What foods/drinks can't you STAND now because you consumed them during chemo?

msccolon

Madre's post reminded me of the things I can no longer eat because of the dreaded cancer! First, I can no longer drink Ginger Ale because I made the mistake of using it for prep one time. Next, I can no longer eat tomato soup or even stomach the idea of having a can/box of it in my pantry! My last chemo rounds the one thing I could for sure eat and keep down day 1 was tomato soup with a half sandwich and I would always have it ready to be prepared by my care giver. While it certainly kept me eating, you couldn't PAY me to eat it now!

I tell you what, one thing I WON'T eat during chemo is chocolate! I just couldn't bear it if I despised chocolate! Besides, it doesn't taste very good with the chemical mix (OK, to know that I have to have tried it, but I didn't eat it after the one try, I promise!)

What items have you grown an aversion to?

Mary

krystiesq

mom's cravings/aversions
Well, for starters for months the only thing my mom would eat is linguini with just tomato juice, she's broadened her menu lately. She only drinks (and it has been this way for a while) Countrytime Lemonade, preferably pink.

As for aversions, she has this really small window where something may sound good, but when I say really small, I mean fleeting. She'll say oh, salad sounds good, and i'll make it and then it doesn't taste right, or she doesn't want it. Sometimes I'll be cooking and the smell will create disgust and she won't want it. I've been known to make take three shots at finding something that she can eat. I have to just sit and talk about food choices for 10 minutes or so before I can find something she likes. Lately it has been filet mignon from OUtback, medium well, butterflied, with baked potato, butter only, salad and italian dressing. Thank goodness there is an outback about 5 minutes from my house.

I say, what ever she wants, I'll get it. THe biggest change is that she cannot stand sweets. She says they are way too strong.

KathiM

Sadly, I had to give up popcorn....
Not because it tasted bad, but because it causes all sorts of pain/gas/cramps. If I crave it, I buy some popcorn flavored jelly beans. Or rice cakes. Sigh....

My primary food during chemo treatments was scalloped potatoes. I still love them, and now, each time I eat them, I am reminded how much support they gave me thru a difficult time.

That is not to say there are not things I can no longer eat. Tomato soup, interestingly enough, or any tomato based sauce, I cannot eat on an airplane. Too much acid. For a long time, I was completely lactose intollerant from my treatments...that is getting better...

Great post! Thank you for reminding me how far I have come!

Hugs, Kathi

KathiM

krystiesq said:

mom's cravings/aversions
Well, for starters for months the only thing my mom would eat is linguini with just tomato juice, she's broadened her menu lately. She only drinks (and it has been this way for a while) Countrytime Lemonade, preferably pink.

As for aversions, she has this really small window where something may sound good, but when I say really small, I mean fleeting. She'll say oh, salad sounds good, and i'll make it and then it doesn't taste right, or she doesn't want it. Sometimes I'll be cooking and the smell will create disgust and she won't want it. I've been known to make take three shots at finding something that she can eat. I have to just sit and talk about food choices for 10 minutes or so before I can find something she likes. Lately it has been filet mignon from OUtback, medium well, butterflied, with baked potato, butter only, salad and italian dressing. Thank goodness there is an outback about 5 minutes from my house.

I say, what ever she wants, I'll get it. THe biggest change is that she cannot stand sweets. She says they are way too strong.

WHAT a GRAND daughter!!!!
MY Kristy (my daughter) was my caregiver. She shared your attitude...even if it was something crazy, Kristy would go get it for me, just grateful that I was hungry. An added twist was that she doesn't drive, so, in the depths of December, she would walk to the store and bring it back to me. I REALLY love this child! I'm sure your mom does you, too, and is very grateful for your support!

Hugs, Kathi

CherylHutch

Food
Ok, maybe this explains my problem of why I never lost weight... if anything, I gained it all during my chemo and radiation time. Prior to treatment, I LOVED food... you name it, I loved it. I don't think there's a food I didn't like, except for anything too spicy. I find the spice takes away the flavour of the food.

Then came the treatment period. I, like all of you, had heard that it was not uncommon for chemo patients not only to lose their appetite, but to lose a lot of weight quickly. Now, not to make light of this subject since I know a lot of you have been through a horrible time with this... in a weird, morbid sort of way, I was looking forward to this! FINALLY, the ultimate diet plan where I was going to finally be able to lose some weight. Trust me, losing a BUNCH of weight was not going to hurt me... I have plenty to spare!!

Well, wouldn't you know it... the chemo, radiation, etc. did NOTHING to affect my love for food or appetite I could eat/drink anything and not have one adverse side affect. The only problem was while on the Oxipilatin I could not EAT or drink anything cool to cold. Anything I drank had to be at room temperature (yuck!) or hot.

