What to pack for first day chemo

susie1489

I start chemo in the morning. What should I eat before I go? It should take 6 to 8 hours. I know to pack water. I am diabetic and need to know what foods or possible things that might help me.

desertgirl947

I had a black leather bag

I had a black leather bag with zippers that had several places for me to put things.  I kept my things in that the whole time I did chemo so that I did not have to think too hard about what to gather.

I ate a regular breakfast (juice or fruit. cereal, and maybe coffee).  I got a head start on drinking water, as drinking a lot of water was recommended for those of us taking chemo.  With the adriamycin/cytoxin infusions, I usually just had a snack because I often was done around lunch time:  peanut butter crackers, bottled water, .....  HOWEVER, where I went for infusions, the staff there made available to us snacks and beverages (including soda).  When I was taking the taxol, I did have more of an interest in eating.  Where I was was one exit up from where there were a cluster of fast-food restaurants.  I always had someone who came along with me for chemo, and so I would write up my order and tell my friend which place to go and I gave her extra money to get what she wanted.  (One colleagues at school had given me a check, and so I used that money for this expense.)

In my bag I had these things:  puzzle books, pens, pencils, writing paper.  The morning of chemo, I tossed in my Kindle, my Tracfone, and my money.  I kept in the bag a small clipboard where I could write down questions I might have between appointments.  That way I did not forget what I wanted to ask.

I did not take a blanket or pillow, although the office had both.  I tended to spend more time watching HGTV in my little room or chatting with my companion than I did doing the things I brought with me to do.  Those did come in handy the two times or so that my companion dropped me off instead of staying through.

I did add lotion to my bag, as I had some flaky. dry skin become pesky on my feet when I was doing taxol. 

I think that is about it.

Puffin2014

crushed flavored ice

desert gave you good suggestions.

I'd been told that chewing on crushed ice during the infusion and keeping my mouth very cold could help prevent mouth sores. Plain ice gets boring, so I mixed up various flavors of Crystal Lite and froze it, and ran it through our little ice chopper and put it in small zip lock bags, and put those in a small insulated bag. Our center provided snacks for us, and lunch too for anyone whose treatments went past 11am, so I didn't need to bring food.

I brought my kindle and puzzles too, but also found I usually just watched TV, sometimes I napped.

button2

You got some great suggestions

Good luck with chemo Susie. I can't think of anything the other ladies did not mention, oh except I brought my husband along too! Hugs, Anna

twnkltoz

How did your first treatment

How did your first treatment go? Hanging in there OK?