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Belinda · 05-07-2007, 02:29 PM

I agree you are what you eat, but during chemo I am finding it too hard to be focussed on a radical dietary overhaul - instead, I am making little changes and good plans for when chemo is finished (eg - I am letting the white flour and pasta supplies run down and replacing them with wholemeal and organic, etc etc, buying the same fuit and veg for family, but trying to buy organic when I can, eating the same fish meals but trying to make them weekly rather than monthly etc).

During chemo, I am eating what I need to in order to keep my blood sugar stable, because I am finding that this helps me to stay sane - it helps (but doesn't completely prevent) the emotional crashes that overcome me in the 3-10 days post chemo. I still get them, but when my blood sugar is stable, they don't seem to be quite as low, or quite as deep. (Enough sleep, and keeping hydrated, are the other two things that help).

But, that's been hard because there have been times when even with emend and maxalon I have still vomited, retched or been extremely nauseous - so much so I have lost weight on chemo, whic isn't that common.

So for me, the kind of things that work in the 10 days post chemo, are baked potatoes (I nuke them in the microwave) with cooked or canned corn kernels on top, sometimes a little butter when my mouth is dry. Avocado masked on wholemeal toast, sometimes with tomato slices on top (depending on taste buds that day). Cream cheese spread on wholemeal toast. Bananas in between meals - sometimes I can only manage a mouthful or two, and I prefer them a bit on the green side - can't tolerate the smell or texture of them when they are ripe and fragrant. I seem to be able to manage white grapes well all of the time, so I buy lots and have them washed in the fridge ready to grab a handful. I also keep pitted prunes in the fridge - they help in the first days post-chemo when I am constipated, and are also a great rescue remedy when I feel like my blood sugars are dropping.

On my 'good' days (days 11-20) I can pretty much eat what I like - easy. No nausea.

Post-surgery and first cycle, I was eating raw muesli and flaxmeal every day, but I developed an aversion to it in the first cycle.

In my third and fourth cycles, I ate a big breakfast and lunch before chemo, drank heaps, then didn't eat dinner. The reason for this is I was vomiting or retching post-chemo anyway, and because of this I still have an aversion to the foods I ate for my first meals after chemo on cycles 1 and 2. My chemo was late afternoon, so this wasn't a problem for me - just made sure I had a reasonable breakfast on hand.

Hope that helps. Just go with what you can tolerate - be gentle to yourself, eat whatever you can to keep nourished during chemo.

Belindax

05-07-2007, 02:29 PM	#6
Belinda Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Adelaide, South Australia, Australia Posts: 144	I agree you are what you eat, but during chemo I am finding it too hard to be focussed on a radical dietary overhaul - instead, I am making little changes and good plans for when chemo is finished (eg - I am letting the white flour and pasta supplies run down and replacing them with wholemeal and organic, etc etc, buying the same fuit and veg for family, but trying to buy organic when I can, eating the same fish meals but trying to make them weekly rather than monthly etc). During chemo, I am eating what I need to in order to keep my blood sugar stable, because I am finding that this helps me to stay sane - it helps (but doesn't completely prevent) the emotional crashes that overcome me in the 3-10 days post chemo. I still get them, but when my blood sugar is stable, they don't seem to be quite as low, or quite as deep. (Enough sleep, and keeping hydrated, are the other two things that help). But, that's been hard because there have been times when even with emend and maxalon I have still vomited, retched or been extremely nauseous - so much so I have lost weight on chemo, whic isn't that common. So for me, the kind of things that work in the 10 days post chemo, are baked potatoes (I nuke them in the microwave) with cooked or canned corn kernels on top, sometimes a little butter when my mouth is dry. Avocado masked on wholemeal toast, sometimes with tomato slices on top (depending on taste buds that day). Cream cheese spread on wholemeal toast. Bananas in between meals - sometimes I can only manage a mouthful or two, and I prefer them a bit on the green side - can't tolerate the smell or texture of them when they are ripe and fragrant. I seem to be able to manage white grapes well all of the time, so I buy lots and have them washed in the fridge ready to grab a handful. I also keep pitted prunes in the fridge - they help in the first days post-chemo when I am constipated, and are also a great rescue remedy when I feel like my blood sugars are dropping. On my 'good' days (days 11-20) I can pretty much eat what I like - easy. No nausea. Post-surgery and first cycle, I was eating raw muesli and flaxmeal every day, but I developed an aversion to it in the first cycle. In my third and fourth cycles, I ate a big breakfast and lunch before chemo, drank heaps, then didn't eat dinner. The reason for this is I was vomiting or retching post-chemo anyway, and because of this I still have an aversion to the foods I ate for my first meals after chemo on cycles 1 and 2. My chemo was late afternoon, so this wasn't a problem for me - just made sure I had a reasonable breakfast on hand. Hope that helps. Just go with what you can tolerate - be gentle to yourself, eat whatever you can to keep nourished during chemo. Belindax __________________ Belinda Diagnosed 3 Jan 2007, Stage IIb, Mastectomy and axillary clearance 10 Jan 07, 6 of 19 nodes affected, multi-focal cancer, HER2 positive. Second mastectomy (prophylactic). Chemo - AC 3 months, Taxol 3 months - then radiation 5 weeks. Aug 2011 - Diagnosed with Stage IV mets to lung, sternum and 12 or so thoracic nodes - Rads to Sternum, then weekly abraxane and herceptin for 12 weeks. May 2012- good scans - all nodes still about normal size, hole in sternum repairing, lung tumour 'obliterated'. Ongoing herceptin every 3 weeks. Bloods still all good! Life good! March 2013 - recurrence - tumours in lungs and mediastinum (coughing up blood) - immediate radiation treatment to right lung and mediastinum, still on Herceptin, and 3 months of Vinoralbine - stable for a little while! Coughing and breathlessness started again September 2013, treated as radiation-induced fibrosis (which can be seen on scans - albeit stable). ie puffers, steroids January 2014 - cough becomes bloody again, scans show big mediastinal tumour wrapped around and choking the life out of my right main bronchus, radiation deemed off limits as my lungs are hypersensitive to radiation (measured by existing damage from 2013) .....................- ie I am in the 5% of people likely to suffer severe radiation damage to the lungs that they warn you about before starting treatment! (so special! :) ) Started chemo Feb 2014 - continuing Herceptin (continuous since Aug 2011), with Carboplatin and Gemcitabine. Discontinued Gemcitabine because of se's. Starting cycle 5 Herc/Carbo 5 May 2014. Meantime.....coughing and breathlessness increased to SCARY levels with racing heartbeat that won't slow down, breath that won't come back, even just walking to the bathroom or up 3 or 4 steps. ICU from May 5 2014, collapsed right lung due to tumour, small pulmonary embolism (left), tumours growing in mediastinum left and right, dvt lower right leg Plan seems to be bronchoscope next week to see if tumour can be lasered and stent inserted in right bronchus to reopen air access to lower parts of right lung. If that is successful might be able to have brachytherapy to worst tumour, otherwise no more options for external radiotherapy.