Chemotherapy

[Rainbow1612]

My dad is due to start chemo next week.
He's very much the no fuss type but I've thought about putting together a sort of care package with bits he might need.
So far I've got a hat and gloves (he's been told he's going to feel the cold a lot more than usual) and some anti sickness wrist bands.
I would really appreciate some suggestions of things to include. I realise there are probably some things I would never have thought of.
I feel pretty useless with the whole situation and just want to do something nice and hopefully useful.

Thank you in advance

Depending on the type of chemo the sessions can take a long time and can be pretty boring. Things to read, maybe? Or a subscription to a streaming channel that he could watch on his phone, or at home later (it can make you feel quite tired, he may be sitting around a lot). Nothing needing too much concentration - I found it gave me brain fuzz - couldn't concentrate on my usual reading material.
The wrist bands may not be a good idea - I had to have a cannula put in each session - they start at the hands and work upwards as you get more and more bruised.

@Rainbow1612
A DAB (digital) radio (because reception can be bad in the wards) and a comfortable set of headphones - it can take a few hours - I just fall asleep.
A card is nice.
Various things that are easy to eat.

A flask with a warm drink in the car outside because sometimes, afterwards, I found myself shivering until the car warmed up.

I found it really, really useful to keep a diary about what happened, when, who I saw and what happened.

At the FIRST Chemo session the whole process takes longer because the drugs are delivered slower in case there is an adverse reaction.

I’m given anti-sickness tablets at the start of the session and other tablets at the end to be taken at various times over the next three days.

I was also given some drugs to be delivered by self-administrated injection.

Hope this helps.

Things my late OH loved during his chemo:

Lots of sweets - he had a bad taste in his mouth quite a lot so anything that he could suck on to get rid of the taste

Those hand warming pouch things - the reusable ones you can usually get in the pound shops

A very soft blanket - his skin was sensitive and having something extra soft was nicer for him.

Loose cotton clothing - again - his skin was sensitive but he also had some bloating and anything tight made it feel worse.

Distractions - books, games, puzzles, audiobooks, access to films and tv on demand. Some fun, some simple and not requiring much brain power. He had a lot of brain fog and struggled with more complicated things but got bored very easily. He said the distractions helped him ignore the side effects.

Don't go buying lots of nice food - he said anything he ate around the chemo got associated with the sickness and put him off ever eating it again. He ate a ton of pot noodles since he didn't mind "going off" them as it wasn't something he ate much to start with.

He will probably need to take his temperature regularly at home, so an electronic ear thermometer.

A blanket for the chemo sessions. If it’s an early start and a long session, he may want to sleep and the treatment may make him feel cold.
Slippers or warm socks.
Water bottle or flask. If someone is able to sit with him for the chemo sessions, they can get him drinks as he needs during the day. There is a little self-service area for making drinks on the day ward but if he’s on his own it’s a faff trying to manoeuvre about with both the drip stand and a drink.
Depending on what your hospital food is like, something nice to eat if he’s in over a mealtime.

Sweets to take away any funny taste or dry mouth - peppermints, lemon sherbets. Be prepared that if his taste buds change, he may no longer like previous favourites.
Squash or Lucozade - as above

A notebook to keep a diary of symptoms. I find it useful also for recording my appointments and medication, as it changes on different days in the treatment cycle and I can see how often I need medications for nausea and pain.

A power pack for his mobile phone so it is always charged.

Thanks to you all for taking the time to reply.
I have bought a few things suggested that I think might be useful, now we've just got to hope it all goes to plan.

Thanks again

Slippers
Gloves
A blanket
Water *need to drink loads to prevent dehydration
Hot drinks
Thermometer *take temp twice a day as its first sign of infection
Snacks
Eye mask
Reading materials
Phone and battery pack
Headphones
Probiotics (when chemo has totally finished)

Slippers
Gloves
A blanket
Water *need to drink loads to prevent dehydration
Hot drinks
Thermometer *take temp twice a day as its first sign of infection
Snacks
Eye mask
Reading materials
Phone and battery pack
Headphones
Probiotics (when chemo has totally finished)
Hot water bottle (if veins are poor)