I keep shouting ‘yes’ ‘yes’ to so many of those little tips.
Has anyone mentioned constipation. The hospital gave me Senna tablets. I don’t take any on the first night of chemo. But I take two on the second night just to make sure I have no problem. I don’t need them after that.
I grind up seeds in advance (sesame, linseed, sunfower and pumpkin) and add a table spoon to my porridge and a tablespoon to my smoothie every day. I also try to eat lots of fruit throughout the day. And it’s best to have lots of small meals. I think this all probably helps with the digestion.
Apparently smoothies with lots of red berries are supposed to be good for the veins.
Last cycle (I have just had FEC 3 on thursday) I felt I really needed iron and couldn’t stop eating water cress and fresh oranges together. It gave me a lovely boost.
Another tip I discovered is that at first I was leaving my main meal until the evening which involved pasta, potatoes or the main carbs of the day. This was a mistake. That was the only meal of the day that gave me energy and made me feel more awake and hapy. So now I am trying a baked potatoe at lunchtime or even a small bowl of pasta mid afternoon works wonders. Evening though I was feasting all day long on porridge, smoothy, soup, bit of bread and fruit etc I wasn’t doing the trick.
I too really notice the need for salt so am going with it. The junk food thing is really weird. I am all prepared to eat healthy but the urge for cheeseburgers and kebabs is overwhelming. I made my own healthy version of lamb kebabs in pitta and a kind of cheeseburger with loads of salad! I didn’t get chocolate urges with the first FEC and wondered what everyone was talking about, but now I buy myself plently of dark chocolates.
My chemo nurse told my on Wednesday that Almond oil is very good for your head. When your hair starts falling out it can get very sore. I had been putting E34 cream on my now very shaved head but have just started trying the almond oil.
To be honest the cravings change each time. My first FEC went well so I thought I would try the same food etc the next time but it doesn’t work like that. You just have to go with the flow and see what you feel like on the day.
One important thing is that when I wake up in the morning I feel a bit sicky and not at all like eating my porridge. But asa soon as i have eaten it I feel so much better. Eating food has always made me feel better and nothing has made me feel worse so far.
I can not really concentrate on books and newspapers but old films are working very well. Nothing too complicated.
I know what you mean about the medication. Before this diagnosis I rarely touched any medication apart from homeopathic stuff. I was really worried that my body would be too sensitive for strong chemo drugs and all the trimmings. Strangely though my body has coped OK with the anti-sickness and steroids, not to mention the chemo. I also take tablets to help calm me before the treatment (these are a godsend - they just make you feel slightly more chilled out) and to help me sleep for the first few nights.
Good luck
Love Lorna XXX
