Just diagnosed teacher

[SarahFoodforBC]

There are some foods that have been specifically found to protect against HER2 positive breast cancer. One of the most well studied is extra-virgin olive oil. Olive oil also appears to enhance the effectiveness of Herceptin, which you may receive as part of your treatment. It's also ok to consume during chemotherapy. Please Google the following for lists of the foods (as well as links to the academic studies that describe the findings in detail):

"What should HER2/neu breast cancer patients and survivors eat?"

"What should breast cancer patients and survivors eat during Herceptin treatment?"

There are also articles on the site concerning what to eat during chemotherapy, depending on type.

Sarah

[StephN]

Hello Teach -
We have some other teachers here (Schoolteacher, NEDDenise, and others), who seem to manage just fine.

Very often the fatigue from treatment is more of a problem than actual "chemobrain" (which one MAY have at the same time).

At this point it is best to make some changes in your diet (if you eat too many fast and processed foods). Also, clean up any little projects that are hanging about and will bother you. Get your wardrobe in order, as you will most likely have a port and need tops that open in the front.

You will need extra rest, so, if you have a hubby and kids, have a chat with them about helping out and letting you off the hook as to some of your normal household work.

If you need to keep working, you should have some sick leave for the days you feel that you are not up to going in. If you take hard chemos, a pattern will develop of better and worse days.

Not knowing your details yet, this is some general advice that applies to most of us BC patients.

P.S. NanaJoni mentions many foods not tasting good or not tolerating certain smells. Most of us will have mouth sores from chemo, and this often determines what we can tolerate eating. Some days I only wanted organic chicken broth with rice and mushrooms. Bananas felt OK, but tasted strange. Hard boiled eggs were important to keep protein up.