I had the food issues worked out, having managed to not lose any weight overall for the past month, despite weekly cycling depending on whether it was a chemo week or not. Not interested in food from Monday afternoon on during the chemo infusion, but not nauseated as long as I took my drugs. Don’t need the drugs after Wednesday night, but the chemo made food taste nasty, mostly just on Thursday and Friday. Appetite and taste returning to normal by Friday evening, except for persistent numbing of tastebuds. Then eat whatever I wanted for the next week, making sure to include lots of good fats like avocado and almond.
It was all slightly variable: how bad things tasted on Thursday, how fast my appetite declined or returned, and such, but that was the basic pattern. It took me a couple rounds of losing weight to figure out how much to eat the second week, but by chemo rounds 4 and 5 I had it mastered.
So of course round 6 had to be different, and nothing is ever different in a good way. This time the poison taste wasn’t too bad, but I didn’t start to regain any interest in food until the next Tuesday, over a week after starting chemo, even though I received a lower dose of the major chemo drug. Today I’m mostly but not entirely over it (the rest is quite possibly the barium after-effects). Sadly, this meant that I cooked a lovely Easter dinner that I didn’t want to eat. I ate some, food being a necessity even if unappealing, but couldn’t eat very much. Part of the lack of foodliness, as I’ve been calling it, is that not only do I not want to eat, I physically can’t eat very much at a time. I haven’t been on a scale, but I suspect I’ve lost a few of the pounds I worked to regain. (Not a worrisome number, I hasten to add, but still frustrating.)
On the other hand, it’s finally getting warm enough that I can spend some time outside. SO HAPPY to be able to start walking again. Not today, though: cold and windy. But it’s getting better.
And while I’m talking about food, don’t let anyone tell you there’s a clear link between cancer and anything: it’s inordinately complicated. Overall healthy is good; beyond that, even the experts don’t know.
I would not worry about the change up. When you are able to do more outside, when it does not feel like october 23 instead of the april version, you will develop more of an apatite.
and I think that the avacado approach is going to be even better for you with farmers markets starting spring leafy things shortly.
Herwigs is always an option for weight gain as well. Maybe you can ask him to contact you when he gets morels in for his special.
wishing you well and stuff
valerio
What to eat? A way many of us with diseases, would like to assist our body in recovery or wellness as much as possible. A lot of non science out there. This article has facts and can ease guilt and confusion.
While navigating the info out there…i had an acupuncturist suggest listening to my body When I eat things, as I was riddled with much pain noise and trying to figure out as much as I could, what was causing the pains and wanting to support my body.His idea was Simply, what does my body feel after eating foods. It was truly a blur of symptoms all being supposed part of the autoimmune disease process. What I found out is that gluten causes wheezing and difficulty breathing, good fats from grass fed meats and avocado, walnuts, almonds- I feel satisfied, not just full. Chocolate, at times, headaches, yet I still desire it. Interestingly, much literature says to avoid nightshade veggies with autoimmune…many people experience worse symptoms. I craved nightshades of tomatoes, eggplant, peppers of all kinds. What I found is that cravings (like sugar) is not necessarily a good thing for the bod. Then I found out that I have an allergy to certain sugars. Sugars found in onions, garlic, peppers, sweet potatoes watermelon, causing an overgrowth of bacteria in the gut, causing abdominal pains and digestive issues(malnourishment). Wondering how this might effect the immune system. Well my little experiment continues…wishing there was more energy and more data to figure it all out. Wanting to support our bodies with the best foods for assistance and healing makes sense, having science to lead the way makes sense. Thanks for the article.