Chemo for lymphoma can be pretty tough going, but there are things that you can do to prepare for chemotherapy that make it easier. Here are some of the things that I found useful.
Things to buy
Comfy clothes
Being in the hospital, even just for the day, is not very pleasant. Having some nice comfortable clothes can really help. The temperature is usually not controllable, so multiple layers are a good idea.
If you have a central line installed, having button-up tops makes access easier.
If your chemo causes hair loss, having a warm hat or other head covering makes a big difference, especially in the winter months.
Pillbox
After chemo, I was sent home with a large bag of supporting meds. Managing which of them to take when was made much easier and quicker with a pillbox. Once a week, I would spend 20 minutes preparing the pill box and then set daily alarms on my phone to remind me to take them.
PICC sleeve
If you have a PICC line installed, then a PICC sleeve makes showering much easier, it protects the dressing and helps prevents infections in the line. It’s just a case of slipping it over your arm when you shower and it works much better than faffing with cling film!
Thermometer
Chemo lowers your immune system and even small infections can quickly become life-threatening and you’ll need to regularly monitor yourself for signs of infection. So, a reliable and easy-to-use thermometer is an essential piece of kit.
Weight scales
My weight loss was very severe and so having a set of good digital weight scales was essential. I would weigh myself every morning and, using Bluetooth, my phone would keep a graph of just how I was doing managing my weight.
Toothbrush/mouthwashes
Mucositis is one of the many horrible side effects of chemo, but it can be reduced with good oral hygiene. Replacing your existing toothbrush with a soft-bristled one and using gentle mouthwashes several times a day both help.
Facemasks and covid tests
As chemo lowers the immune system, it’s a good idea to use facemasks whenever you are around the public. My hospital had a policy that visitors had to bring their own Covid LFT test and use it in the waiting room before they were let into the ward, so it’s good to have a supply of these.
Apple Watch
Though certainly not essential if you’re on a budget, I made great use of the many health features that my Apple Watch provides. Its heart rate monitoring was a good measure of my general state, and it would alert me if my rate went high when I was resting… a sign something was wrong. Medication tracking replaced alarms on my phone.
Doing exercise is proven to be safe and helpful while having cancer treatment1Exercise guidelines for cancer patients | Cancer Research UK and the Apple Watch is great at recording and tracking your movement and daily exercise. I would set small and simple goals, chatting to my doctor as to what was an appropriate level, and then use the Apple Watch to track and encourage me to exercise when I could.
Things to prepare
Let people know
It can be difficult, especially at first, to break the news to friends and work/study that you have cancer. I told my PhD supervisor, close friends, and family as soon as I got my diagnosis. However, it was several months before I was comfortable telling my wider friend circle. I had a mixture of reactions, and I was surprised at those people, some of whom I hadn’t been in touch with for years, who were really supportive.
Macmillan’s guide to telling people you have cancer is worth a read.
Vaccinations
The doctor should advise you on whether you need to get any vaccinations when you’re preparing for chemotherapy. I had a free flu vaccine, as did everyone I lived with. I also had extra Covid jabs.
Emergency plan and hospital bag
Things can change quickly, particularly if you get an infection. I had 3 unplanned hospital admissions. So, it’s worth having a plan for what will happen if you have to go into hospital unexpectedly. Mine included always having someone able to take care of my dog, a lockbox with a key to my house, and a hospital bag packed and ready for someone to bring in.
Alert cards and emergency contacts
Your hospital may give you cards to carry on you with details of your condition in case you need emergency treatment. I had a haematology alert card and a steroid treatment card.
I also updated the In Case of Emergency (ICE) feature on my phone with details of my treatments, along with my emergency contacts.
List of hospital phone numbers
I made a list of hospital numbers and kept it where other people could access it. It included:
- My Clinical Nurse Specialist
- Haematology Emergency Triage Number
- Haematology Day Unit
- Haematology Wards
Entertainment
All the time spent in the hospital gets boring very quickly, so it’s worth collecting some things to keep you entertained. I invested in a couple of good pairs of in-ear headphones and over-ear headphones. Some things I used to entertain me included:
- Books
- An Audible audiobook subscription (which was a bit easier than reading when I was very fatigued)
- Practising my language skills on Duolingo
- Downloading some favourite TV shows to my iPad.
Hospital signal and wi-fi can be variable, so I brought always brought some offline entertainment as well.
Shaving
This is perhaps one of the less thought about things when you’re preparing for chemotherapy. But, if you’re having a cannula, or central line installed and it’s going to be in an area where you have hair, consider shaving it. For me, the most painful part of most of the treatments was having the dressing pulled off, so I eventually learned to shave my hands and arms if I knew I would be having a cannula put in.
Food
Eating while having chemotherapy can be challenging at times. Nausea, vomiting, mucositis, and taste changes all prevented or reduced my ability to eat at times. Combined with the weight loss caused by the lymphoma itself, I lost nearly 20% of my body weight at one point during treatment. But there are some things you can do to help.
If you’re concerned about weight loss, keep plenty of high-calorie snacks on hand. Snacking regularly throughout the day is much easier than eating large meals. Peanuts, fruit, yoghurts, pork pies and cream cakes were some of my regular high-calorie snacks.
Fatigue can make cooking meals difficult. If you have other people who can prepare dinner, great! If not, batch-cooking foods and freezing them on good days really helps on those days when you really don’t feel like cooking. Beef bourguignon, stews, lasagna, risotto, and curries all made good freezing for me. Family and friends often want to help and bringing around a home-cooked dish is a simple thing they can do to help. My mum’s “cancer casseroles” kept my fridge well stocked!
Asking for help
Lymphoma and side effects from the chemo really affected what I was able to do, I really could not have coped without the help of family and friends. As a very independent person, I found it difficult to ask for help and be reliant on others, but over time I realised that people wanted to help and to feel useful. The kinds of things I asked for help with were:
- Pet care
- Household chores
- Gardening
- Lifts to and from hospital appointments
- And occasionally, hugs!
References
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