadjuvant A/C. My smart phone so I could play on it. With adjuvant Taxol, I took nothing with me as I would go 'nighty night' (as the RN's would say to me when they started the IV benadryl as I would go to sleep within seconds. (Would 'wake up' about 1/2 hr before end of onfusion as I had gone 'nighty night'.)

The Facility I went to had lots of soup, snackies, juice/beverages for you. They had warmer blankets for you to keep warm.

I did A/C in a 3 sided cubicle with a recliner that had a curtain across the 4th side. For Taxol, I had a glassed in cubicle with it's own thermostat to keep the temperature up (or down for some) as I had major issues with keepingy temperature up. They kept me loaded down with the warmed blankets as I did drop to 94 at least once and usually in 96 - 95 range.

Some do 'ice' - because of my lowered temperature - it was never a possiblity for me. I've had no issues with neuropathy, or any other issues that 'icing' is supposed to prevent. But that is just me.

Different Facilities are different in what they offer and your cubicle.

(Just remembered - each cubicle had it's own cable TV so you could watch/listen to whatever you wanted to.)