Medical Oncologist
Before you start
What to stock in the house before cycle one
A digital thermometer, a soft toothbrush and a gentle mouth rinse, plain food that can be made in minutes, a weekly pill box, soap and sanitiser, and a notebook. That list costs very little and covers most of what a bad week demands. Almost everything else can be bought when you find you need it.
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
What should we buy before the first cycle?
A digital thermometer, a soft toothbrush and a gentle mouth rinse, plain food that can be made in minutes, a weekly pill box, soap and sanitiser, and a notebook. That list costs very little and covers most of what a bad week actually demands.
Almost everything else can be bought when you find you need it. Buying in advance is worth doing only for the things you would not want to go out for on the worst day of a cycle, which is a much shorter list than most families imagine.
The thermometer is the one thing not to skimp on
Fever is the warning sign that matters most during chemotherapy, and a household that cannot measure a temperature reliably is guessing at the moment when guessing is worst. Buy a good digital one, and buy a spare.
Buy for the middle of the cycle
The difficult stretch is the days after treatment when tiredness is deepest and immunity lowest. Stock for that week: plain food, drinks that go down easily, and nothing that requires a trip out.
Ask the nurse to write down the supportive medicines before you leave, and collect them the same day rather than later.The list
What to have in the house
- Digital thermometer, plus a spare and batteries
- Soft toothbrush, mild toothpaste, non-alcohol mouthwash
- Salt and bicarbonate of soda for a plain mouth rinse
- Soap at every basin and a bottle of hand sanitiser
- A weekly pill box and a written medicine chart
- Oral rehydration sachets and plain electrolyte drinks
- Rice, dal, curd, bananas, biscuits, soup packets, khichdi makings
- Bland ready foods: bread, poha, upma mix, plain crackers
- Unscented moisturiser, lip balm and a mild soap
- A notebook and pen for temperatures and symptoms
- A soft cap or scarf, and a shawl for the treatment bag
- A power bank, and a phone charger for the bag
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistWhy these
What each group is actually for
- The thermometer and the notebook
- Together they answer the question the hospital will ask you on the phone: what was the temperature, and when. A remembered "he felt hot last night" is not usable information; a written reading is.
- Mouth care items
- Mouth soreness is among the commonest problems, and it is far easier to prevent than to treat. A soft brush and a plain rinse started on day one work better than anything begun after the ulcers appear.
- Plain, bland food
- Taste changes and sickness make rich, spicy and strongly smelling food unbearable for several days after a cycle. Curd rice, khichdi, bananas and plain biscuits are what people actually manage.
- Rehydration sachets
- For the days when fluids are hard to keep down or loose motions start. Dehydration is what turns a manageable few days into an admission, and it creeps up faster than families expect.
- The pill box and chart
- Supportive medicines come with different timings and some are taken only on particular days. A box filled once a week by one person prevents the doubling and the missed doses.
- Skin and comfort items
- Dry, sensitive skin is common, and strongly perfumed products make it worse. Unscented moisturiser, a mild soap and lip balm are small, cheap and used every single day.
Save your money
What is not worth buying in advance
Families spend a great deal here, often in the first frightened week, on things that change nothing.
Air purifiers and sterilisers
Handwashing, safe drinking water and freshly cooked food prevent far more infection than any appliance. If the budget is tight, this is the first thing to leave out, and nothing is lost by doing so.
Spend it instead on
- Transport to and from hospital
- Food, and a second thermometer
Separate crockery sets
Chemotherapy is not passed on through plates or cups, and ordinary washing-up is enough. A separate set adds cost and makes a hard time feel lonelier for no benefit at all.
Supplements and immunity tonics
Do not buy these before asking your oncologist. Some interfere with treatment, several are expensive, and the ones sold hardest to cancer families are usually the ones worth avoiding.
Ask first about
- Protein and health powders
- Anything herbal or ayurvedic
A wig, before you need one
Not every plan causes hair loss, and if yours does there is time to choose properly after the first cycle. Ask whether it applies to you before spending anything.
