Cold mitts and socks?

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KMom57
KMom57 Member Posts: 252
edited July 2020 in Chemotherapy - Before, During, and After

I will be starting TC shortly. Is there a particular brand of cold mitts and socks that seem to work best? How many extra gel packs do I need to have on ice for each session? I’ll be doing four rounds of TC.

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  • MoonGirlJess
    MoonGirlJess Member Posts: 267
    edited June 2020

    hello!

    I bought ice packs from Amazon called The Coldest Water. They are moldable so they conform nicely. Hard ice packs aren’t as comfortable or easy to pile on. The coldest water ice packs fold into a bit of a nest and I just shoved my hands in there. These ice packs are ridiculously cold. I gave my knuckles frost bite with these things. I also just piled on other gel frozen packs on my feet. The gel booties weren’t cold enough on their own. I had 4 of the coldest water ice packs that I kept rotating with big frozen Yeti blocks in my enormous cooler I brought. Everyone asked me how many beers I was bringing into treatment. These ice packs are still in use at my house for sprains, etc. I even loaned them for a friend icing through her colon CA chemo. Not cheap but very useful. All the gel packs are reusable.

    Kept all my nails although they did look beat up. No awful neuropathy either. I’m so glad I iced. No one else was at my center but one lady started after she saw me.

    Best of luck to you. PM me with any questions.

    I’m always around!

    Jess

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  • MoonGirlJess
    MoonGirlJess Member Posts: 267
    edited June 2020

    image

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  • KMom57
    KMom57 Member Posts: 252
    edited June 2020

    Which size did you buy? And how many do I need? How long do they last? Assuming I need extras? Thanks!

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  • MoonGirlJess
    MoonGirlJess Member Posts: 267
    edited June 2020

    image

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  • KMom57
    KMom57 Member Posts: 252
    edited June 2020

    Thanks so much!!!! This is all such a huge learning curve. I appreciate it.

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  • MoonGirlJess
    MoonGirlJess Member Posts: 267
    edited June 2020

    I bought 4 of these 11 x 14 ones and a bunch of other assorted gel packs (various brands). You’re going to need more than you think. The coldest water ones you can flip them around and get more use out of them with each chemo session. They stay cold a long time. Plus, you can ask the nurse to stick them in the freezer at the center for you to chill them down again

    I’ve also heard that it’s easy to make your own gel ice bags with Karo syrup or rubbing alcohol but I never tried it. I was too tired to mess with that during treatment.

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  • MoonGirlJess
    MoonGirlJess Member Posts: 267
    edited June 2020

    Oh, yes. The learning curve is steep

    If you are interested look into fasting before chemotherapy. The oncs hate it but it was the best thing I ever did during treatment. There are some free videos on it on Amazon Prime. Not great videos but you'll get the point.

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  • MinusTwo
    MinusTwo Member Posts: 16,634
    edited June 2020

    I used frozen peas in zip loc bags. The molded to fit my feet & hands and worked very well. I had two sets - one for 30 minutess before and 1/2 of the infusion, the 2nd set for the balance of the infusion and 30 minutes after. I was so glad to throw them away after 6 treatments.

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  • etnasgrl
    etnasgrl Member Posts: 650
    edited July 2020

    I froze some water bottles and held them in my hands during infusions. They worked perfectly!
    I also used 2 gallon size freezer bags full of ice for my feet. One for the bottom of my feet and one for the top.


    Worked like a charm! I kept all my nails, with zero issues and no neuropathy.

    Smile

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