so, you're chemo starts today, you live on your own..... what would you like someone else to do for you?

[mckenzie]

The house is clean and there is plenty of food, all the laundry is up to date.

Shall i go and fill her house with flowers ready for when she returns?

Have a bottle of Chateau Neuf du Pape ready and waiting with the largest red wine glass available?

Anything? Probably for my sake as much as anything else, to make the day go quicker. She's got a long transfusion to get through.

TIA

Probably a bit late now, but after my chemo I wanted something nice to eat that wasn't too salty, spicy or sharp (sore mouth), then to be left in peace to sleep.

No to flowers and no to wine :(

thanks Sabriel. Not too late as I was scared to do anything in case it might upset her. I know her mum has sorted food. I have bought flowers but I'll give them to her mum instead

You sound a lovely friend. I've been on both sides of the fence, so to speak. After chemo, I liked getting occasional texts, just so I knew people were thinking of me . And offers of help if they were genuine: when I was much sicker than expected, someone came to stay with me for a day or two, which was lovely. What was especially lovely was knowing that they wouldn't have offered if they hadn't meant it, so I could accept without compunction.

Ask them about their experience and play it by ear as to whether they want to talk about it.

If you know she has freezer space, then how about cooking her some small portions of easy to microwave and eat comfort foods ?
Then over the weeks/months to come, she'll know she doesn't have to cook when she least feels like it.
You could also make up some smoothie bags - scoops of quality icecream, slices of banana, berries/fruit (like peaches or mango) in individual bags that she can just chuck in the blender with some milk to make a calorie and nutrition dense drink thats really easy to tolerate if nauseous or sore mouthed

thanks for the extra replies. I love the idea of the smoothie mixture for the freezer. I'm going to do that this weekend.
As it turns out, I have a nasty infection in my mouth and I'm on antibiotics and something else too so my GP has told me to keep away from her .

DH is going this morning with the DCs. She was bright yesterday when i spoke to her and swapped messages with her, just tired. Fingers crossed nothing has changed over the night. thanks again for the posts.