Treatment Day Must Haves

I would like to offer you some suggestions as to what to bring with you when you have to have treatments. I went with my daughter to most of her hospital visits and we were there for hours most times. Sometimes it took a lot of time just to get into the treatment room, usually due to a chemo-related problem. Once we were called in, the treatment itself took a couple of hours. We had to go in prepared with things to do. Below are the items we brought with us:

What to bring to treatment

• Have a bag to easily carry everything
• Phone or computer with charger
• Blanket
• Hard candy
• Water
• Coloring book with markers or crayons
• A book to read
• Tea bags
• Warm socks
• Eye covering or mask

Two very important things were the chargers and eye covering. Many times I forgot my charger. I was always lucky the nursing station had an extra one I could borrow, because you really need a phone or a computer to keep you occupied. You will spend a lot of time at the hospital during treatments and having something to do really helps. This is especially true if you are the caregiver.

The other thing that is really important would be an eye covering - like the one some people use to block out light so they can sleep. Crystal was very sensitive to light during her treatments. We didn’t have an eye covering, but it would have been very helpful. If you can get one, I highly recommend it.

Bring things to do as a caregiver, too

When Crystal started treatment, it quickly made her feel bad and she had to lay quietly with her eyes closed. Sometimes she was lucky and fell asleep. As the caregiver, it’s kind of like you are there by yourself. You will probably have a lot of time on your hands. This is why it’s so important to bring something for you to do, as well as the patients. Books are a good choice, but you will likely get interrupted a lot.

Keeping your treatment bag well-stocked

As the weeks go on, you will find the items that work best for you. My suggestion is to keep the bag well supplied with those things you find helpful to have. This way, on treatment day, all you have to do is pick it up and bring it with you. We didn’t usually need money, but I always had a couple of dollars and a credit card with me. There is usually some kind of snack shop if you get hungry. Some places even deliver. Occasionally, you or the person getting chemo want something different than what is in your bag. Also, you may need something you forgot so having some cash can be very helpful.

Just be prepared

No matter what, go prepared. It will make the time you have to spend getting treatments a little more bearable. My biggest go tos were my phone and my computer. I’m a teacher, so I would work on grading papers or write lessons. The computer was great for this. I used my phone to catch up on social media, but you could use it for music, shopping, games, or youtube.