A pretty, soft throw with her monogram on it, ginger candy....chewy or hard (Gin Gins are wonderful), ginger and chamomile tea, lotion, lip balm, tasty treats, cozy loungy clothes.

I have sent several friends the wonderful Karen Drucker CD, "Heart of Healing". Also the little pewter hearts (check the store section of the website) which are like worry beads, something to do with your hands.

Everyone loves the CD.

Here is a link that might be useful: Karen Drucker's CD

thank you so much...I'll look for Gin Gin's for sure and going to order the CD RIGHT NOW!!

the lotions etc sound good too!

Gosh, so much depends on your sister's personality. I'll throw some ideas out, but they may or may not be a fit for your sister.

Belleruth Naparstek has some good guided imagery for those undergoing chemo which can be downloaded or purchased as cd's.

If your sister's chemo is the type that causes hair loss, soft, but cute hats are a nice alternative to wigs. They even have some with hair attached.

A refillable water bottle, maybe some water flavoring packets, because a chemo patient should be drinking lots of water.

Biotene toothpaste and mouthwash to help with dry mouth.

Anything funny...skip those sad Chicken Soup books...buy Erma Bombeck or Dave Barry. Also, books about traveling or crossword puzzles are good.

A gift card for digital downloads for whatever device your sister owns. For instance, if she has an iPad, she could download some movies or television shows to give her something to watch during treatment.

Your instinct to send small packages often is perfect. It's always nice to look forward to receiving a package or card.

What a nice thought, Jean.

thank you Fun2BHere.

I've been doing a little research since I posted this, and the Biotene products are highly recommended.

The flavor packets should be a good idea too.

She's VERY Christian. Don't know about the guided imagery things.

I'm pretty sure she has a Nook, so what about a gift card for Amazon?

She also reads on her phone. I'm not sure where she gets the books for that.

I now have more items to add to my list :)

Thanks!

Nook is Barnes and Nobles. :)

Ginger also popped in my head. What I really enjoy are bits of crystalized ginger. Hot, spicy, and sweet. They're good for an upset tummy. And addictive.

Here is a link that might be useful: GOOD crystallized ginger (nibs are my fav)

This post was edited by rob333 on Tue, Oct 1, 13 at 13:10

Jean, I did a google search for: gifts for chemo patients

It brought up a lot of sites that have items specifically for that purpose. I know that some of them might be just like any web site that sells things.. there for the purpose of selling, but some seem to be really geared toward helping people. And I've seen some nice items out there. You might want to do the same search and take a look.

I put a link below to one site, called The Pampered Patient. This little blurb is part of the introductory text: "The Pampered Patient is a passionate response to what founder Tricia Harding encountered while her Mom, Irene, battled Ovarian Cancer and her husband, Dalton, took on Esophageal Cancer. As a caregiver for them both, Tricia gained intimate knowledge of the particular concerns of both cancer patients and their caregivers. She also discovered just how challenging and overwhelming it can be to try to meet those needs."

You might find some nice ideas there.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Pampered Patient

ty jel....yes, they have some terrific ideas!

Here's what I have on my list so far:

unscented deodorant
lemon drops
purse sized hand sanitizer
unscented lotion
dangly earrings
teas
journal
soft socks
chapstick
coloring book
colored pencils
straws
soft shawl
crystalized ginger
Biotene products
eyebrow kit
Gin Gin's
B&N gift card
Heart of Healing CD...which is ordered :)
soft hats
lovely scarves

.....and still adding to my list....
Thank you all so much

My friend found that the drinks at Juice Stop or Jamba Juice were good to use as meal substitutes when she lost her appetite. These are juicing stores that mix ice and fruit/juices, yogurt and nutritional additives like protein powder to your taste. If you know of a place close to her home or hospital, perhaps a gift card would be good.

Jean, you are the best sister! I think it's a great idea to spread the gifts out, maybe give the more needed ones first. How far are you from her that you need to send the packages? Can you see her from time to time?

