suggestions for clothes to wear to wear at home/hospital/recuperation for chemo an recuperation

[overthemill]

ok, so I have to have 6 months worth of chemo which will probably be nasty. Most of the time I wear jeans at home and a mix of smartish clothes for work (am a teacher) but do't really have any 'loungewear'.
A friend suggested I treat myself to some really nice 'at home' clothes as a lot of the time I will be unable t work it seems.

so, what would you suggest? I am 54, not ultra trendy, tend to wear boden, white stuff, gap, banana republic (in sales!) & have small budget. Where do I look?

Sorry to hear about your treatment; I hope it goes well.

When you're in hospital you will need something with loose sleeves to accomodate the drips, so loose tunic type tops are best. Also best to wear something not too tight on bottom half as if you're sitting on a bed or a chair (or hanging over the loo ) feeling rotten, the last thing you want is anything uncomfortable or constricting.

Firstly sorry to hear this - I hope the chemo works for you.

Secondly - Hush and The White Company both good. Also if you want cosy - pure collection have a good cashmere sale on at the moment - perhaps a nice wrap.

Good luck.

these trousers are super comfy but also worth considering indigo jeggins from places like M&S - with a sleeveless top and cosy cardigan and some nice scarves perhaps.

I have two suggestions for you. If you look at the Gap website, they do a range called Pure which is basically stuff for lounging - really nice stuff - only a bit more expensive than regular Gap, so perhaps you should sign up for their emails and wait for another 30% off code to come along - they are fairly frequent. I think you also get 15% discount if it's your first online order.

The second suggestion is Hush which currently has a very good sale. I think mumsnet have a discount code for them in their offers section.

I hope your chemo isn't too horrible. Will keep my fingers crossed for you

This top would work well in hospital. Is that the kind of thing you'd wear usually?

I thought these looked nice from Esprit and they are cheaper than White Stuff.

www.esprit.co.uk/en-GB/women/all_brands/CLOTHES/nightwear_loungewear/mix_match

these are super comfy I understand and in the indigo slightly more dressed up than yoga style trousers.

Sorry about having to have chemo - sounds really rotten.

I suggest buying yoga pants with nice plain matching tshirts and a hoody. The pants from Dorothy Perkins and Tesco are both v good and cheap, hush and boden cashmere wraps/cardigans are nice too. Maybe add a pair of uggs/emus and some soft bed socks too.

Sorry. Not White Stuff, White Company.

Hope your treatment goes well.

Hi
firstly commiserations on the chemo-I had 6 months of strong chemo a few years ago.

Tbh I rarely was out of pjs when I was going through it as it completely wiped me out-you may be completely different though.

I agree with posters suggestion above-def no tight pjs tops-ideally vest tops are best as allow easy access for lines. comfortable lounge or jogging bottoms. I would treat myself to a really nice dressing gown as you want something you can receive visitors in.

For going to my hosp appointments I lived in a faux fur coat and hat-meant I could be casual underneath but still look glam! I realise that it being summer might not be such a good look for you!

All the best.

Sorry to hear you have to have chemo Overthemill, and I wish you all the best in your treatment.

Tips for 'chemo-wear' - soft natural fabrics, the softer the better as your skin can get very sensitive, and also they will be kinder on any surgery scars you may have.

I would get clothes that are loosish fitting but adjustable (so tie waisted trousers for instance. or wrap dresses) - because there is a good chance your weight will alter either up or down depending on your type of chemo.

I don't know if you are going the wig route or hats/scarves (or whether your chemo doesn't cause hair loss) but if hats - very soft cotton ones, google hats for chemo - I think there's one called Bohemia that I used, - it has scarily weird plastic heads as models, but the hats were soft - and even if you use a wig, you might find you want a hat at night when the weather gets a bit colder.

