I need a 'getting ready for chemo' list

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sbmly53
sbmly53 Member Posts: 1,522
in Breast Cancer #1
for a young coworker who was just dx'd. I know this has been posted before, but my computer is running slow and I can't find the thread I was looking for.

So I want to put together a bag. I know I want to get a blanket and she loves word jumbles - so a book of that - what else? Help!

Thank you,

Sue

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  • sea60
    sea60 Member Posts: 2,613
    #2
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    Here are a few helpful things:
    - a neck pillow
    - gum/lemon or ginger drops
    - Biotene mouthwash
    - Reading material


    Hugs!

    Sylvia
  • renee616
    renee616 Member Posts: 181
    #3
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    sea60 said:

    Here are a few helpful things:
    - a neck pillow
    - gum/lemon or ginger drops
    - Biotene mouthwash
    - Reading material


    Hugs!

    Sylvia

    A few things I found handy!
    Hand sanitizer
    chap stick
    hand lotion/aquaphor
    eye drops
    nasal saline stuff
    dry skin lotion
    cotton cap or scarf
    movies
    nail hardener just in case
    hard candy
    gum
    antacids
    big water bottle
  • margz35
    margz35 Member Posts: 53
    #4
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    something else ..
    Aveeno cream - I broke out in hives from my infusions, esp. during the low immunity days. Or else a nice fragrance free lotion.
    How about a lovely magazine subscription? My friend got me one and it is nice to have a new magazine arrive at home vs having to venture out.
    Good luck to your friend :-)
  • mamolady
    mamolady Member Posts: 796 Member
    #5
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    Just Get Me Through This
    Just Get Me Through This by Deborah Cohen and Robert Gelfand MD

    This book has been a great resource for me. A friend suggested it when I was diagnosed. You can get it on Amazon.

    Cindy
  • VickiSam
    VickiSam Member Posts: 9,079 Member
    #6
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    mamolady said:

    Just Get Me Through This
    Just Get Me Through This by Deborah Cohen and Robert Gelfand MD

    This book has been a great resource for me. A friend suggested it when I was diagnosed. You can get it on Amazon.

    Cindy

    Tom's natural
    Tom's natural toothpaste
    ginger herbal tea -- to calm one's stomach
    Lipton and crystal light individual favored packets -- to add to water
    cranberry juice, and/or pink lemonade to also favor water
    Plastic stem ware to use in case she gets that metallic taste in her mouth


    to take with her to chemo therapy:

    journal / booklet to write down questions for Oncologist and his/her staff
    socks
    stuffed animal to cuddle while getting chemo infusion
    IPOD with favorite music or relaxation zen sounds
    snacks
    saltines crackers
    hard candy to suck on
    wipie's to freshen up

    Strength, Courage and Hope I pray for her.


    Vicki Sam
  • Suzie-Q-Z
    Suzie-Q-Z Member Posts: 40
    #7
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    something that might help
    Maybe a sleep mask. I found it very hard to nap no matter how tired I was because of the lights and all the activity.
  • skipper54
    skipper54 Member Posts: 936 Member
    #8
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    Suzie-Q-Z said:

    something that might help
    Maybe a sleep mask. I found it very hard to nap no matter how tired I was because of the lights and all the activity.

    lots of good suggestions
    I found the book "Uplift" to be great. It's filled with lots of practical advice, and stories from cancer survivors. How about a prayer shawl? You can also put totgether a "coupon book" with things like your gift of doing a load of laundry, cooking a meal, buying groceries, etc.
  • 1acme
    1acme Member Posts: 77
    #9
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    my chemo days
    Well I like to bring with me:

    1) journal/notebook to write down questions for Oncologist and his/her staff
    2) bottle of room temperature Water with lemon, cuccumber or ginger slices
    3) hard sour candies
    4) small heating pad (my veins are too small, but heating my arm helped to get infusion in me.
    5) ear buds, my chemo department have small TV for each chair, but you need to have your own ear buds
    6) eys mask, so I can sleep during a treatment. I found that reading was not for me (anymore) but have a great nap in chair made me refreshed
    7) nice fluffy socks. When I fall a sleep keeps my feet cozy.
    8) Burt's Bee - chopstics, foot cream with Pepper Mint and Hand cream. I had experienced very dry skin on my feet & hands during treatment.
    9) Bio-Oil - recomended by my surgeon to use on my scars after surger, helps with healings and discoloration. But I had been also using on my face before bed when feel like my skin was dry.
    10) SUPORT ... I had several girlfriends drop by during chemo and some of them went with me to doctors appoitment
    a) it is also nice to get somebody with you as Note Taker when talking to doctor, you are destracted and concetration on conversation, but girlfriend can ride everything down
  • Double Whammy
    Double Whammy Member Posts: 2,832 Member
    #10
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    1acme said:

    my chemo days
    Well I like to bring with me:

    1) journal/notebook to write down questions for Oncologist and his/her staff
    2) bottle of room temperature Water with lemon, cuccumber or ginger slices
    3) hard sour candies
    4) small heating pad (my veins are too small, but heating my arm helped to get infusion in me.
    5) ear buds, my chemo department have small TV for each chair, but you need to have your own ear buds
    6) eys mask, so I can sleep during a treatment. I found that reading was not for me (anymore) but have a great nap in chair made me refreshed
    7) nice fluffy socks. When I fall a sleep keeps my feet cozy.
    8) Burt's Bee - chopstics, foot cream with Pepper Mint and Hand cream. I had experienced very dry skin on my feet & hands during treatment.
    9) Bio-Oil - recomended by my surgeon to use on my scars after surger, helps with healings and discoloration. But I had been also using on my face before bed when feel like my skin was dry.
    10) SUPORT ... I had several girlfriends drop by during chemo and some of them went with me to doctors appoitment
    a) it is also nice to get somebody with you as Note Taker when talking to doctor, you are destracted and concetration on conversation, but girlfriend can ride everything down

    Titillating Turbans
    Check out titillatingturbans.com and look at the bag Dr. Laurie has assembled. She has a really thoughtful number of practical and useful items. She's a bc survivor who has gone through this so knows what helped her.

    From my experience, A & D ointment, Depends, and Immodium were my life and sanity savers as I had a lot of trouble with diarrhea. Not particularly fun things for a gift tho.

    Suzanne
  • skipper54
    skipper54 Member Posts: 936 Member
    #11
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    Double Whammy said:

    Titillating Turbans
    Check out titillatingturbans.com and look at the bag Dr. Laurie has assembled. She has a really thoughtful number of practical and useful items. She's a bc survivor who has gone through this so knows what helped her.

    From my experience, A & D ointment, Depends, and Immodium were my life and sanity savers as I had a lot of trouble with diarrhea. Not particularly fun things for a gift tho.

    Suzanne

    "Grow a Head"
    Someone in my husband's office gave me one of these as a mood lifter. It's a little bit like a chia pet but it grows grass for hair. It's a "pink sister" of sorts that starts out bald and grows hair. SHe also has signs she can hold. I found them on Amazon and ordered a couple to give to new friends. I was also told that someone makes turbans out of "recycled" life is good shirts - nice and soft. I just heard about this one so can't help you find it but you can probably "google" it.

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