Any tips on eating well during chemo?

I had my first chemo last Monday and suffice to say the week was pretty bad, what started off as just nausea about two hours after chemo ended up with me being unable to even tolerate a sip of water and having to be admitted into hospital for dehydration and sickness. Thankfully they quickly found some antisickness meds that seem to do the trick - cyclizine- and I'm back to drinking and eating and back home. However all I want to eat is rubbish - since getting home all I've eaten are tins of baked beans, packets of super noodles and pasta by the truckload. I know that this diet is hardly going to sustain me long term and wondered if anyone had any tips on incorporating healthy food into the diet when my stomach is being incredibly picky! On the one hand I'm just glad I'm eating but on the other I know my WBC will be at its lowest tomorrow and I probably desperately need some vitamins to sustain me!

  • hi

    I have changed quite a bit of my diet but also eat what I fancy as well.  For me I’ve found that cutting out meat has helped albeit I do have some chicken every now and again. During my chemo week I have smoothies for breakfast, you can buy frozen smoothie mixes from most supermarkets, and I add chai seeds and ground flax seed for fibre and some protein powder.

    Stir fry with veg and noodles are a regular and a chickpea stew with loads of veg in it. Also I don’t know if your tastebuds have been affected, mine have so I eat Greek salad a lot with olives and feta an drink elderflower cordial or fizzy elderflower.  

    If you are on Instagram have a look at Bosh and The Doctors kitchen they have some good recipes that are veg based. 

    Good luck

     

    WL

  • Hi WoolyLamb

     

    Thanks for your message! Yeah already I can tell my taste buds have started to change, everything has a bit of a metallic taste- I'm hoping this will just ease up in time but if it's there for the long run then so be it!

    Smoothies sound like a great idea I didn't even consider them,will get looking for some recipes as I'm pretty sure drinking it will be easier than eating on some days! I'm also meant to be following a pregnant woman diet during my chemo so another thing to consider! 

    Thanks again

     

    Rose

  • I’d be no good on a pregnant woman’s diet, mine consisted of marshmallows, magnums and pickled onion monster munch when I was pregnant. 

    WL

     

     

  • Hey no much fun that eh, I've just completed second cycle of chemo and for 4 days the nausia is awful meds changed twice no help guess we will get there.

    Food deffo changes, taste, and our tummy definitely do  

    I eat what I can those days, so long as your eating its all good ice cream is my go to 

    Hope it goes OK sending you big squishy Scottish hugs x

  • Hi Ross, I had requested a couple of books from Macmillan about Chemotherapy and Diet, They sent me two books on what to eat and it includes hi protein drinks, I did not like some recipes, I am not a Curry or spice person, [ very dull I know] I did like some though, Give it a go see if you like it too.

  • I had the nausea, metallic taste and finally mouth sores!  Bloody awful. I couldn’t eat any ‘tasty’. Bland and boring was my limit. No salt,no sauces, salad cream, mayo, vinegar, no crisps. I drank copious amounts of Lucozade (original) and found that Asda brand clementine juice was amazingly beautiful, lol. Imagine, drooling over juice!!  However, things do improve, but it doesn’t feel like it at the time. Don’t feel that you have to be brave, strong or patient.  Go to the bathroom and have a good swear at the world, have a damn good cry and that lifts you somewhat. Finally during my last 2 weeks of Chemo, I really fancied chips and curry sauce. I remember thinking ‘what about my sore mouth?’. Then  ‘sod it, I fancy curry sauce’, it was wonderful!! 

    I did eat a huge variety of fruit and I still do, cannot live without fruit, it’s been a lifeline for me.  Good luck with food experiments, try whatever takes your fancy, it cheers you no end. Take care and keep us all posted x

     

  • Hi there 

    I've just joined the forum. It was one year yesterday that I started chemo and I remember it well.

    I also had a smoothy every morning which I made from whatever fruit I had in the fridge, and often I plonked some spinach in too. My gp said the antioxidant value of doing this far outweighed any issue with sugar and defo helped me to stay well. 

    On chemo weeks I used to eat little and often as nausea was quite bad. Chicken noodle soup was good as was crunching on things like carrot sticks peppers celery etc. To help the nausea I drank lemon and ginger tea which really helped. Lots of water is important so if that's all you can manage that's a good start. 

    Whilst we're all trying to eat healthily it is worth remembering that just eating something is important so have whatever you fancy. 

    For the mouth ulcers my chemo nurse suggested piriton which also helped with sore nose and ears. Brilliant! They gave me a mouth wash too which helped. 

    I found cooking smells the most nauseating so carried a hanky around with my fave perfume sprayed on to have a whiff if needed! 

    Love and best wishes to all going through it...a necessary evil that will soon become a distant memory....xx