6 carnation breakfasts a day!!!

Pattie13
Pattie13 Member Posts: 47
in Anal Cancer #1
Asked my doctor about any special diet I need to follow and he ran out of the room and came back with a paper on diet supplements for me. Said I was to start now before treatment. (treatment should begin in a few more weeks I think). I am to consume 6 carnation instant breakfasts a day plus take 15g of L-glutamine twice daily. Not sure I can drink that much milk, so I put 3 breakfasts worth in one glass, 15g of the L-glutamine and about 8 oz of milk and chugged it. Anyone else been told to follow this? It is supposed to help decrease the radiation burns and also keep up your energy.

Comments

  • Captain11
    Captain11 Member Posts: 88
    #2
    I wasn't told about that
    I wasn't told about that decreasing the burns... in fact, those burns are going to be just that.. burns... my civilian primary care said it like this... think of what the Japanese went through after the bomb... radiation is radiation and you will get burns. The skin will turn red, then pinkish-brown, then grayish... and it will peel off and it will smell... I took a whiff of some of the skin that shed off while I was in the tub... it is burnt flesh. Maybe that stuff will help, but, I as never told that... Keep in mind the aloe, the aquaphor, and maybe even some silvadine burn cream...
    Drinking the instant breakfast is a good idea... I wouldn't chug it though, keep taking small sips throughout the day... also, ice cream is good, let it come to room temp or slightly colder and drink it like a smoothie. Milk shakes are excellent, and so are the Boost, Ensure, and Rejuven products (but they are a bit more costly). Keep drinking water, too, as you might get the dry mouth.. you need to stay hydrated. Fatigue is a big issue, especially if you are taking antinausea meds (they make you tired, too)...so, you need to keep hydrated. My onc gave me a prescription for megase (which is an appetite booster), it helped. Good luck. Keep us posted. Hope this helps. God bless.
  • rds711
    rds711 Member Posts: 113
    #3
    Pattie
    I was diagnosed in 12/2011 but didnt start treatment until 2/2012. I am a nurse and decided to eat really well, extra protien especially, prior to treatments. Protien is your bodys basic building blocks. It is better to go into treatment in good nutritional standing than not. My MD's told me that maintaining good nutrition, hydration and your weight is key to aid in healing.

    Reaction to chemo varies from person to person. I never lost my appetite or had issues with nausea but some people do. If you notice difficulty the first week with nausea/ vomiting, inability to get enough fluids in, let your oncologist know RIGHT AWAY so they can get you medicines to help. As captain said you dont have to drink glass after glass just make sure you have fluids at hand always to sip on, cold ones can help keep mouth soreness at bay. Avoid caffeine as it can assist with dehydrating you.

    So think of this time right now as building up/preparing your body. I know in reading through all the posts hedre you can see some people who had varied degrees of problems and it can be scary. Please know that everyone is different and you may or may not get them all and if you do maybe not to the same degree as others. Listen to your body and keep your MD's informed promptly before anything gets out of hand.

    Keeping you in my prayers!

    Randy
  • mp327
    mp327 Member Posts: 4,440 Member
    #4
    Hi Pattie
    You have gotten some good advice. I second the comments about getting enough protein. My appetite took a nosedive towards the end of treatment, so I consumed a lot of drinks, such as Boost. However, since then, I have found a much tastier protein drink made by Premier. I buy it at Costco. It has 30 grams of protein in just one shake. As has already been stated, it's very important that you stay well-hydrated. Also, about the Instant Breakfast, it's probably very good for you, but if you have diarrhea during treatment like I did, milk products may not be your friend. It's really a trial and error thing for each of us individually, as no one reacts exactly the same to this treatment regime.
  • Pattie13
    Pattie13 Member Posts: 47
    #5
    mp327 said:

    Hi Pattie
    You have gotten some good advice. I second the comments about getting enough protein. My appetite took a nosedive towards the end of treatment, so I consumed a lot of drinks, such as Boost. However, since then, I have found a much tastier protein drink made by Premier. I buy it at Costco. It has 30 grams of protein in just one shake. As has already been stated, it's very important that you stay well-hydrated. Also, about the Instant Breakfast, it's probably very good for you, but if you have diarrhea during treatment like I did, milk products may not be your friend. It's really a trial and error thing for each of us individually, as no one reacts exactly the same to this treatment regime.

    Protein drinks
    I thank you all for you input on this. I guess this has not been something prescribed by to many doctors. But, I guess I will be getting my share of protein with these drinks. I did forget to mention that I also have Lupus and my Dr. says that will make the radiation burns worse. And when I asked if there was anything I needed to do diet wise, that's when he ran out and got the paper with the 6 carnation breakfasts and L-glutamine. I am also supposed to eat yogurt twice daily also, as he says that will also lessen the burns. I usually drink alot of water during the day, so I am always sipping on that. It is best for me to mix up the drink with the glutamine, drink mix and yogurt and drink it all at once. I think that will work best for me. Sipping it at room temp just does not sound appealing to me.
    On a funny note though, felt like the easter bunny yesterday after my drink, as when I passed gas it really actually smelled like chocolate... weird but true. LOL
    Prayers and Hugs to you all
    Pattie
  • RoseC
    RoseC Member Posts: 559
    #6
    Pattie13 said:

    Protein drinks
    I thank you all for you input on this. I guess this has not been something prescribed by to many doctors. But, I guess I will be getting my share of protein with these drinks. I did forget to mention that I also have Lupus and my Dr. says that will make the radiation burns worse. And when I asked if there was anything I needed to do diet wise, that's when he ran out and got the paper with the 6 carnation breakfasts and L-glutamine. I am also supposed to eat yogurt twice daily also, as he says that will also lessen the burns. I usually drink alot of water during the day, so I am always sipping on that. It is best for me to mix up the drink with the glutamine, drink mix and yogurt and drink it all at once. I think that will work best for me. Sipping it at room temp just does not sound appealing to me.
    On a funny note though, felt like the easter bunny yesterday after my drink, as when I passed gas it really actually smelled like chocolate... weird but true. LOL
    Prayers and Hugs to you all
    Pattie

    "it really actually smelled
    "it really actually smelled like chocolate."

    THAT is SO funny! And so much better than the usual aroma!
  • sandysp
    sandysp Member Posts: 868 Member
    #7
    Almond Milk
    If you can't tolerate the dairy the Instant Breakfast tastes really well in Almond Milk too. I still drink it quite often.

    Take care,
    Sandy
  • Captain11
    Captain11 Member Posts: 88
    #8
    sandysp said:

    Almond Milk
    If you can't tolerate the dairy the Instant Breakfast tastes really well in Almond Milk too. I still drink it quite often.

    Take care,
    Sandy

    I drink almond milk, too. I
    I drink almond milk, too. I love it!!! I tried the coconut milk, which should be just as nutritious, but, I prefer the almond milk.

    God bless

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