Fast facts (if you don’t have time to read the full post): Chemo number seven is two days away! I am feeling pretty great today. It seems my new pattern might be a dip in energy Friday through Sunday and then I start to pickup. The dip is not nearly as dippy as the red devil, but enough for me to realize that if I do *too* much, I will sleep for hours on end. I also have a meeting with someone from the plastic surgeon’s office tomorrow at 8 am. It is my second of three meetings. My final meeting is next Friday in Spokane.

TO THE LONG VERSION!

I didn’t know a chemo bag was a thing until my mom told me that she was working with a friend to build me a bag to take to treatment. I need a chemo bag? My purse is not enough??? WRONG. Chemo bags are like the quintessential item for surviving treatment, aside from the chemo itself, duh. If you hear of a friend starting treatment, you should build them a bag. You may be asking how or what to put in that bag and I am so glad you asked! As your unofficial cancer guide, I am here to offer some ~pro~ tips! (I should add “cancer pro” to my LinkedIn skills section!) Customize as you see fit, but I am just saying that a chemo bag was one of the nicest, most considerate things anyone has ever given me.

First you need a bag. I would say almost any bag would do, but specifically a bag that is more duffle like in nature and has lots of zippers and pockets to hide and conceal snacks is probably the way to go. If you want to make it next level, find a bag that has a dope pattern or reminds you of the person you are building for. Nothing says “You’re my friend and cancer sucks” more than a bag that reflects its new carrier. Naturally my mom found one for me that kind of looks cheetah print-ish. It has a dope front zipper pocket and sturdy straps, with the option to add a larger strap if you like your bag to hang lower.

The next important item for a chemo bag is a nice fuzzy blanket. Bitches love blankets! The nurses always offer me a warmed blanket from their magical blanket warmer thingy, but since I am in menopause I have been steering clear of those since I don’t want to trigger a hot flash. I also have my own blanket which someone gifted me and is insanely soft and fluffy and pastel tie-dye! I get lots of compliments on it. That is my other pro tip: buy your cancer friend nice things. Compliments are so nice to get from strangers while you are getting treatment. Your life sucks and when someone says they like your things, it makes you feel a little better, even for a second. Or maybe I am vain and I am the only one that feels that way. Whatever. I like it when people admire my blanket.

Now let’s get your friend a smaller bag to put into the bigger bag that can house other essentials. Organization is key here, folks! Inside of my make-up looking bag, I have everything I might need in an emergency. The definition of emergency kind of varies. Regardless, one must be prepared. I have an eye mask for emergency naps (thanks Benadryl!); queasy pops, tummy drops, and gin gins candies to combat nausea and bad tastes; dry mouth spray; kleenex; hand sanitizer; chapstick; lotion; tea; and an aromatherapy stick. Sniff sniff!

If your friend is anything like me, they need decor to amp up the ambiance in their chemo pod and impress the nurses. A friend gifted me some watermelon lights which have been perfect for my IV pole and I bought a “crying is cool” banner on Etsy. We love a conversation starter and making our spaces feel less dreary. I’ve heard from other nurses that past patients have decorated their IV poles for the holidays or put goldfish stickers on their fluid bags to make things more festive and less scary. Decoration is not for everyone, but something to consider while building your bag.

Of course I have some emergency snacks. Sometimes between the blood draws and waiting to see my oncologist I get hangry. I don’t get access to the chemo snacks until I am in my pod, so you have to come prepared. Currently I have some sweet potato chips, a brown sugar oatmeal, and some chickpea vegan white cheddar snacks. You never know when hunger will strike!

Finally, I have a very organized cancer specific planner. It is called a Canplan. I am not going to lie, I haven’t used it since I started my treatment and that is partially because I have been really lucky with my symptoms and treatment. I remember that during my mom’s treatment we needed to track everything. She was really out of it and relied heavily on documenting when she was taking meds, how she was feeling, symptoms and side effects, etc. at all times. I mean I have to take my temperature several times a day to monitor for fever and signs of infection, but my only med I am on right now is anxiety, so there isn’t a lot for me to track and my treatments are weekly and not super intense. But I do recommend getting your friend this planner! I think it is super useful and awesome. Don’t forget to include some pens!

I was digging around in my bag and noticed a few miscellaneous items you could pack for your friend. If you know their phone type, a phone charger would be useful. Chemo days can be long and you might be on your phone a lot playing games or something. Maybe laughing at some cancer memes. Who knows. Bring a charger and make sure that the charger is like three feet long. It is nice to have that freedom in your charger. I also had a hat in my bag just in case I wanted something warmer for my head, but I recently took it out since it is getting hotter. I get fucking hot flashes now, and I am more confident walking around the cancer center in my bald state. Feels good, man.

OH! Get your bag some dope key chains! Mine has a yarn pineapple and some rainbow beads that a co-worker made for me and a breast cancer themed key chain. That key chain is the only item I have that I like that indicates I have breast cancer. I just think a lot of the breast cancer pink stuff is overplayed and kind of annoying. That is just me, though.

Other great ideas you could include that are not in mine but people have given me are coloring books and pencils, word puzzles (gotta keep that brain going), cards with affirmations, stuffed animals, notebooks for feelings, vomit bags, and more smaller bags so that you can steal and conceal your stolen snacks.

I am sure some folks would disagree, but I think chemo bags are essential to surviving the day at treatment. My chemo days are not super long, but I would imagine the longer the day, the more important your bag becomes. It also makes you feel like you are going to a sleepover in a way, minus the secret telling and fun. I mean, I have fun at chemo but I realize most folks do not. And sometimes you get handed a shit ton of paperwork or random things between appointments, so it is nice to just house it somewhere so your hands are free to steal pudding.

If you ever need help building a chemo bag, you know where to find me!

Today’s song lyric of the day is brought to you by Harry Styles.

“I don’t want you to get lost
I don’t want you to go broke
I want you

It’s ’cause I love you, babe
In every kind of way
Just a little taste
You know I love you, babe”

– Music For a Sushi Restaurant, Harry Styles