Chemo advice

Kato34
Kato34 Member Posts: 15
in Colorectal Cancer #1
Dad is to start chemo on thurs. 10 weeks of folfox w Avastin given bi-weekly. The dr. said it effects people in different ways. Does anyone have any advice on things he should do and not to to prepare for this. Eating habits, pain med, vitamins.

Comments

  • PhillieG
    PhillieG Member Posts: 4,866 Member
    #2
    Advice
    Your Dad is going to have to partly follow his stomach with what to eat. Of course, healthy foods like fruit are great to eat but if he has diarrhea then the fruits might cause problems. Bananas are good if he does have diarrhea because they help bind things. It's important to stay hydrated too so make sure he has fluids. He may not feel like eating and be nauseous, this is where marijuana works VERY well. It helps with appetite and with nausea. Many doctors push a med called Emend which didn't impress me in the least. It's also very expensive even with insurance.

    Just to put this out there, we have some members who had surgery then went the dietary/juicing route instead of chemo and did very well.
    With cancer and treatments, one size does NOT fit all. What works for one may not work for another and visa-versa. That's what makes it such a bear to beat (not that I advocate beating wildlife)...

    I'm sure others will chime in.
    -p
  • laurettas
    laurettas Member Posts: 372
    #3
    My husband's advice
    My husband had ten months of chemo when he was 24 and now at 58 is going through it again. Both times he discovered that eating was the way to recover the quickest. If he can eat first thing in the morning and then continue to eat every time his stomach starts to feel queasy, he does much better. For him protein--cheese, eggs, meat--set the best and his onc encouraged him to eat protein. Grains--oatmeal, other cereal, sometimes bread--don't set as well with him. Good luck with this"Great Adventure"!
  • Buckwirth
    Buckwirth Member Posts: 1,258 Member
    #4
    Eat a big meal
    just prior to treatment. Add protein supplements to your diet (I add a protein powder to my coffee every morning) to keep up the white blood count.

    Avoid cold drinks and foods, especially for the first few days after treatment. I found that I could handle a shake by week two, and always tried to push the envelope of what I could stand cold wise.

    It does effect everyone a bit different, and the range is pretty wide, so saying exactly what the experience is going to be is difficult at best.

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