Hi David,
Think you know the answer to nausea-chemo- diet- protein intake....is the usual answer we so
often find on the forums..........everyone is different.
The good news is that with trying different things and working with one's providers a better situation
is frequently possible.
Will share some of my thoughts and what I found helpful.....pick and choose.... and try different things
you and your wife think of.......
(Some of these things you may already be doing. Will mention all that come to mind just in case.)
Nausea: Meds per wife's MD plan of care.
Keep a daily record until one knows what to expect and do.
Put down what was eaten or done on chemo day. Chemo day meds.
List each days symptoms.....meds taken....responses.
Review above with provider and keep adjusting until best plan is found.
Be aware that some of first chemo reactions could be result of both chemo and
stress/anxiety of having 1st chemo.
Symptoms may be less on 2nd chemo due to any adjustments made.
General thoughts:
A healthy diet with recommended grams of protein of course is ideal when tolerated.
Am sure not everyone is able to eat the recommended grams of protein.......it's good
to know what the goal is when possible.
Some need to eat whatever they can tolerate during chemo.....just to get the protein
and calories. After chemo, one can return to a "healthier" diet.
Before chemo, I had meat maybe 4 times a year at holiday dinners.
Then, ate chicken and turkey during chemo for more protein.
Realize some people might feel it is better not to eat meat and can manage a good
protein intake....that is great. I found I needed to add the meat to increase the
protein in my diet during chemo.
Any fluids and any food is better than none.
If one has already consulted with a nutritionist, one might consider a call for immediate
recommendations and then consider f/u appt as needed.
The person on chemo "knows" nutrition is very important and is trying very hard to eat.
It is hard to explain when one has absolutely no appetite.
It may be helpful to not emphasize to the person on chemo to eat better.......one knows that
and is trying so hard to eat.
It may be helpful to help the person try different things.... and the things one tolerates may
change thru out the chemo treatments.
One may find that one is able to eat and drink better the second week. Thus, do the best
one can the first week, knowing one will eat better the second week.
Consider asking your wife .........what do you think would appeal to you today....
is there something you would like to try even if it's only a small amount.
These are some things I did/tried that were helpful.
Again, everyone is different....pick and choose and adjust.....and add your and your wife's ideas.
Mouth: Keep mouth in a clean refreshed condition.
Mouth case as directed by provider.
I did frequent salt water swishes.
Biotene products are more expensive than some others. I felt I was worth using these
products during chemo. Used Biotene toothpaste, Biotene MouthWash and the
Biotene gel (the gel especially helped keep oral mucosa moist).
Biotene has a bio-active enzyme system.
Avoid oral products with alcohol.
Fluids: Find the fluids that one tolerates best.
Frequent small amounts if larger amounts not tolerated.
Sometimes the temperature can make a big difference.....try cold, warm, room temperature
and see if any temperature is tolerated better.
Try usual fluids and explore new ones until one has fluids that are tolerable/enjoyable.
Water, ice cubes (that have been melted a bit first), tea, ginger ale, pear juice,
soup broths, frozen fruit popsicles, milk, milk-ice cream shakes if tolerated.
coffee
Try any fruit juice that sounds appealing....maybe diluted at first.
Yogurt/ice/with +/- fruit smoothies.
If MD and nutritionist recommend, Ensure and Boost type product OR get a
recipe for healthy shakes/smoothies from the nutritionist
Food: Nutritionist I saw said the only time she recommends potato chips is for chemo patients
with poor appetites.
She recommended having 5 potato chips prior to a meal. She advised the
"healthier" potato chip.
( She recommended Cape Cod potato chips. Their web site shows their chips in
Michigan:
http://www.snyderslanceproductlocator.com/capecod/#
She also recommended ginger snaps.
I found that some days I could eat better than others.
Things I found easier to eat with no appetite:
oatmeal, english muffin, peanut butter,
chicken or turkey broth:
various ways. plain. with added chicken or turkey, peas, carrots.
sometimes part skim mozzarella cheese on top.
chicken on toasted english muffin and melted cheese on top.
cottage cheese and pears.
yogurt.
toasted cheese sandwich.
(latter half of chemo, could not tolerate the yogurt and cottage cheese)
Tabatchnick Split Pea Soup (frozen soup pouches in frozen cabinet
section of store). If tolerated, this has 13 grams of protein and 13 grams fiber.
regular: 380 mg of sodium. low sodium version: 50 mg
( had to use a few shakes of salt in the low sodium version for taste)
mashed butternut squash.
tapioca.
towards end of chemo: asparagus.
cinnamon was main seasoning I liked.
(if your wife likes certain seasonings, you could try a very little with her food....
and if tolerated use the amount she likes.)
If you can start with some things that your wife enjoys and can tolerate, then you can add as
time goes on. Would anticipate you and she will find a good food plan that will be good for
her during chemo. Sometimes, it takes a little time and trying different things.
Again, everyone is different. Pick and choose if anything above sounds helpful.
Please disregard anything that you do not agree with or you feel will not work.
You and your wife will figure out the best food plan for her.
With caring and positive thoughts,
Grateful for today................Judy
Edited by Grateful for today - Aug 16 2012 at 12:57am