There is no way around it, chemo is tough! This list of items helped ease the side effects of my chemo treatments and helped make chemotherapy a little easier.
Since my sister unfortunately went through cancer before me, I knew some of the items I would need and the few items I did not know about, my sister was on deck to send them my way. Had the situation had been reversed, I know I would have been lost!
I decided to share some of the things that we/I used that helped. If I think of more, I will add them, but putting this together made me realize that I had kind of forgotten many of the items I used during my treatment so this will be much easier to share this link versus try to text or email a list to people.
If you have questions, please don't hesitate to ask. I am happy to help and answer what I can. I am not an expert by any means, but I can tell you if I had a similiar situation and if there was something I found helpful.
Plus, since sharing my diagnosis I have had several people reach out asking if there were any tips or tricks I could share to help their loved ones. I think it is always hard to tell what will work for everyone because we are all different, but these are items I am happy I had and many of them I still use today!
And for disclosures, I think we all know that I am NOT a doctor, and this is not a medical opinion. My only reason for sharing is to try and help people see what options are out there and what I used. I hope this helps others in some way, even if you are someone that is wanting to gift their loved one something.
I remember how hard it was to find things when I was looking for my sister, so I hope this helps those looking for ideas! To possibly make it easier, I have included links to Amazon since I think most of us have an account there.
These items are the items that I felt were helpful during and after treatments to ease the pains of chemotherapy.
Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.
Chemo Sweatshirt with zippers for port access. This was a godsend on my infusion days, and I think the nurses appreciated it as well. There are several versions of this sweatshirt and you can also get a t-shirt version. I don't have a ton of v-neck tops so this was easier for me to just have this as my chemo day fit!
Taking a neck pillow to chemo was another one of my sister's tips. I always fell asleep during chemo so this was a live-saver and helped me to not wake up with a sore neck!
UTK Heating pad is by far the best heating pad I have ever owned. It heats the stones and uses infrared heat which penetrates deeper than traditional electric heating pads. The chill and bone pain that you have during treatment is real, and this heating pad is a lifesaver!
Alra is a therapy lotion that is very similar to shea butter, but it did wonders when my hands were dry!
Alra also makes a mild conditioning shampoo. I looked at several options, even using baby shampoo, but this was the we decided to go with. I am still using it as my hair is growing out.
One potential side effect of my chemo was nueropathy, so I puchased freezer mitts and also freezer booties below to help prevent that as much as possible. These were obviously very cold so I did have very light gloves and socks to help until they thawed a little and I could handle the cold without them.
Here are the freezer booties that I wore to hopefully help prevent neuropathy in my feet, which was a potential side effect of my chemo.
My family has used this Osea Undaria Algae Boday Oil for years. It is definitely a little bit of a luxury purchase, but I used this every time I got out of the shower or the bath. It really helped keep all my skin hydrated and the smell was amazing. You definitely have to find ways to pamper yourself, and this was one of mine!
Another Osea product that I used on days when I wanted something a little extra strength was the Undaria Algae Body Butter. I was amazed how dehydrated I was and this is a very thick body butter I used off and on in rotation with the Altra and shea butter.
Since we are talking about hydration, chapped lips were an everyday battle for me. This Ilia lip wrap was truly a lifesaver. I used this almost every night and sometimes multiple times per day. It is still part of my routine!
Quesy Drops and Ginger Chews were helpful when my nausea kicked in. This brand tasted the best to me, except for the banana, which was NOT my jam. I love the flavor of ginger so I could grab just about any bag of those and they helped. These are a good option if you want more variety.
GrandeBROW and GrandeLASH, are another example of my sister saving the day. If you are looking for this locally, I know MerleNorman sells both of the Grande products. Even though I did lose some of my eyelashes and eyebrows, these growth products helped to grow and thicken what I had left. The RevitaBrow came in my FabFit Fun box, which I used after I ran out of the others. The RevitaBrow was developed by a Breast Cancer Survivor, I have been happy with it as well. My brows do appear thicker to me which is a win when you don't have many.
Satin-lined hats! I slept in my Kitcsh hat every night!!! In an effort to save your hair from pulling and getting tangled, they recommend sleeping on satin pillowcases. While I did that, I also doubled down as did my sister and our favorite, this Kitch Satin-lined hat!
Frankcinsce and Myah, as my sister said, "If it is good enough for Jesus it is good enough for me." I didn't realize that chemo can cause pain in your feet, especially your heels. This essential oil takes away the pain, I would rub a few drops in and then put on some fuzzy socks, and my feet would feel so much better. There are several options to choose from so I just linked the page!
Castor Oil! This was another item that my sister saved the day with. She also sent empty bottles so I could you them on my eyelashes. A couple of months after chemo was over, I did lose all my bottom lashes, but I only lost about half of my upper eyelashes and brows. I will take that versus losing all of them. You will see a lot of discussion on Castor Oil for so many things, but like everything else, you have to decide what is best for you!
Electric Blanket, my infusion center has warm blankets, but I wanted to be able to adjust the heat as necessary, especially when I had my freezer mitts and booties on.
Another side effect of my chemo was bone pain so I soaked in several Epsom salt baths, sometimes several a day to help ease the pain. I chose a variety of their salts, while I didn't notice one being more relieving than the other, the scent was sometimes a bonus for added relaxation.
This was a massage ball that also vibrates, it was nice to roll under my feet and hold in my hands when they were sore and tingly from neuropathy and chemo. I couldn't find my exact one, but you get the idea!
When mouth sores happened, this was the mouthwash I used to help get them to go away as quickly as possible. My doctor said he could prescribe a mouthwash as well, but this is what I chose to use. During chemo it is already tough to eat, adding mouth sores on top of the nausea doesn't help.
