Hi everyone,
I wonder if anybody has some useful information/advice on what to do- foods to eat? Fasting? whilst on chemo.
The chemo has actually reduced the two secondary lumps and so has proved to be making an impact. The symptoms of the treatment are worse then awful- weight loss, sickness, cramps etc. Being so ill is very debilitating and demoralizing. yet it seems to be making some progress.
Hi Scroc, you don’t say what chemo you are on, and effects may vary. I was advised to avoid anything acidic (citrus, pineapple, cranberry) anything ‘live’ or unpasturised (yogurt, soft cheese, raw/soft eggs) anything strongly flavoured (smoked or spicy)oh, and no takeways (risk of food poisoning!)… ‘soups and smoothies’ was the general theme my BCN recommended. I stuck pretty much to what she said and it seemed to work - only minimal mouth soreness and no bowel problems once I worked out that I could no longer tolerate any kind of cheese or fish! I ate lots of pasta with tomato based sauces, lots of fresh fruit (well bananas and berries as they weren’t ‘banned’) and fresh veg; chicken and ham were fine. My onc. told me to drink full fat milk. I also ate quite a lot of breakfast cereal - especially at night when the steorids kept we awake and made me hungry! I couldn’t taste anything much so to be honest it wasn’t such a loss to have a restricted diet. Some people swear by the odd curry, especially in the ‘week 3’ (the last/first week of the cycle)but I’m allergic to chillies/peppers so that was a no no for me.
Fasting isn’t a great idea as you need to keep your strength up. Within reason find what you can cope with and stick with it.
Six months post chemo I am eating normally… there is a ‘beyond chemo’ phase, honestly.
Hope it goes well for you and that you find a way of coping with the effects. Be kind to yourself.
hi scroc,
you didnt say what chemo you are on, i had 6 docetaxel, carboplatin, i found it was quality food, not quantity, i ate what i fancied, at times virtually nothing, but there were times when i couldnt seem to stop eating,i wouldnt fast, whilst on or off chemo,
hope you feel better soon, liz xxx
This is what I did, tough going but it worked for me. Spicy food does help with the joint aches, perhaps make a dressing with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and fresh chilli. Avoid all salt too.
I ate all fresh food, washed it first but never listened to the ‘avoid because of infection’ list.
Reduced calories is probably a good idea, less for your organs to process.
Good luck