This topic contains 9 replies, has 9 voices, and was last updated by 
shirley 13 years, 8 months ago.
Hi all,
I briefly introduced myself on the old site, my Mum is going in for Stem Cell Treatment a week on Monday and I would be grateful on ideas on what for her to pack. She has already been advised on a soft toothbrush as I see mouth problems seems to be a big issue, but if anyone else who has already been through this can give some ideas on what could come in handy we would be very grateful!!
Many thanks in advance
Sarah
Hi Sarah you will get loads of suggestions for this one .Heres a couple ofcan think of , a packet of moist toilet tissue wipes ( hospital loo paper is not nice when you have to keep going!),a pillow if the hospital allows it best to check,perhaps a digital photo frame with pictures to keep your mum cheerful, a radio If your mum enjoys reading an e-bookreader might be a good idea ( Less books to carry ,Asda do one for about £50 now), hand cream and body lotion as your skin gets dry but not very perfumed Sorry I cant think of more at the moment but I will come back to you .After the stem cells are returned your mums appetite may not be very good and her sense of taste is likely to be off so a variety of small snack size treats , cheese ,crackers , small tins of fruit etc Have you been advised about sucking ice or lollies whilst your mum is having the melphalan infusion? There seems to be a lot of evidence that it helps avoid mouth ulcers , I didnt have any bye for now love Bridget
Hi Sara
When my husband went in for his SCT we took, 2 toothbrushes to be on the safe side. lots of creams, radio, photos, mouthwash the one we were advised to bring. But you may find like I did that things you haven't got or run out off are found and given to you.
Always take plenty of night clothes and underwear because these things cannot be found. You will find that you don't need to take everything at once because you visit and can take things as and when they are needed. It all depends on the after effects to what each person is able to do.
Hope this helps and your mum is ok
Luv Roz
Hi Sarah,
I was allowed to bring a duvet which had to be new so something you might want to check with the ward. This was a really comfy option and made it feel a little more like home. I brought my laptop and enjoyed reading the newspapers on line as couldn't concentrate on a book. As others have said lots of PJ's and underwear and sweeties to suck if you feel like it. Wishing your mum a smooth journey. x
Hi Sarah
If you can get some audiobooks because as stated before its hard to concentrate at times and with the audiobook you can chill and listen with the headphones on,I've had 2 transplants now and on the first one I had terrible troubles with mouth ulcers but on the 2nd I used ice lollies to suck on durring the melphalan and my mouth was totally ulcer free,all the best
Ian
HERE'S ONE I MADE EARLIER 🙂 To add to the suggestions you have already had
My husband was in Kings College Hospital London in the summer of 2009 for his first SCT. We made a list of suggestions at the time of things that were quite handy to have but obviously it was geared for Kings and I am sure that other hospitals are different. We were lucky in so much that I was only a half hour train journey away but I know that others are miles and miles from family and friends and cannot just phone and say "can you bring me …."
Take in a sharp knife. You cannot have anything that is not peeled and sometimes the only thing you can eat is a chilled, peeled pear or a peach.
A desk top fan as it gets very hot and in Kings there were only 2 fans on the ward (there were 3 when Stephen came out and can I encourage all that can afford it to leave any fan that you take in so others may benefit)
Take in your own towels (the ones supplied were spotless but scratchy and did not smell of home)
Baby Wipes. The hygienic wipes with the puppy on the pack sting. You cannot have enough fragrance free baby wipes to use with loo paper.
Cut your hair very short before going into hospital If your mum can bite the bullet shave the whole lot!! It is hard for women but makes living for the weeks in hospital a great deal more comfortable. (Stephen had a hair shave party with the family the weekend before he was admitted to Kings and we all had a great time even if I did shed a few tears)
Stephen is going for a second transplant later this year and (tip for bearded men) He will shave his beard off this time as well as his hair. We never gave a thought to facial hair but his beard started to shed and he said it felt like little needles sticking into his face (you lot put up with enough without that as well)
Small ice cube trays. Everybody says that sucking ice before; during and after chemotherapy helps avoid mouth ulcers. (Stephen got none)
Small bottles of water one put in the ?munchkin? fridge?s ice box during the day will start to melt at night and means ice cold water can be sipped if you wake in the night with a very dry mouth
Small tins of fruit with ring pull tops to put in the fridge as a slice of ice cold soft peach etc helps a sore mouth/throat.
