Inquired at

Ingeborg Brandl

Nursing expert and qualified nurse

Breast Care Nurse

Vienna General Hospital

Clothing

The onion look is very helpful right now.
This allows you to adjust your clothing and feel comfortable at all times, regardless of how warm you feel.
If you get cold quickly, take a large scarf with you.
Clothing that can be unbuttoned is recommended to make it easier to reach the catheter or PAC.

Catering

Bring a snack to suit your taste!
Healthy, chemotherapy-supportive, tasty and easy-to-prepare snacks can be found on the be-accepted.com website

You should eat something during your chemotherapy.

However, you should not consume grapefruit, St. John’s wort, chokeberry and green tea without prior consultation with your oncologist.
These foods can impair the effectiveness of the treatment.

Entertainment

As the medication is only released on the patient’s arrival and after the blood results have been checked, we cannot prepare it in advance.
This leads to waiting times.

Patients therefore like to bring books, magazines or music with them.
Ask a friend to put together a playlist for you, he or she will be happy to help you!
Podcasts, which are available on many exciting topics, are also a good alternative.

Cooling caps

After consultation with your oncologist, you are welcome to bring your cooling caps with you.
They reduce any hair loss and are used by many women.
Ask us about cooling options before starting treatment.
If we have the resources, we can cool them down to prevent them from thawing before your treatment has started.
Bring the cooling caps with you in a small cool bag with cold packs.
Also bring a large cloth or scarf to wrap a turban over the caps – this will intensify the effect!

Follow the instructions for use carefully.
Depending on the cooling cap, it must be put on some time before the start of chemotherapy and also worn for a certain time after the end.
For example, if a therapy lasts 60 minutes and your cooling cap can be used for 45 minutes and is to be worn 15 minutes before and 15 minutes after the therapy, you will need two caps.

Unfortunately, cooling caps are no guarantee that hair loss will be prevented.
Their effectiveness is influenced by the length of the patient’s hair, the duration of chemotherapy and the substances used.

Apart from that, I recommend discussing with your doctor before starting chemotherapy whether the therapy causes hair loss.
If this is the case, it may be helpful to have your hair cut short.
Choose and try on suitable wigs before starting chemotherapy.
It will be easier for you to decide on a model as long as you can use your real hair as a guide.

Relief from nausea

Some patients get nauseous from chemotherapy.
We don’t think you have to find out everything and therefore recommend the following accompanying measures to all patients, regardless of whether they are susceptible to this side effect or not: Take lemon or ginger chewing gum with you.
They are not only tasty, but can also counteract any nausea.