Medical Oncologist
Your first cycle
Should someone come with you to chemotherapy?
For the first cycle, yes. After that it depends on how you reacted, what you are having and how you will get home, and many people do later cycles alone. The first one is different because nobody can tell you in advance how you will respond — the pre-medication makes many people drowsy, the day is longer than expected, and there is more to take in than one anxious person can absorb.
NG
Medically reviewed by Dr. Naresh GunduConsultant Medical Oncologist · MBBS, DNB (Internal Medicine), DM (Medical Oncology, AIIMS) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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The short answer
Do you need someone with you for chemotherapy?
For the first cycle, yes. Take someone. After that it depends on how you reacted, what you are having and how you will get home, and many people do later cycles alone once they know what to expect.
The reason the first one is different is that nobody can tell you in advance how you will respond. The pre-medication makes a lot of people drowsy, the day is longer than expected, and there is more to take in than one anxious person can reliably absorb.
The part people underestimate
It is not mainly about physical help. It is about having a second pair of ears at the doctor's review, someone to hold the file and the questions, and someone to drive. Most of what is said on treatment day is forgotten by the evening.
Ask your unit how many people can come in. Space is usually limited to one, so decide who rather than arriving with four.Judging it
When to take someone, and when going alone is reasonable
Take someone with you
Going alone is usually reasonable
Your first cycle, whatever the schedule
A later cycle you have already tolerated well
Any cycle where the plan has changed
A short infusion on an unchanged plan
If you will be given pre-medication that makes you drowsy
If you have a lift arranged either way
If you are elderly, frail, or unsteady on your feet
If you are well and managing normally
If results or a scan report are due that day
A routine cycle with no review expected
If you would otherwise drive yourself home
If someone is collecting you afterwards
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistWhat the attendant actually does
The job, if you are the one coming along
Most of it is unglamorous and most of it matters. Nobody is usually told any of this.
Carry and guard the file
Reports, treatment card, insurance and scheme papers, and the medicine list. You are the one who knows where everything is while the patient is being registered, bled and reviewed.
Also bring
- The written record of the last cycle
- The list of questions
Listen, and write it down
The review is short and the patient is anxious. Write what the doctor says, any change to medicines, and the next date. This is the single most valuable thing you do all day.
Ask the questions that get skipped
How did the counts look? Has anything changed? When should we expect the worst days? What should make us call? Patients routinely leave without asking any of these.
Say what actually happened last cycle. People understate it to their doctor.Handle the practicalities
Pharmacy, billing, insurance paperwork, transport, and food. Long stretches of the day are queues, and one person cannot be in a queue and in a chair at once.
Be company, not a watcher
Hours pass slowly in a chair. Conversation, a game, or simply sitting there helps. Constantly asking how they feel does not.
Look after yourself too
Bring your own water, food and charger. You will be there as long as they are, usually with somewhere less comfortable to sit, and a hungry attendant is no use by the afternoon.
!
Do not drive yourself home after a first cycle
Pre-medication given before chemotherapy makes many people drowsy, and some schedules leave people unfit to drive for the rest of the day. You will not know how you react until afterwards, and a highway is not the place to find out. Arrange a lift, a taxi or public transport with someone alongside. For later cycles, ask your team whether driving is reasonable for your particular schedule rather than assuming.
Leave a number, we will call you
One field. No form to fill in, and no charge for the call.
If nobody can come
Managing when you have to go alone
Plenty of people do this, often because family are working or live elsewhere. It is manageable with preparation, and it is far better to go alone than to postpone a cycle because nobody was free.
Arrange the journey home first
This is the part that catches people out. Book a taxi, arrange to be collected, or plan a route you can manage while drowsy. Do not plan to drive yourself, particularly on a first cycle.
Take the burden off your memory
Write your questions before you go. Ask the doctor to write down any change rather than explaining it. Photograph the new prescription. Ask for the next date in writing. None of this is unreasonable to request.
Put someone on the phone instead
Ask a family member to be reachable during the review, so you can call them in if something significant comes up. Many units are happy with this, and it gives you a second pair of ears without anyone taking a day off.
Tell the unit you are alone
Say it at registration. Staff will usually keep an eye out, help with the pharmacy queue, and make sure you are steady before you leave. They cannot do any of that if nobody knows.
If transport or childcare is the reason you cannot bring anyone, say so. It is a common problem and sometimes appointment timing can be changed.Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you whether you will be fit to travel alone after your own cycle. That depends on which drugs you are having, what pre-medication is given, and how you personally react — and the honest answer for a first cycle is that nobody knows yet.
It also cannot tell you what your unit allows. How many people can come in, whether they can sit beside you, and whether they can stay through the infusion all differ between hospitals and sometimes between days.
What to do next
For a first cycle, arrange for someone to come and for someone to drive. Ask the unit how many people are allowed in. Decide in advance who is carrying the file and who is writing things down. And if nobody can come, tell the unit at registration rather than managing quietly.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about bringing someone
Can I drive myself home?
Not after a first cycle. Pre-medication makes many people drowsy and you will not know how you react until afterwards. For later cycles, ask your team whether driving is reasonable for your schedule. If you feel sleepy, faint or unable to concentrate, do not drive whatever you were told.
How many people can come with me?
Usually one, because space beside the chair is limited, though units differ. Ask before the first cycle rather than arriving with several relatives and finding only one can come in. Whoever comes should be the person who knows your history and medicines.
Can my children come?
Most units prefer not, both for space and because a treatment room can be distressing for a child. Ask yours. If childcare is the obstacle to getting to treatment at all, say so — it is a common problem and worth raising when appointments are scheduled.
Who is the best person to bring?
Whoever will actually listen and write things down, rather than whoever is most senior in the family. The useful qualities are patience for a long day, willingness to ask questions, and being reachable afterwards. That is often not the person everyone expects.
Will they be allowed in for the doctor's review?
Usually yes, and this is the part where having them matters most. If your unit keeps attendants outside, ask specifically whether they can come in for the review, or call them on the phone so they can hear what is said and write it down.
Should my attendant eat before coming?
Yes, and they should bring their own water, food and charger. They will be there as long as you are, often standing in queues, usually without a comfortable seat. Attendant exhaustion by mid-afternoon is a real and avoidable problem.
Is it safe for a pregnant relative to come?
Ask the unit directly, as policies differ. Sitting with you during an infusion is generally considered fine, but many units prefer pregnant visitors not to be in treatment areas and will have their own guidance on handling body fluids afterwards. It is a reasonable question to ask.
Can they leave and come back?
Usually, and it is often sensible — they can collect medicines, deal with billing or get food while you are in the chair. Agree in advance how you will reach each other, since phone signal inside hospitals is unreliable and the infusion may finish earlier than expected.
Meet the Specialists
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Sources
- Cancer Research UK — Having chemotherapy
- Macmillan Cancer Support — Having chemotherapy
- National Cancer Institute — Chemotherapy to Treat Cancer
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
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