Corsodyl tooth paste (helps stop mouth problems). It was quite new when Stephen went in last time and the nurses were interested to see it. You do get mouthwash in Kings but Stephen used the Corsodyl as well
As everybody seems to go off the hospital food 😉 , tiny tins of tuna/sardines etc. (ring pull tops)
Individual wrapped hard cheeses (the type you buy in the supermarkets for children?s packed lunches)
(all the above are allowed on a neutropenic diet)
When people asked me what they could take in for Stephen I always answered a hard boiled egg that has been boiled for at least 10 minutes(neutropenic list again) and a newspaper
Something else to take in… salad cream sachets to go with the endless hard boiled eggs
If you your mum has a laptop take in DVDs as well as music. Audio books can be great as she may not be up to "reading" Stephen could not concentrate but having a story told to you can be quite nice.
If you are not already on it you may consider signing up to SKYPE I am a computer idiot but managed to get us there which meant the days I could not visit we could talk and see each other via the video link thingy.
Stephen is going back into Kings for a second transplant later this year and making this list has been a reminder for me. I hope it is some help to you and your mum. The best of luck to her. Do let us all know how she gets on
Kind regards Gill
Hi Sarah,
If your Mum is going to use a Laptop can I suggest you set up a Hotmail account. My hospital had a free wireless connection but its? Firewall would not allow me to ?send? email. You can get around this by using a Browser Mail application. I picked G Mail (part of Goggle) which was very easy to set up and use. I would recommend you set it up and transfer to your Hotmail account email addresses PRIOR to going into hospital.
We only live 30 mins from the hospital which had excellent facilities so we did not need to pack a bag as such. Toilet wipes were essential although the hospital asked people to stop using them – they blocked the pipes up!! I did get severe throat problems but no mouth ulcers. The Nurses made me up a drink of Complan (the body building drink), Ice-cream, Jelly and fruit (such as banana/mandarin oranges etc…) all whisked up together to make a big Milk Shake, I had it in a pint glass with some straws. I found this went down a treat.
May I wish your Mother all the very best in the world.
Kindest regards
David
Hi again and many thanks for all your lovely replies,
Apologies for the delay in replying, Mum has been busy shopping and buying lots of pyjamas and nighties. Rather trying to. Shes been buying them and returning them as the sizes have been a bit odd to say the least. So I've been busy trailing around shops with her.
Unfortunately, Mum cannot use a computer, I did get her a mini dvd player for Xmas, she has also been collecting magazines. The mouth problems seems to be the thing that pops up a lot, she has got the toothpaste that was recommended, and hopefully that will help too.
Well today is the day, she will be going in this afternoon, the chemo is scheduled for Wednesday and stem cells returned Thursday. I think I mentioned I posted on the other site. She has been very lucky in that she has been diagnosed by chance and it seems very early. The only symptom she had was high protein levels which went down to 2 after the CDT. She has coped really well so far and am feel that may be down to the fact that she hasn't really been ill and suffered as such from the Myeloma.
Many thanks again for all your kind wishes, I'd best get sorted now and go make sure shes packed!!!
Sarah
Sending you and your Mum best wishes for her procedure!!
Elizabeth
XX
X
Hi Sarah,when i went in for my sct back in december,it was my second time,so knew what to pack,i made sure i had plenty of night wear,plenty of wipes and moisture toilet roll,hospital food didn't go down well,so i took in cuppa soups,plenty of moisture cream as your skin tends to dry out,i took in loads of reading material,hope this can be of some help,good luck for next week take care Shirls x x x
The topic ‘SCT What to Pack?’ is closed to new replies.
