Chemo advice

take some candy, with the first doses the nurse will be with you doing it manually so there is time to chat, i took audio books but never get to listen, reckon the next 4 which are drip fed i will need entertainment. also get comfy loose sweatshirt or cardigan,they will have warm blankets but u might get chilled.they usually provide drink or food, i just drink water when i am there.

Try not to worry about it to much you will be in good hands at the hospital, take a positive attitude and a charged up phone.  Hope it goes well for you

Chemo was much better for me than I expected if that helps. My necessary items were: an extra soft blanket and nice socks. Two other things: get polybalm for your nails and use it regularly. I didn’t at first cause it’s expensive but it’s definitely worth it. On a silly note: Duolingo helped me through chemo. It’s something fun that you can do while relaxing and it made me feel like I was doing something cool. During the treatements I usually used audiobooks and fell asleep.

Good luck!

Good news that the nodes are clear.  Chemo takes some hours so I took headphones and learned some Italian in Duolingo, listened to music and downloaded some light drama series.  A snack, some chilled water.  Are you cold capping?  If so a warm blanket or cardigan.  

Hi

Good to hear that they're confident they removed all the cancer and that your lymph nodes were clear. I also had TNBC so was advised to have chemo.

I had 3 cycles of EC followed by 12 weeks of paclitaxel. The EC is administered manually by the nurses so I spent the whole time talking to the nurse.

Paclitaxel is administered through a drip so I had my phone and a book with me to keep me entertained. The chemo ward also had a couple of televisions on. They also came round offering drinks and biscuits so I didn't need to take anything like that with me and, if I was there over lunchtime, they also offered sandwiches and fruit/yoghurt.

IF you are having a cold cap (as I have been) and IF you wear specs to read (as I do) then just be aware that you may not be able to put your specs on over your cold cap unless the arms are very loose, in which case you'll probably need to use an adjustable spectacle cord to keep them on :-D

I now use an old pair of specs, otherwise I can't read and would be bored to tears since wearing earphones is also tricky/nigh on impossible.

Good point about the headphones.  A pair of earbuds words best.  JLAB ones work fine and are only £20.  They’re also Matt so leas slippy and I found the neuropathy caused me to lose sensation and drop things.  

If you're having EC chemo then it's good to take ice lollies in a cool box. Felt a bit out of place on the ward but the nurses recommended sucking/chewing ice to prevent mouth sores. They can't provide ice bc some patients can react to it but you can take your own. 

I've just started docetaxel and a forum member recommended taking frozen water bottles to hold to mitigate any pins/needles caused by the treatment. Made it difficult to do the crossword so head phones nxt time!