Well, golly gee... that meant no milk, juice, milkshakes ... but bring on the hot chocolate, fancy coffees and teas!

So, poor me (please, I would love all your sympathy here ), I ate like a piglet and gained the appropriate weight for doing so . Not only that, I gained weight a lot faster than when I was not on chemo. Sharlene would weigh me and say, "Uh, Cheryl??? How could you have gained 12 kg (26 lbs) in the last 3 weeks?? So, the chemo actually made me gain weight... and the fact that there was no change in my diet other than maybe a few extra treats here and there (because I could!)... I can't say food was ever an issue.

I have lost a lot of that extra gain during chemo, but still have not lost my appetite!! LOL!

Hugggggggs,

Cheryl

rrob

Food
I did 12 rounds of FOLFOX and my first treatment I was starving for lunch. My nurse told me to eat whatever I wanted, so I had a baked potato. Within an hour, there went the potato! I was done with chemo in June, but I still can't face potatoes in any form or fashion. I also lost alot of weight; food just didn't taste good and I had the combination of nausea and diarrhea. Those days seem like a nightmare now--I also was so fatigued that it seemed like more effort than it was worth to try to cook. Thank goodness for carryout! Seriously, I found a Betty Crocker cookbook called "Living with Cancer" that was put together with help from an oncologist, a dietician, and patients. The recipes were coded as to which ones were good for nausea, mouth sores, diarrhea, and constipation. It also had lots of good tips and information. It makes a great gift for anyone dealing with cancer.

Rebecca

msccolon

rrob said:

Food
I did 12 rounds of FOLFOX and my first treatment I was starving for lunch. My nurse told me to eat whatever I wanted, so I had a baked potato. Within an hour, there went the potato! I was done with chemo in June, but I still can't face potatoes in any form or fashion. I also lost alot of weight; food just didn't taste good and I had the combination of nausea and diarrhea. Those days seem like a nightmare now--I also was so fatigued that it seemed like more effort than it was worth to try to cook. Thank goodness for carryout! Seriously, I found a Betty Crocker cookbook called "Living with Cancer" that was put together with help from an oncologist, a dietician, and patients. The recipes were coded as to which ones were good for nausea, mouth sores, diarrhea, and constipation. It also had lots of good tips and information. It makes a great gift for anyone dealing with cancer.

Rebecca

I have Eating Well Through Cancer by Holly Clegg & Gerald Miletello, MD. They were available free at my onc's and when another one was available I picked it up for a neighbor! She was always bringing me food, so i thought it would be good to let her know what I was able to eat and she's even been able to use it for others she knows who are sick! It's a LIFESAVER! I would recommend it to anyone and everyone! sanofli-aventis provided them, but I imagine they're probably available through any book store.
Mary

Kanort

Another Great Post!
Mary,

You pose the greatest questions!!!

TUNA FISH!!! It was funny I had never particularly loved tuna, but as soon as the chemo started dripping, I would start dreaming of tuna fish. I never eat it now.

Hugs,

Kay

laudena

Kanort said:

Another Great Post!
Mary,

You pose the greatest questions!!!

TUNA FISH!!! It was funny I had never particularly loved tuna, but as soon as the chemo started dripping, I would start dreaming of tuna fish. I never eat it now.

Hugs,

Kay

Food during Chemo
I really couldn't eat a lot of things during chemo, especially chocolate. A good friend gave me a 2 lb box of See's dark chocolate that she new was my favorite. I coudn't eat one bite untill about a month out of chemo but it's all gone now. OK, my wife helped be a little, but now it tastes good, too good. Two things I could eat during chemo was mac and cheese and mashed potatoes with country gravy. My onc thought that was great since it was a lot of calories, but it didn't help that much, I still lost over 50 lbs. I have put back on about 30 lbs since July, so I have to put the brakes on because I don't want to put the last 20 on since I wanted to loose that anyhow, but not this way. What I really coudn't eat when I did try to eat, was anything spicy. That was because of the oxy effecting my mouth and muceas membranes. Also anything cold was painful so no ice cream or milkshakes either. Now I can't have them for other reasons. .

msccolon

Kanort said:

Another Great Post!
Mary,

You pose the greatest questions!!!

TUNA FISH!!! It was funny I had never particularly loved tuna, but as soon as the chemo started dripping, I would start dreaming of tuna fish. I never eat it now.

