Ladies - I pinched this from the Valentines Thread (so thank you Valentines Ladies)
For the Gums:
- Bonjela
- Cordsyl daily for x 3 and Cordsyl normal for 1 (dentist recommended)
- ultra soft bristle brush/baby toothpaste
- aloe vera based toothpaste, Beverley Hills gum strengthening toothpaste.
For the mouth:
- Gelclair, salt water wash, Oraldene, tonic water, Difflam mouthwash
- aloe dent lip balm with lysine (good for coldsores also)
Bad taste: - pineapple (fresh/chunks/drinks/lollies) - haribo (not tangtastic) - celery, mints, fresh fruit, pear drops, cola cubes, sherbert lemons.
Water tasting odd: - flavoured/sparkling water, lemon squash
Nausea:
- Ginger (beer, biscuits, sweets, fresh)
- smaller, regular meals
- V8 vegetable juice
- Manuka honey with hot water and peppermint oil
- Slippery elm powder mixed into natural yoghurt
- Banana for early morning with the anti-sickness tablet
- Flavoured/green tea if can’t face milk or dairy products in tea.
- Lite bites suggestions – cream cheese and bread sticks
- Nothing spicey
- Flat lemonade
- Plain biscuits
- Banana/peanut butter sandwiches
- Travel bands/anti sickness bands (Poundland cheaper than Boots).
General Wellbeing/During Chemo:
- Carry your card and thermometer with you all the time and keep bag packed
- Chemo Caddy – see below
- Pin up emergency numbers where everyone can see them – who to contact and when
- Check with your consultant who to phone at eves and weekends
- Store emergency numbers in your phone
- Digital thermometer if not given one by hospital (Poundland cheaper than Boots)
– take temperature under armpit as more accurate or get an ear thermometer
- Lifemel honey to boost white blood cells
- Drink LOTS of fluid before and after chemo - Lucozade for energy - Light meal before chemo
- If having CMF and nose issues when Chemo being administered then sweets or lolly (mini callipo) to suck during (small cool bag also recommended to keep lollies frozen)
- Bath pillow (helps prevent cold bald head on cold bath)
- Don’t take 2nd steroid dose after 2pm (awake/energised at wrong times)
- Eat fruit when you need to eat whilst/before taking tablets
- Avoid alcohol for 2/3 days after chemo
- Keep out of direct sunlight
- Pregnancy type diet to avoid risk of infection – ie no un-pasturised dairy products, wash veggies, meat properly cooked
- Accept help wherever offered!
- Prepare/buy nice food in advance for bad days
- Smash! When you can’t eat but must and mouth is sore! (Needs ketchup though)
Sleep when you can - Fresh air - Exercise - Laughter - Ask for help if really sick! Docs etc for additional drugs! - Steripen to sterilise water of nasties (works through UV and no nasty chemicals and easy to use but £90)
- Runny nose through loss of nose hair – tissues!
- V-pillow
- Check and see if GP can refer you to local leisure centre for cheaper use of fitness suite and swimming pool.
- Constipation - breakfast of high fibre cereal/fruit smoothie/prune juice - “Go Cake” – see below for recipe.
Sore Eyes
- Boots hay fever relief drops
- Cooling/chill eye mask
Headaches - gel pads (stick on kind used for infants/migraine)
Dry skin/rashes/spots from Taxol - gentle moisturiser for hands and feet - drink lots of juice and water but leave spots on face alone as skin sensitive.
Hairloss/head coverings
- buffs from buffwear
- baseball cap
- headcovers website
– sleep caps, scarves, bangs, eyebrows, eyelashes, wigs etc
- don’t wash it too often, use baby shampoo
- Browzings by Benefit – good eyebrow make up – Boots
Cold Cap Tips
Damp your hair and apply a generous amount of simple conditioner - the chemo nurses may do this for you but some ask you to prepare your hair yourself. Use either Dove shampoo and conditioner or the Simple range from the start of chemo. Leave your hair at least 24 hours after chemo before washing it, preferably for 2 days, (it is a bit gross with the conditioner in but you get used to it). Try to only wash it every 6/7 days, used a wide tooth comb once a day and try not to fiddle with it (it's hard not to). No hairdryers, straighteners, colouring etc. Expect your hair to shed from around the 2nd chemo until about 7 weeks after the last, some weeks it will shed more than others.
Another tip, take some paracetamol about 30 mins before they apply the cold cap - it can be painful for the first 10-15 minutes and gets more so at each round of chemo as your hair becomes thinner (less insulation).
CHEMO BAG AND CHEMO CADDY
Chemo bag
(A bum bag has been suggested as keeps both hands free and no restrictions on your shoulders and particularly snugpak response pack (online) as “tested in war, never beaten” and big enough to take a tool kit/chemo caddy or chemo bag).
Keep a bag packed in case of emergency hospital visit and to take on chemo days. Pyjamas, warm socks, clean knickers, wash bag with spare toothpaste and brush, face wipes, mirror, tissues, bag of pineapple pieces, anti bacterial hand gel, book.
Chemo Caddy
A basket with a handle (previously from delivery of pot plants) with everything needed in it so that you can have it by the bed upstairs or carry it down to crash in front of TV.
- Edibles – ginger bics, minty chewing gum, root ginger to nibble.
- Treats – nice hand cream, chocolate, octopus shaped back massager, nail cream, buffer.
- Essentials – tissues, glasses, lipsalve, bottle of water, straw (in case can’t lift head from pillow), little bell (to summon family to fetch/make tea)
“GO CAKE"
4oz All Bran,
5oz sugar,
10oz mixed dried fruit (basically whatever is in the cupboard – use a nice mixture) – apricots, sultanas, cranberries etc, lots of chopped prunes for extra “GO”.
½ pint of milk
4 oz self raising flour.
Put All Bran, sugar and fruit into a bowl, mix, add milk and allow to stand for at least half an hour (while you recover from the physical effort so far).
Sieve in the flour, mix well and pour into well greased 2lb loaf tin.
Bake in moderate oven (180 degree c) for about an hour, until a knife comes out dry.
Cover with foil after 30 mins if its browning too much.
Turn out of tin and cool.
Serve in thin slices with butter as thick as you like it!
