Getting home after chemotherapy

With someone else driving, or by taxi, or on public transport with a companion. Not driving yourself, particularly after a first cycle. The pre-medication given before chemotherapy makes most people drowsy, and you will not know how strongly it affects you until afterwards.

Arrange it before the day rather than at the end of it. The commonest mistake is booking a lift for two hours after the appointment time and then sitting in a corridor, tired, watching the afternoon go.

Plan for later than you expect

The day almost always runs longer than the infusion suggests, because blood results, the doctor's review and the pharmacy all come first. Tell whoever is collecting you to expect a call rather than a fixed time.

Most people feel reasonably well leaving the unit, and a long journey afterwards is still tiring on top of a long day. A few small things make it considerably easier.

Carry water and something plain to eat

An empty stomach makes sickness worse, and canteens are often shut by the time you leave. Dry biscuits, a banana, and water you can sip through the journey.

Take the anti-sickness medicine before setting off

If a dose is due, take it before a long trip rather than after you get home. Being sick in a vehicle two hours from anywhere is avoidable and thoroughly miserable.

Sit where there is air

A window seat, or the front of a car. Warm still air and engine fumes set off nausea, and a cool draught on the face genuinely helps. Keep a bag within reach in case.

Break the journey if it is long

Stopping to stretch, use a toilet and drink something is worth the extra time. Sitting still for hours after sitting still for hours is hard on the back and on the legs, and moving reduces clot risk too.

A great many people travel a long way for each cycle, often by bus, sometimes setting off before dawn. That journey home is the part most likely to go badly, and it deserves planning rather than improvising at the end of an exhausting day.

Decide the local hospital in advance

This matters more than anything else on the page. A fever four hours from your treating centre is handled at the nearest hospital, not by driving to Hyderabad. Know the name, know the route, and write it on the fridge before you ever need it.

Ask about staying nearby

If the journey is long and you are coming often, ask the hospital's medical social worker about accommodation near the centre. Families routinely never ask and make a hard journey more times than necessary.

Consider travelling the next morning

Rather than setting off late for a long trip in the dark. Ask whether a night's stay is feasible, particularly for a first cycle when you do not yet know how you react.

Carry the file, not just the memory

Reports, treatment card, regimen name, last cycle date and the medicine list. If you present at a hospital that has never seen you, that folder is the difference between quick treatment and a long delay.