Sandy, her appetite will definitely be off for a few weeks. We were told not to use metal utensils. My husband drank boost at least once a day. He loved having company when he ate. The conversation enabled him to eat a little more. He did not have any skin issues but we did ensure he had his own towels and access to a shower every day. He walked everyday and was happy to get out of his room. ❤️🙏❤️

Very important for your sister to have ice, popsicles etc. My husband started ice an hour before mephelan and for six hours after. He had no mouth sores at all. His whiskers made a perfect circle around his mouth. His doctor said that was proof the icing was successful.

Ahhh, I hope the ASCT will help her get rid of some of her pain. I went into having an ASCT with no pain, so I can't advise on that, but my sister came to help me for 7 weeks. Her main jobs were cleaning my bathroom and living area daily, doing the washing, changing my bedsheets weekly (I had friends take my teens for a month). I cooked for myself after 2 days and recovered pretty quickly (I am only 57). Most things tasted like metal at first, but I absolutely craved oranges. Fresh fruit and basic foods were all I liked at first. keeping everything clean was a life saver - as you don't want her to get an infection during the first 3 months, and there's no way I could have done that as my sense of smell went into overdrive. I just used the moisturizers, shampoos and toothpaste given to me by the hospital and I had/have to shower daily. I bought mouth rinse (no alcohol) which they advised. By 7 weeks when she left I was pretty much able to do everything I was doing before (I teach tennis - I was not able to do that!) but I could play some doubles. I'm 3 weeks away from my 100 day marker, I have not gone into a shop/restaurant - I order online and pick up staying in car. Good luck - I so loved having my sister with me over this time, you must be as lovely as my sister!

Thanks for your answer. What kind of "basic" foods did you like after the chemo? My sister is a picky eater at the best of times so I'm worried about her nutrition when she won't feel like eating. Did you have issues with mouth/throat sores from the chemo? The nurse said that's a common issue.