Hugs,

Kay

Thanks!
And ICKKKKKK!!! I couldn't even think of ANY kind of fish during chemo! I like it well enough at other times, but no way was I even opening one of those pouches while on chemo! I used to dream about red meat, which i have NEVER eaten much of! My onc just laughed when I told him I had the secret to my weight gain, it was all that really weird stuff I dreamed about while i couldn't eat, then plowed into once I could stomach it!
Mary

pamness

msccolon said:

Thanks!
And ICKKKKKK!!! I couldn't even think of ANY kind of fish during chemo! I like it well enough at other times, but no way was I even opening one of those pouches while on chemo! I used to dream about red meat, which i have NEVER eaten much of! My onc just laughed when I told him I had the secret to my weight gain, it was all that really weird stuff I dreamed about while i couldn't eat, then plowed into once I could stomach it!
Mary

Food
I was pretty sick during chemo and live on potatoes, soup, carbs, cake - whatever - anything that was easy to digest. I lost a lot of weight, but have had to change my eating now that I am done.

One thing I could stand during chemo was fish - the smell made me want to - well you know. I still can only eat fish without much smell.

Also, gatorade - enough already.

Pam

msccolon

pamness said:

Food
I was pretty sick during chemo and live on potatoes, soup, carbs, cake - whatever - anything that was easy to digest. I lost a lot of weight, but have had to change my eating now that I am done.

One thing I could stand during chemo was fish - the smell made me want to - well you know. I still can only eat fish without much smell.

Also, gatorade - enough already.

Pam

Gatorade
I agree, Pam, Gatorade will not be drunk again until I need it to keep up my energy if i have to go into chemo again! ICK!
Mary

Monicaemilia

Druxy's Roast Beef Sandwiches
There is a Druxy's inside the hospital, and I used to love their hot roast beef sandwiches. Now they only make me gag. Monica

claud1951

Crunching Ice!
Jello!!! Like your Ginger ale, Mary, Jello is something I don't like because of eating it during all the preps. I had 3 preps in 4 monhts! AND ..the biggy, Crunching Ice scares me.

That is how I found out I had cancer. Excessive crunching ice (and I never did that before) can mean you have anemia (in my case) and I did, thus colonoscopy and found the tumor!. So, the first time I crunched ice (after I was NED), I stopped...realized what I was doing and freaked for a few seconds. Everything is okay, though!

I'm lke Cheryl, I gained weight during chemo. My mind was so confused. They don't want you to loose weight during chemo. Depending on the chemo, you aren't suppose to each lots of fiberous stuff like raw veggies, grains, etc (all the stuff that's good for you) can cause diaherra and/or bactieria..Just eat the ummm..oh I forget what it's called...bland diet of bread, rice, etc. I always wanted "comfort food" that Mom would make when I was growing up.

Anyway. I am now exercising and trying to eat right. The older you get, the harder it is!

Oh well, I'm happy, though>>>grin>>>

Oh..by the way...yesterday was 1 year since I stopped Chemo! All still okay!


Wishing everyone well!
Claudia

msccolon

claud1951 said:

Crunching Ice!
Jello!!! Like your Ginger ale, Mary, Jello is something I don't like because of eating it during all the preps. I had 3 preps in 4 monhts! AND ..the biggy, Crunching Ice scares me.

That is how I found out I had cancer. Excessive crunching ice (and I never did that before) can mean you have anemia (in my case) and I did, thus colonoscopy and found the tumor!. So, the first time I crunched ice (after I was NED), I stopped...realized what I was doing and freaked for a few seconds. Everything is okay, though!

I'm lke Cheryl, I gained weight during chemo. My mind was so confused. They don't want you to loose weight during chemo. Depending on the chemo, you aren't suppose to each lots of fiberous stuff like raw veggies, grains, etc (all the stuff that's good for you) can cause diaherra and/or bactieria..Just eat the ummm..oh I forget what it's called...bland diet of bread, rice, etc. I always wanted "comfort food" that Mom would make when I was growing up.

Anyway. I am now exercising and trying to eat right. The older you get, the harder it is!

Oh well, I'm happy, though>>>grin>>>

Oh..by the way...yesterday was 1 year since I stopped Chemo! All still okay!


Wishing everyone well!
Claudia

Happy 1 year!
Claudia, glad to year you've been off chemo for a year! And that everything's still ok!
Mary

ldot123

msccolon said:

Happy 1 year!
Claudia, glad to year you've been off chemo for a year! And that everything's still ok!
Mary

Good Topic
I found that I did not have many problems with this during my chemo treatment as I di not have much appetite for anything. One thing that did bother me was popsicles, because they would give me one during my 5fU / Leucovorin injections. Yes I said injections. They were supposed to take away the metallic taste of the chemo. They tended to make me gag but this was a psychological issue. The mind is a wonderful thing. I did develop an aversion ti apple juice twenty years ago when I was treated for Hodgkins. Same deal - they gave me apple juice during infusion.
Cheers, Lance