I find I like the biotene spray it is really helpful, I could not use the toothpaste it just doesn't taste good.
Suckers to keep the mouth from getting dry. I found these round sucker pops at Walmart that are all kinds of flavors. They are in a big round cardboard display, in the store here they are on the outside of the registers so you don't see them till you are leaving. But they are nice sized and so many flavors.

I liked those horseshoe shaped pillows that go around the back of your neck, they help support the neck and make sitting in one position more comfortable.

Pen for writing if she is up to it. Note cards. Thank you cards for her to send to her friends. Scarves, shawls for warmth.

Pen for writing if she is up to it. Note cards. Thank you cards for her to send to her friends. Scarves, shawls for warmth.

A soft pillow say about 16x16,no bigger.I found this very useful as I had to make many runs to the bathroom,if you know what I mean.I kept this in the bathroom on top of the hamper so I could lay my head down while I was in there.
My stomach cramped something awful and i'd break out in a sweat that you could mop up.Dh always had to bring me a washcloth,to wipe the sweat,and wash my face with cool water..

Going with the above suggestions,i'd also recommend those pads that they use in the hospital to put on her favorite chair in case she has the same symptoms that I did.

Peppermint tea,lots of bottled water,and some flavorings to go in them.The wal mart brands of flavoring are very good and don't have any artificial sweetners.

Word puzzles were my favorite as I couldn't concentrate long enough to read a book.My puzzles were on my kindle.

As someone else said some cute soft hats,especially for wearing to bed as your head gets pretty cold if all your hair falls out.

Those little bootie sock were also wonderful,at least for me,because when my feet got cold,i was cold all over.I've picked up many colors of these at the 99 cent store.

Since al my sisters and the biggest part of my family is 3000 miles away,phone calls were nice,with the understanding that some days I may not feel up to talking,and they understood,so dh would tell them how it was going and they were all very understanding.

There are some beautiful "thinking of you cards out there,my favorite by far were the ones from "The learning Tree,or leaning tree,can't remember which.That also comes with the chemo,can't remember.

Wishing your sister brighter days ahead,and a full recovery.Seems like forever when you are going thru it,but goes quickly when you look back on it.At least that is how it's been for me,it's been 5 blessed years since my scare,surgery,chemo etc.

God Bless her and her family as she deals with this.It's all doable.A good attitude takes you along way as well.
Never give up!!
Kathi,5 years and counting.

Be careful with the ginger products, especially the ginger candy. I don't think this has been resolved yet.

You're a wonderful sister, Jean!

Here is a link that might be useful: lead in ginger candy

I don't know if she has to travel a distance for treatments, but how about a pre paid gas card

You are all so very wonderful. Thank you so much.

I feel rather helpless, as I live in Colorado and my sister lives in Oregon.

I was able to spend last week with her, and it was a priceless time.

She gets chemo every 21 days, and it's a very strong one from what I understand. She's had two so far, and I was able to be there with her for the last one. The day after, she had to come in and get a shot to boost her bone marrow production and also a bag of fluids. This is not easy, as she lives a good hour or more from the oncology clinic. So, that's over two hours traveling each time. A prepaid gas card would probably come in VERY handy.

She had an unscheduled visit with her dr yesterday because of very bad nausea and abdominal cramps which probably scared her a lot since that's where her cancer is.

It's so hard being so far away................................

A nice warm throw is always welcome. A group of my friends made me a chemo quilt but a throw would be just fine because the chemo room is always cold...and they encourage you to wear something warm and/or to bring a sweater or blanket...

Welllll......I went shopping today in Manitou Springs, and picked up some WONDERFUL things from some fun stores.

unscented lotion
unscented bath bomb
a nice dragonfly magnet to put in a pretty dragonfly card
a pashina shawl that she can also use as a scarf in beige
a luscious dark chocolate/blueberry/lavender chocolate bar
a trinket box that says "Believe"
hand sanitzer
lip balm
a fall colored head wrap
dangly earrings to match
a ceramic dragonfly
a few little things that will be sure to make her smile