Cancer made me eat 😋

[foxgem]

Hi @mssteel I prefer decaff tea also but I haven’t thought to cut caffeine out completely. I have maybe 2 real coffees a day. I actually struggled to drink any on my first week after chemo, that and black tea was a big no no so its been nice to bring it back this 2nd week. If I’m concentrating I wouldnt have full caff coffee after 3pm-ish

[mssteel]

Thank you both @foxgem and @sam1204 for your replies.

Yeah I’m not really sure what I’m trying to achieve with this, but if I’m not at work, I have two cups of a really nice instant Americano in the morning while sitting in bed doing things like catching up on this forum and I really enjoy it and don’t bother with or even think about it for the rest of the day.

When I’m at work, I have my usual two in the morning before getting ready, then throughout the day, I tend to go for another three of the machine coffee there!

I just kind of feel physically rubbish most of the time and am trying to figure it out due to fears of things like cancer spread and upcoming chemo, but now I’m writing it out, this seems like it might be more environmental and I’m probably just trying to blame it on something that might be an easy fix, like cutting caffeine.

[sam1204]

@mssteel caffeine is one of those things I worry about from time to time and so have read a fair bit about it. I’d say your two cups in the morning is absolutely fine and actually probably has benefits. I suspect from my reading that the other 3 you have some days could well be contributing to your malaise. You get in a cycle of not sleeping or resting well and then downing the caffeine next day to perk you up. 12 hours after you drink it, 50% of that caffeine is still in your system! My experience is that decaffeinated coffee these days is pretty good, way better than in years gone by, and I honestly think you can get a really decent cup of coffee that’s got no caffeine in.

You could maybe start by replacing one cup at a time with decaf, or when you’re at home going for “half and half” like I do. I think it would be fairly easy to reduce.

Otherwise it might be a case of trying to work out what else might be making you feel below par. It’s a super stressful time getting a cancer diagnosis and navigating all the treatment. For some people stress just exhausts them. Be kind to yourself and try to find some relaxation

[foxgem]

I absolutely understand this. For a while I fully blamed my cancer on caramel oat lattes. I quit drinking alcohol last year so fancy coffees became more of a treat. Of course it’s irrational to blame our cancer on just 1 thing. It is numerous things we wont really understand, thank god for scientists that can figure it all out for us.

If your 2 coffees have formed part of your routine and it makes you happy, id be very reluctant to cut them out. That alone has huge benefits and coffee does have its own benefits also. Maybe the 3rd cup could be swaped for decaff or an electrolyte drink of some sort. Maybe try a strong english tea in the afternoon. There are lots of options out there to try so experiment with them all. Try a new afternoon drink each day. I found that when I cut alcohol out I suddenly had a whole menu of other drinks to try and it was really refreshing. You could find your new favourite afternoon drink and then suddenly thats become part of your routine

[foxgem]

Random mushroom soup today because my husband bought too many.

I found this recipe online and adjusted it to the ingredients I had in the fridge. The red pepper and courgette I added just for extra goodness and it worked really well. It added a sweetness to it.

• 400g fresh mushrooms, chopped

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 1 red pepper, chopped

• 1 courgette, chopped

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• Approx 4 cups vegetable stock, I just used the kettle to pour enough into the pot to cover the vegetables

• A generous splash of soy milk

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• Salt and black pepper to taste

• 1 tablespoon mixed herbs

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat

2. Add the chopped onion, garlic, red pepper, courgette, sauté until translucent and fragrant (about 3-4 minutes). Pour into a large pot and add the vegetable stock, put on a medium heat

3. Melt the butter in the frying pan and add the sliced mushrooms, mixed herbs, salt and pepper and cook until they release their moisture and start to brown (about 7-8 minutes)

4. Pour in the pot with the other ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes.

5. Add the milk

6. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth (or leave it chunky if you prefer texture

Delicious

[mssteel]

Thanks @sam1204, I think it’s actually my job that’s the problem and I’m basically pounding the coffee to have some enjoyment throughout the day. I don’t want to hijack the food thread with this so just want to say I really appreciate your response as it was really useful in figuring this out!

[mssteel]

Thanks @foxgem, I think my morning coffee will be here to stay!

[sarahcatlover]

I’ve had ME for 26 years and haven’t been able to tolerate tea or coffee at all. I drink peppermint tea most of the time. Sometimes lemon and ginger tea or camomile tea. I love 70% dark hot chocolate too and now have a velvetiser!

[sam1204]

That velvetiser will come in handy for keeping your neutrophils up!!