Chemo gifts

[CommonFishDiseases]

Hi all, I am supporting a very dear friend who is starting chemo soon. I want to send her a gift box with some treats but I'm on a tight budget. Could anyone advise what could be included?

At the moment I have:

Paperback book
Chocolate
Ginger biscuits
Nice tea bags
Magazine
Handmade card from DD
Cosy socks
Cosy jumper
Stickers/colouring book for her DS

Thank you for any ideas

Boiled sweets - chemo often gives an unpleasant metallic taste in the mouth/throat. I carry a small tin of sugar free sweets in my bag now to counter this.

Gloves or fingerless gloves/wrist-warmers - On occasion I have had to have my hands submerged in warm water to help the nurses find a good vein on my hands. Wearing gloves on the journey in prior to a chemo session has helped in this regard.

Your gift box sounds lovely, I’m sure your friend will be touched and appreciate such thoughtfulness.

Thanks for taking the time to reply, FluffyMule, that's really helpful

Unfortunately earlier this year I was the one who was recipient of a couple of chemo boxes (although I ended up getting ongoing medication instead of chemo as my breast cancer has spread and is therefore incurable)

Some things that were included in my boxes that you havnt already mentioned

Adult colouring book
Journal
Mini fan
Hot water bottle
Blanket
Moisturiser
Puzzle book

One of my colleagues who is also a cancer survivor gave me a chemo box. Every item had a hand written label on it as to what it was to be used for eg fan for when you get too hot, puzzle book for when you are bored etc i was really touched

Thank you Elisebev that is so helpful. I'm sorry to hear about your own situation

Thank you for starting this thread. My friend is currently half way through a course of chemo and I'm visiting next week if she's well enough. Some good ideas.

A good moisturiser as chemo can dry your skin out

I've heard unscented moisturiser is best, purpleunicorn? Glad you'll find the thread helpful BarbarianMum

When my husband had chemo he enjoyed boiled sweets (not with sugar on), I bought him little cartons of fresh juice that didn't have to go in the fridge, the sort you put in kids lunch. He ended up with like motion sickness and couldn't read or use his phone so he enjoyed listening to audio books. He was in hospital for a week at a time and so took a portable DVD player and DVDs.

I think it depends on how much time is spent in hospital and how much at home. If she's at home a lot obviously she will have all her home comforts. A to go bag was helpful with a spare charger in or possibly a power bank if she uses her phone a lot.

I love my scented moistures and chemo didn't cause sensitive skin for me but it might be best getting sensitive just in case. Oh and maybe a nice shopping bag to take her chemo stuff in? I use one and you can get them really cheap. This is mine although it may not be to everyone's taste 😁
I also do crochet while having chemo to pass the time so if she does anything like that maybe a little craft set?

For me, although most food tasted odd I enjoyed anything with lemon in it. Lemon biscuits were a real treat!

Also a fluffy throw blanket would be nice as it is easy to get off and on during infusions.

Having a friend there is the best gift though.

My daughter made a memory jar for me when I had my chemo and transplant. It was a decorated jar filled with pieces of paper with a memory or nice message on each piece of paper. It was so thoughtful and lovely. I opened one piece of paper from the jar each day I was in hospital and it helped me get through it

Soft toothbrush with some mouthwash (teeth can get shoogly)
Boiled or jelly sweets
Fancy hand cream or manicure set
Aroma oils - or an electric diffuser with some mils smells (lemon or vanilla - not too sickly)
Fluffy socks
Funny magazines - the fortean times always has me in stitches

Thank you very much for your ideas, everyone

Hope she's doing OK. My dad had those vitamin shakes as he lost his appetite a bit.