Sick Recs: My Chemo Checklist
A living master list of all I bought and did to prep for chemo.
My first round of chemo came eight days after my official breast cancer diagnosis.
Because I had to do a bunch of necessary testing (a PET scan, two biopsies, blood work, and others) to determine if my cancer had spread anywhere else in my body, as well as get insurance approvals, I only actually had two days to prepare for chemo. It felt like getting called up for the pros after only playing rec league softball with a bunch of divorced dads. Which socks would I need to fight cancer??? Why does my daughter hate me????
I immediately got to researching. Luckily there were already tons of lists on Reddit (shout out to r/breastcancer and r/TheCancerPatient) where cancer patients shared what they’d wish they’d done or bought ahead of chemo. Friends sent me recs gathered from people they know who went through cancer too, which was incredibly helpful because it was all tried and tested. There were times I was overwhelmed with information, but mostly I found that hyper-focusing on the task at hand gave me no time to feel nervous. I wanted to be prepared for every scenario once the side effects hit. Arming myself with the face creams and butt wipes I’d need to go to war with this asshole disease made me feel prepared. Also, I love shopping. Capitalism, you win again.
Here’s what I did and what I bought to get ready for chemo, and how I’ve used it so far. This will be a living document, especially because every new round of chemo brings on a fresh indignity that I gotta shop for. When this hits your inbox I’ll have just completed round 4 of chemo.
Disclaimer to avoid anyone suing me or yelling at me: These is just what I did, but as always consult your doctors or whatever podcast host you get your health information from on what is best for you.
What I Did
Cut my hair. The thought of having my super long hair fall out was too sad and grim. Real horror movie hours. In reading countless threads, many said fuck it and shaved their head from the jump. I went to Anna Silverstein at Peach Fuzz salon and got a sort of pixie-mullet. I went back two weeks later and went full pixie. I LOVED my cuts, and it made the process of losing my hair a lot easier since it came in baby steps. Once I started to lose chunks of hair and getting bald spots, I shaved it all off. I look hard as fuck.
Got my eyebrows tattooed. It will help massively once you lose all your hair (and I do mean ALL your hair) to have something shaping your face. If I have to have cancer, no way I wanna be looking like Voldemort too. I went to Bunny’s in Highland Park. Natalie is absolutely amazing! She opened up on her day off to make sure I could get my brows done in time (angelic behavior), and created such a cool, fun space. A+ playlist going too.
Got my teeth cleaned. Chemo can affect your teeth and it’s good to have that done before you’re in the thick of cancer for a long time. My dentist gave me Colgate PreviDent 5000 to help keep my teeth strong as I get blasted with chemo.
Pedicure and manicure. You have to be super careful with anything that could possibly give you an infection. Having fresh nails (no acrylics or gel) that are cleaned and trimmed helps you have a baseline that you can maintain. I took a nail strengthener with me to the salon and I continue to apply as I cut and clean my own nails to keep them strong.
Created a gift list on Joy. Andrew and I realized that friends and family are going to want to offer us support, and would be giving it one way or another so we should offer direction before we end up with 57 inspirational journals and 43 fuzzy blankets. That being said, this was a fun journal to get in the mail, courtesy of my friend Raj.
To Buy
Chemo Bag. This is just a large go-bag dedicated to all you need for chemo. I picked up a Wilo puffer bag at TJMaxx. To every chemo, I bring:
Cozy socks, slippers, a blanket (though they give you heated ones at the infusion center too), snacks, a beanie, phone and laptop charger, extra battery pack, a toiletry bag with lotion, lip balm, barf bags, wipes, ice packs (more below), water bottle, and whatever entertainment I want.
Insulated lunch bag. My ass is not sitting for hours anywhere without food packed. We bring sandwiches, fruit and like 20 other snacks (I like eating!) in a cute lunch bag that keeps it all fresh.
KIND Kn95 Face Masks. You’ll be immunocompromised from here on out so masking will be important. These are nice because they don’t rub on your skin or give you Joker mouth.
Neck Pillow. I was surprised by how much I end up using this at chemo. The flat pillows at the infusion center don’t provide a lot of neck support.
Cold Therapy Gloves and Socks. While I opted not to use a cold cap on my head (used to prevent hair loss, but is very painful and doesn’t work that great so fuck that we balding), I have been using cold therapy socks and gloves during chemo to avoid getting neuropathy (numbing or loss of sensation) on my hands and feet.
Comfy sweatsuits. I got mine at Gap VintageSoft joggers and love them. I roll into chemo looking like Lisa Rinna.
Handheld shower head. This was incredibly necessary especially after having my port placement surgery and surely will be useful after my double mastectomy too. For a bit Andrew was bathing me. My friend Shawna also bathed me once. I even had to kneel a few times under the tub faucet and bucket wash myself like a monkey. The handheld shower (a gift from my friend Rebecca) came in clutch.
