What to Pack in Your Chemo Bag
When I was getting chemotherapy for ovarian cancer, I brought a bag stocked with my chemo necessities to every appointment at the infusion center. Chemotherapy can be tough — and it’s especially scary the first time, when you don’t know what to expect. Ensuring that you’ll have everything you might need with you at your appointment could help make going to chemo less daunting and more comfortable.
Here are some of the essentials I brought with me to chemo:
Photo via QVC
1) Start with a roomy bag. First, you’ll need a bag to pack everything in. Pick a tote bag or backpack that’s large enough to fit all your supplies. Personally, I also like my tote bags to be colorful and cheerful. When I was undergoing chemotherapy, I used a Le SportSac tote, but that bag has long since fallen apart and the style I had is no longer available. I’ve since replaced it with a bag I love even more, that’s spacious and sturdy and has lots of different exterior pockets and internal compartments, like a pocket for your cell phone and an insulated water bottle holder.
My Pick: Lug Medium Tote with Trolley Sleeve - Skyliner in Whimsy Black, $86, QVC.com
Photo via Amazon
2) Stay hydrated. I always stopped at Starbucks on the way to chemo to get a cup of coffee and a bottle of water. This may have been overkill, but to be extra cautious when I was immunocompromised during cancer treatment, I didn’t drink tap water; I only drank bottled and filtered water. If you want to be more eco-friendly, you could fill a reusable bottle with water, and filter it with a Brita or another type of water purifier if you’d like.
My Picks: Brita Metro Water-Filter BPA-Free Water Pitcher, Small 6-Cup Capacity in White, $20, Amazon.com
S'well Stainless Steel BPA-Free Water Bottle, 17 oz. in Hillside Lavender, $35, Amazon.com
Photo via Amazon
3) Bring snacks. My infusion center had snacks, as most probably do, but in case I didn’t like the selection, I always packed my own. I found it easiest to buy snacks that came in individual-serving-size packets, so I could just toss a couple in my bag. I generally liked granola-type snacks, and nuts are another on-the-go favorite. I don’t have any food allergies or sensitivities — if you do, be sure to adhere to your personal dietary restrictions when choosing your chemo snacks.
My Picks: MadeGood Organic Chocolate Chip Granola Minis 5-Pack, $4, Amazon.com
MadeGood Vanilla Crispy Squares 6-Pack, $4, Amazon.com
SKINNY DIPPED ALMONDS Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds 1.2 oz. Bags, 10-Pack, $31, Staples.com
Photo via Amazon
4) Keep your hands sanitized. During chemo, I never went anywhere without a mini bottle of hand sanitizer in my bag. (And post-COVID, I always have it with me, too.) I prefer the small pumps with a cap, so the Purell doesn’t explode in your bag and inadvertently sanitize all your belongings.
My Pick: Purell Advanced Hand Sanitizer Gel Infused with Essential Oils, Energizing Mint, 2 fl. oz Travel-Size Pump Bottle (Pack of 6), $14, Amazon.com
Photo via Amazon
5) Avoid dry hands… Frequent hand-sanitizer use can dry out your hands, so I always carry a small tube of hand lotion with me, too to stay moisturized.
My Pick: First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream Intense Hydration, Travel Size, 2 oz., $17, Amazon.com
Photo via Amazon
6) …and chapped lips. To prevent the discomfort of chapped lips, lip balm is another staple in my bag. I like to use ones that have SPF.
My Pick: Sun Bum Lip Balm SPF 30, Hypoallergenic & Paraben-Free, 0.15 oz. Stick in Coconut, $4, Amazon.com (Note that this has a subtle scent; if you’re sensitive to scents, opt for an unscented lip balm like Sun Bum’s SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen Lip Balm.)
Photo via Amazon
7) Take notes. During treatment, I kept a notebook to log all my symptoms and side effects. When I first arrived at chemotherapy, I’d tell my chemo nurse about anything I had experienced since my last appointment (e.g., constipation or diarrhea, etc.), and ask any questions that I had. Note that for anything really concerning or urgent that happened in between chemotherapy appointments, I’d contact my oncologist's office immediately and not wait until my next chemo appointment to report it.
I also used this notebook to log all the medications I took (both prescription and OTC) and when. And I took notes during chemo about all the drugs and doses I was getting that week, if there was a change in dose from my prior appointments, and if so, why.
Lastly, I logged my weight when I was weighed at my appointments every week to track weight changes during treatment. You could also jot down any concerning results from your blood work at chemo that you need to be mindful of and/or follow-up with your oncologist about, such as lowered immunity.
My Pick: Pukka Pad Carpe Diem College-Ruled Composition Notebooks, 3-Pack, $16, Amazon.com
Photo via Amazon
8) Block out the noise. Depending on the setup at your infusion center, you may want to bring noise-canceling headphones. You wouldn’t necessarily need this if you’ll have your own private suite, but if you are in a more public area, or, like in my case, in an area sectioned off by curtains that don’t block out noise, you may want to have them handy. I didn’t have noise-canceling headphones during chemo, but there was one interminable appointment when a nearby patient was blasting an extremely agitating Jerry Springer-style talk show and I had a splitting headache and felt like sh*t, when I really could’ve used a pair.
My Pick: Srhythm NiceComfort 95 Hybrid Noise-Canceling Headphones, Wireless Bluetooth Headset in Silver, $70, Amazon.com (Note: I have a different model of the same brand that is no longer available; I chose this model based on its good reviews and “Amazon’s Choice” designation.)
Photo via Penguin Random House
9) Entertain yourself. During chemo, I usually just talked to my friends who came to visit, scrolled on social media, or took a Benadryl nap (IYKYN), but if you’re not going to have visitors and want alternatives to social media scrolling, you can bring some form of entertainment to keep yourself occupied while you’re awake, like an engrossing novel or an interesting podcast.
My Pick: ’Such a Fun Age’ by Kiley Reid, $11, Amazon.com
What did you bring to chemo? Share your recommendations in the comments!
For more of my favorite chemo tips, read the other blog posts in my Chemo Tips series here:
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