If you ever feel like a chat about it all, please do pop over to the tamoxifen thread on health, we are a friendly bunch and have all had some form of cancer and various different treatments. We mostly talk about cake - but there's always someone around if you need questions answered, or just a bit of support. xx

OH and check out the Look Good Feel Better Charity - they do great make up sessions for people with cancer and you get a lovely big bag of really top notch freebies if you go on one

you guys are absolute stars ! thank you so much. At the moment I am living in really soft linen tunics/shirts with a stretchy cami underneath as my condition makes bras really uncomfy. am also wearing to death a pair of capri length leggings with a back up pair of crop jeans with a soft waistband. have added in a long line lovely zara cardigan my dh bought me which is cosy when i feel the cold (not often!)

Starting to buy scarves and have been given some as presents. It will be a few weeks before I lose my hair.

like the M&S top -
LOVE the gap pure stuff and the white company trousers and the Hush stuff looks good but not much left! the esprit stuff is a surprise.

is tesco stuff good quality? I haven't thought of there before

i think a long sleeveless top with soft trousers and a cardy sound good. hospital is always hot and i am always hot anyway!

KurrotsOfFire I've also worn a bot of very soft rayon jersey which is fab at the moment (have Hodgkins with raging itching). Do you think this will be ok post chemo? lots of the soft stuff I've seen is in this fabric rather than cotton/linen.

I think that will be fine overthemill, - really it's whatever you feel comfortable in. I would guess loose clothing would be best if you have bad itching - more important than the fabric probably. - Do you have an electric fan? - I found mine a Godsend. But I'd also have some nice warm bedsocks and PJ's - because you can get cold too - your temp. regulation mechanism can get a bit thrown out by the chemo, - so layers you can take on and off are good.

Sports bras are good, they don't irritate as there is no underwire. I also put a trilby or panama hat over my headscarf as I felt people stared at the scarf. MAC eyebrow pencils are good, and eyeliner can help you feel as though your eyes have some definition. Good luck with everything.

Primark had some lovely, soft, cropped Jersey harem pants in recently. I don't know if they still have them, but they are very comfortable, lightweight, and easy to wear.

Firstly, good luck with your treatment.
I've not long finished my chemo, and it really wasn't as bad as I was expecting - so I'd say keep an open mind as you may be ok too.
Your current wardrobe sounds very similar to mine, and I wore my 'normal' clothes right through chemo. Short sleeves or sleeves which can be rolled up are good for having your infusions. Also, it is important that you keep your arm warm before being cannulated, although if you are having a port or line fitted then this wont be necessary.
To be honest I didn't find I needed to wear anything different than I would normally wear. - Apart from headgear that is, as my chemo was a hair loss one. By far the best head wear I found were Buffs - they have an amazing range, are super comfy and some have UV protection too.
And I second the Look Good Feel Better sessions - they are BRILLIANT!

The Tesco stuff is not far off m&s quality now tbh. Tesco has got better and m&s is worse! The yoga pants are great!
I'd also suggest a colour theme so everything can be mixed and matched, makes buying, washing, packing and dressing much easier.
I suggest navy, White, red, camel and maybe grey. All looks good together or any combo. And navy is more flattering than black when you're feeling wiped out.

still some nice things at toast

I'm very sorry to hear about your illness and chemo.

I was in Princesse Tam Tam the day before yesterday and their new season www.princessetamtam.com/fr/f123-nouveautes_homewear homewear collection]] has lots of things in it.

homewear collection

thank you all for such great suggestions and links. Going to go to big shopping centre today to have a go at trying on some stuff. DH taken day off so we can get some house stuff sorted ahead of likely chemo brain! will report back

Nothing much to add as some really good tips here but wanted to wish you the best in your treatment.

I had leukemia at 16 and found hospital stifling hot even in the depths of winter! So light natural fabrics are a good shout. I think you have very much the right idea in buying some nice pieces now, changing into something you feel good in can do wonders in lifting your mood.

Good luck.

went shopping today and bought:
navy wrap cardigan
rose cross back tank
and ordered online
the most incredibly soft trousers
and thinking about this
longline tshirt
felt good to be treating myself