Food during chemo

Ribbons

First of all I have to say that although the new set up here can be confusing, I have been joining in again because I get e-mails about new comments. Secondly. I know there is a thread somewhere about food during chemo, but I can’t find it. So I’m starting a new one for the new people. 😊 On treatment day I felt great( probably the steroids) and my husband and I would stop for dinner on the way home. Usually at a Cracker Barrel since we went right by one and it was cheap and easy. I suddenly developed an aversion for mashed potatoes, not the taste but the sight of it! I also developed a big aversion to those white cardboard boxes for takeout sandwiches, we would have those for lunch during my infusion, so I think my brain made an association with unpleasantness seeing those boxes. I’m over those things now except I really don’t have any desire for Cracker Barrel yet. As far as actual food, beef veg. soup was good for a couple of days after treatment and then I loved lasagna! Also cream of wheat with brown sugar and milk for breakfast. And lots of ginger ale, and orange sherbet! I didn’t have much problem eating anything. I was happy that my chemo schedule had me on the third week out on Thanksgiving! The third week was always good, then bam! Treatment day again. Thank goodness for ondansetron, I was never nauseous.

cmb

My medical oncologist told me to keep away from raw fruits and vegetables, unless they could be washed well, along with prepared foods and cold cuts from the deli counter. This was to avoid the possibility of getting a food borne illness when my resistance was low during chemo. It was tough to give up most of the uncooked fruits and vegetables that I really like, especially salads. But I adjusted to cooked versions or those like oranges that I could wash and then peel.

Also, certain food smells and tastes disagreed with me during chemo. For example, I love coffee, but couldn't drink it then. Grocery shopping was hard because of the food smells in the store. I never got nauseated, but came close a few times.

After I switched to the "phase two" chemo, I had major fatigue and weakness. I had to force myself to eat at times because just standing to prepare and cook food was very hard. I've written about my reliance on plain grilled cheese sandwiches during this period in other threads. The rest of my diet wasn't all that much better. That was a rough three-month period, food-wise. However, my A1C, cholesterol, etc. were all very good when I was tested shortly after completing chemo, so it didn't do any long-lasting damage.

External radiation coincided with the season for fresh tomatoes at the farmers' markets. I love tomatoes and even though they weren't approved for the BRAT diet I was supposed to follow, I couldn't resist trying a couple just as I started radiation. Big mistake! I sadly gave these up for the duration, along with the other things I wasn't supposed to eat then. That did control my diarrhea most of the time, although I kept Loperamide (Imodium) close by, as I had during chemo.

I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes about 20 years ago and had revamped by diet at that time to control the diabetes with just diet and exercise. That worked for many years, but a couple of years before I got cancer I had to start taking Metformin. That began my diarrhea problems, which I now control by taking one Loperamide caplet every day. I still try to eat a balanced diet to keep my blood glucose under control, but I don't take any supplements except for the B12 that my doctor has recommended when my levels went low a year or so ago.

Ribbons

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1693065#Comment_1693065

I’m happy you can control you diabetes problems 😊. I forgot about the coffee, I didn’t want that during chemo either. Your grilled cheese sandwiches sound good, that’s how I was with lasagna! A friend made a bunch for us and I could have eaten that every day! Lol

Lyn70

I was extremely fortunate to have no issues with any particular food during. Chemo treatment, I just didn't feel like eating much. I stuck to my comfort foods, oatmeal, rice, applesauce and popsicles. I drank huge amounts of hot tea, all sorts. I still drink lots of green teas with herbal peppermint tea.

I was prescribed lorazepam, a miracle drug to me!

Dak82

I don’t recall any food aversions—funny. I had a metallic taste in my mouth but that lasted only a few days. I think I drank a lot of ginger tea and ate tasteless crackers while I paced around the house. I was lucky not to have hardly any bad effects except my wbc dropped and I had Neulasta OBIs for the last 4 sessions. I look back on this time rather cynically thinking I would have preferred to be deathly sick and have that stuff work than have no side effects and start over with all the unknowns that has brought. But it is what it is and we press on!

cheers,

Deb1

PrisPeck

thx