A mini laundry basket. So I guess your pee has chemo juice in it so you want to avoid anything you piss on touching anyone without cancer. So this is where I keep my chonies and any bottoms I get pee pee on.
Waterproof dressings to protect your port incision in the shower while it heals.
Face and body creams, and other moisturizing products, with no alcohol, fragrance, and barrier repair that are good for cancer patients. I did A LOT of research on this, because the chemo really fucks up your skin: awful breakouts, dryness, cracking, chemo burns, intense skin sensitivity. Let me tell you. I looked like absolute shit at the beginning. Worse than my most horrendous teenage acne years. It sucks, but I got my skin looking and feeling much, much better with these products and by having my doctor prescribe safe topicals. NBD but people say I’m actually glowing, so eat shit cancer. My oncologist prescribed me an antibiotic gel that I use every day on my face and back and prescription strength hydrocortisone that I use in the same places but only for 10 days out of the month. Here’s the other products I use (all available at Target, Ulta, or directly on their website):
La Roche Posay toleriane hydrating gentle face cleanser, but I keep La Roche Posay Lipikar AP+ Gentle Foaming Cleansing Oil and La Roche Posay Lipikar Wash AP+ Moisturizing Body & Face Wash in the shower to use as well to extra hydrate face and body.
I bought soft natural sponges kind of like this to wash my body gently and a Japanese exfoliating towel for when I do want to very gently exfoliate a bit.
Avène Thermal Spring Water Moisturizer. As soon as I get out of the shower and dry myself off, I spray this on my face, chest, and back to lock in moisture. Once it dries, I apply…
Aveeno Calm + Restore Triple Oat Serum. While that dries, I moisturize my body with…
Aquafor Advanced Healing Ointment or Cerave Moisturizing Cream. The Aquafor is thicker so I use it when I need extra moisturizing.
Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream. This cream is incredible and I will use it forever. I apply this to my face day and night.
La Roche Posay Cicaplast Baume. I add this last. This is the cream my aesthetician gives me after I microneedle my face. It’s very restorative and hydrating. During the day, I use the version with SPF 50 and also have the spray version.
Sunblock is very, very important always, but especially once you’re going through chemo. Apply throughout the day. I use La Roche Posay Anthelios Tinted Face Sunscreen SPF 50, La Roche Posay Anthelios Melt in Milk Sunscreen Lotion SPF 100, and La Roche Posay Anthelios Lotion Spray Sunscreen SPF 60. It melts into your skin really nicely and leaves no whiteness or thickness. La Roche Posay, sponsor me!
Phys Assist Oncology Cream. Even with my super intense moisturizing regime, I still get chemo burn. This specialty cream has helped a ton with that. Both Andrew and I use it on our hands as well. It’s the only thing that’s really helped his intense hand eczema.
Water Pick/Flosser. I picked one up at TJMaxx. I basically power wash my teeth, then floss, then brush.
GUM Comfort Slide Floss Picks. Floss them teeth, baby. But softly because your shit will bleed bad.
Silk pillowcases. To help preserve your hair, but also once you shave your hair gets velcro stuck to your pillows and it wakes you up a bunch. The silk pillowcases help, as do bonnets or other head coverings.
Replens Vaginal Moisturizer. For the vag havers. One of the worst side effects of chemo is you go into early menopause. This is the moisturizer that my doctor recommended that has helped with the awful vaggy side effects.
Revaree Vaginal Dryness Suppositories. A friend of a friend recommended these for the same purpose. I might like this more than the Replens.
Witch Hazel Wipes. This helps calm and soothe your unders. Toilet paper can be too drying and irritating.
Candles. Buy lots. You’re gonna need them in the bathroom after your guts get chemo rocked.
Liquid IV packets or Pedialyte for dehydration. These are way too sweet for me but I choke it down.
Ginger candies and/or Stomach Upset hard lozenges to help with dry mouth and nausea.
Other Things to Request or Do During Chemo
Talk to your nurse navigator. They can give you a list of organizations that provide financial and other assistance, and ask about your specific cancer center’s financial assistance program. There are tons of organizations that help cancer patients with everything from grocery and gas cards, to bill payments, to wigs, etc. My friend Alex came over and helped me apply to a bunch. A sweetie!! I applied to City of Hope’s program and was accepted. Shoutout to not having a job in two years! 100% of my treatment is covered, which will be lifesaving when I likely lose my insurance this September :/
IV Drip. I have a nurse come to my house twice a week to give me an IV drip to help with dehydration. My insurance covered a home nurse to come administer it, but you can also set it up to go into the infusion center 1-2 times a week. I highly highly highly recommend this. Chemo sucks all the moisture out of you.
Lymphatic Massage. I get this regularly to help clear the chemo gunk out of me. It helps with swelling and puffiness, and feels nice. I also get regular massages to help with pain. Just have the massage therapist use whatever strength you’re comfortable with.
That’s all for now, but whenever I have an update I’ll be sure to add it.