Juicing/Diet

nikkers
nikkers Member Posts: 25
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
My niece who lives in England has been diagnosed with Colon cancer, primary that metastised to her ovaries and peritoneum. She has had colon surgery and had her ovaries removed. Her cancer is quite rare in that it strikes young women going through pregnancy or having a young child. My niece's baby is 1 year old. We found all this out 10 weeks ago approx. She is now on iv and oral chemo - the kind which causes loss of feeling in the toes and fingers, but is terribly weak from not just the chemo but the recent surgery also. My brother and his wife have been caregivers but they are in shock, denial and absolutely exhausted. I am travelling over to England next Thursday for them to be able to go away for a week to take a break. What I have been doing is researching diet and have found through a Dr. McDougal and a Dr. Campbell that a vegan diet is very beneficial for cancer patients and have been vegan for about four weeks in an attempt to see how it feels. Anyway, a cousin has donated her juicer and I hope to make some delicious green juices for her, but would like to know the experience of those of you who have experienced the effects of chemo and what has helped you or what you have been able to stomach food wise. Thanks so much. Nikky

Comments

  • hopeforcure49
    hopeforcure49 Member Posts: 111
    #2
    Juicer
    I just started juicing. Only will eat chicken or fish once a day. The omega-3 helps build platetes. At first I had Oranges when I was naseuas. The fresh smell of oranges helped and I was able to tolerate this. My oncologist also recommended ginger tea from fresh ginger. Plus vitamin C is the best you can take it builds up your immune system. She will need this to stay strong and active. Good luck, hopeforcure.
  • nikkers
    nikkers Member Posts: 25
    #3
    Thank you Hopeforcure. I
    Thank you Hopeforcure. I think that is very helpful advice and I will use it for sure. If there are any other hints/advise from anyone about what has helped/worked for them I would be so grateful. Nikky
  • tootsie1
    tootsie1 Member Posts: 5,044 Member
    #4
    Praying
    Just want to say that I'm praying for your niece.

    *hugs*
    Gail
  • Patteee
    Patteee Member Posts: 945
    #5
    I would say to definitely
    I would say to definitely give the juicer a good workout
    however
    there is no way I could have done green juice when I was going through chemo
    everything tasted like crap, I had zip appetite and unless it was room temp or best warmed up I couldn't even swallow it due to horrid cold sensations in my mouth.
    The word from my oncologist while going through chemo was to take in the calories in any form or fashion I could get.

    My stomach never bothered me- nausea was not an issue for me. Taste was the big one. I also had mouth sores and badly swollen gums. The times I did try to injest, it hurt, it tasted like sh*t and/or foor and liquid would "stick" to my mouth lining- to the point I would have to scrape the food out of my mouth. It truly was a nasty experience. Please be mindful of this- truly those of us going through chemo want to be healthy and juicing is a GREAT move toward that goal! But for me, it was better to wait until I was done with chemo.
  • Nana b
    Nana b Member Posts: 3,030 Member
    #6
    Patteee said:

    I would say to definitely
    I would say to definitely give the juicer a good workout
    however
    there is no way I could have done green juice when I was going through chemo
    everything tasted like crap, I had zip appetite and unless it was room temp or best warmed up I couldn't even swallow it due to horrid cold sensations in my mouth.
    The word from my oncologist while going through chemo was to take in the calories in any form or fashion I could get.

    My stomach never bothered me- nausea was not an issue for me. Taste was the big one. I also had mouth sores and badly swollen gums. The times I did try to injest, it hurt, it tasted like sh*t and/or foor and liquid would "stick" to my mouth lining- to the point I would have to scrape the food out of my mouth. It truly was a nasty experience. Please be mindful of this- truly those of us going through chemo want to be healthy and juicing is a GREAT move toward that goal! But for me, it was better to wait until I was done with chemo.

    Just some ideas. .
    Juice berries, all kinds; apples and carrots, they are easier on thevtummy. You can introduce Ginger, kale, brocoli, cucumber, beets, cabbage, spinach, celery and other veggies as she can tolerate them. Don't use bananas in a juicer. You can use them in a blender for a smoothies. Don't use ice if she is sensitive to cold.
    welcome to the group!
  • kristasplace
    kristasplace Member Posts: 957 Member
    #7
    Hi Nikki!
    I can't help much about chemo and juicing because i didn't start juicing until after my treatments. Like Rachel suggested, i would gradually add things that she can tolerate, but particularly add purple kale to the carrots and apples. Organic, of course. Some say this isn't important, but how can it not be?

    I would also introduce superfoods to her diet. There is a lot of debate about which ones are the best, but personally i think spirulina is in the top two. I use the powdered kind, and either add half a teaspoon to my juice, or sprinkle it lightly on my food. Some other superfood ideas are maca, goji berry, blue-green algae, and raw cacao. I can't remember any more off the top of my head, but PM me if you need more.

    I've recently heard that bok choy is considered a good anti-cancer food. It wouldn't hurt to juice that, too. You can add anything in the world to your juices and it won't taste bad if you incorporate a sliver of lemon or lime (rind included) into your juicer.

    I hope your niece is NED straight away!

    Hugs,
    Krista

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