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Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you which supportive medicines you will need. Those are prescribed for your particular plan, and they are the most important items in the house. Do not buy anti-sickness or anti-diarrhoea medicines on your own; get the written list and collect exactly that.
It also cannot tell you what your relative will be able to eat. Taste changes are unpredictable and often surprising, so buy small quantities of several plain things at first and restock what actually gets eaten rather than filling the kitchen in advance.
Nothing here replaces the phone number
A well-stocked house is not a substitute for calling. The supplies help with the ordinary discomforts; the warning signs need the hospital, regardless of what is in the cupboard.
What to do next
Buy the thermometer today. Collect the prescribed supportive medicines before treatment day rather than after it. Cook and freeze a few small portions of plain food. Put the numbers on the fridge. Then stop shopping and see what you actually need.
Commonly believed
Four things families get wrong when stocking up
"Buy every possible medicine in advance, just in case."
Keeping leftover antibiotics, old painkillers or anti-sickness tablets in the house leads to people treating a fever at home, which is the single most dangerous thing to do during a cycle. Collect exactly what is prescribed, and nothing more.
"Expensive health supplements will keep strength up."
Ordinary food eaten in small frequent amounts does more than most bought preparations, and some interfere with treatment. If weight is falling, ask for a dietitian rather than buying a tin recommended by a shop.
"Stock the kitchen completely before cycle one."
Taste changes are unpredictable, and a cupboard full of food nobody can face is wasted money. Buy small amounts of several plain options, see what is tolerated in the first cycle, then restock only that.
"A thermometer is a thermometer, so the cheapest will do."
This is the one item to buy properly, because the whole household's decision-making rests on it. A reading you do not trust at midnight is worse than no reading at all. Buy a reliable digital one and a spare.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about stocking up
What is the one thing we must have?
A reliable digital thermometer, with a spare. Fever is the warning sign that matters most during a cycle, and every phone conversation with the hospital will start with what the temperature was and when it was taken.
Should we buy anti-sickness medicine ourselves?
No. These are prescribed for your particular plan, and the wrong one at the wrong time is unhelpful. Ask for the written list at the planning appointment and collect exactly that before treatment day.
What food should we keep in?
Plain and easy: rice, dal, curd, khichdi, poha, bananas, plain biscuits, bread and soup. Less spice and oil than usual. Buy small amounts of several things rather than a lot of anything until you know what is tolerated.
Do we need a blood pressure machine or a pulse oximeter?
Only if your team asks for one, which they sometimes do for particular situations. For most families the thermometer is the only measuring device needed. Ask before buying rather than after.
Is bottled water necessary?
What matters is that the water is reliably safe, not that it comes in a bottle. Properly boiled and cooled water or a well-maintained filter is fine. Keep it covered, in one labelled container, refilled daily.
How much should we budget for all this?
The essential list is inexpensive. The real costs are transport, the prescribed supportive medicines and time off work. Ask the hospital counsellor what your scheme or insurance covers before you start spending elsewhere.
What should go in the treatment bag itself?
Reports in date order, all medicines, water and dry snacks, a shawl, headphones with something downloaded, a power bank and your written questions. Keep that bag packed between cycles rather than assembling it each time.
Should we buy a wig or cap before starting?
Ask first whether your plan is likely to cause hair loss, as not all do. A soft cotton cap or scarf is worth having anyway for warmth and comfort. A wig can be chosen properly after the first cycle if you want one.
Meet the Specialists
17+ senior cancer specialists. One panel for your case.
Trained at AIIMS, Tata Memorial, and leading international centres. Combined 150+ years of experience. Every complex case is reviewed by 3+ of them — together.
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Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
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Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
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Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
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MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
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Dr. Vinay Mamidala
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Sources
- Cancer Research UK — Coping with chemotherapy side effects
- Macmillan Cancer Support — Preparing for chemotherapy
- National Cancer Institute — Chemotherapy and You
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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