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M_el's avatar
M_el
Member
5 years ago

Chemo and food

Hi all, I am relatively new to all of this.  Diagnosed at the beginning of this month IDC left breast, tests have now shown 3 nodes involved.  Initially lumpectomy was going to be the first option, but once the nodes came up as positive that has been flipped and I'm starting chemo next Thursday.  I'm trying to find some positive things to put aside as go-tos when I'm not feeling great - some good books, hand craft etc. things I enjoy and don't require too much concentration.  I'm a foodie - love cooking, love eating and often a coffee or making something delicious is a huge mood booster.  I'm very worried about the impact of chemo on this.  I know different people will react to things differently but I'd love to hear from others who have been down this path - what couldn't you stand/did you need to avoid food/drink wise and what could you tolerate (even enjoy perhaps??) during chemo? Did it vary depending on the particular drugs?  TIA
chemotherapy-side-effects
food
nutrition

7 Replies

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  • LoisLois's avatar
    LoisLois
    Member
    5 years ago
    I had to start on the paclitaxel treatment - which I did 7 weeks before I had to stop.  I am due to begin the AC treatment shortly.  I found I could not handle any spicy food which I LOVED!  Coffee, beef and pork tasted like soap. I CRAVED sweet things which I dont normally eat!!  SALT and tartare sauce became my best mates! Hot chips were hit and miss, however mashed potatoes and gravy were delicious and at one stage the only thing I could eat. Salads and pickles were delicious! However the mere smell of cooking meat had me throwing up! Water with plenty of ice helped and milk got a weird taste. I craved fish - crumbed not battered.  But any other seafood had no taste or tasted like rubber.  You may like to note down what you can and can't eat as a helpful tip until you settle into the treatment?  GOOD LUCK.         
  • primek's avatar
    primek
    Member
    5 years ago
    I had a lot of poached eggs bacon on on bread etc. As my chemo progressed I added more salt and found spicy foods best.  I particularly enjoyed laksa as quick to make with my limited energy and yummy. When on taxol though I couldn't tolerate spicy foods. I just ate what I fancied but avoided things like yoghurt (due to culture) soft cheeses and uncooked prepared foods like supermarket salads which is what my oncology unit recommended. I list interest in veg as it was bland on chemo and asparagus became bitter to me. Just weird.

  • Blossom1961's avatar
    Blossom1961
    Member
    5 years ago
    My morning porridge made me gag but other than that I was a piggy. Morning coffee was fine, but I couldn’t drink it in the afternoon. I soon found one particular coffee I could handle all day. Funnily, it had a super high caffeine content.
  • AllyJay's avatar
    AllyJay
    Member
    5 years ago
    I lost quite a bit of weight during the AC part of chemo, and the hospital dietitian said to me that whereas she usually had to dissuade patients from fruit juice, in my case, she said to drink it daily. She also said "If you see a kilojoule...catch it and eat it". Some things such as coffee turned me off just by the smell, other foods simply lacked taste altogether. Was like eating warm cardboard. Loved salt and vinegar crisps and added salt and even tartare sauce to meals.
  • kezmusc's avatar
    kezmusc
    Member
    5 years ago
    Hi @M_el

    I just ate my normal things but everything tasted bland and just plain blah.   I added salt to pretty much everything just so it had some flavour. I think I ate my body weight in mints.  Fruit tingles are good to get rid of the yuk taste in your mouth and I've heard frozen pineapple but I didn't know about that then. Coffee was fine and thankfully wine and Tim Tams tasted normal!  Good luck lovely.  xoxo
  • Afraser's avatar
    Afraser
    Member
    5 years ago
    It’s very variable! I was OK on A/C, lost my appetite for a day or so each cycle then back to normal - except for wine. Could not stand the taste! Sad but not a bad outcome in the scheme of things. Taxol (paclitaxel) took away my taste buds - coffee was alright (hooray!), wine was still awful, but almost everything else had simply no taste. Spicy food was recommended but made no difference. The things I could taste and enjoy were eggs, salad (lettuce, tomato, cucumber), avocado and banana! Boring and frustrating but not impossible. I had no nausea so nothing upset my stomach. Taste buds came back (intact!) soon after I finished chemo, hooray. Best wishes with it all. 
  • ddon's avatar
    ddon
    Member
    5 years ago
    I have to say I ate like a hog on the AC - bacon and eggs during my yuk days. Food I wouldn’t normally want. I was very happy that although there would be 4 or 5 days each cycle that I couldn’t tolerate coffee I would get over that and back to drinking it by the end of the week. I struggled to drink enough water because it made me sick but I added a little apple cidar or lemon juice to it and that helped. On pactitaxel I was able to eat as normal and that was a great comfort. I am a lover of food also and I worried about the loss of that during chemo but that part wasn’t as bad I imagined. Being able to enjoy my coffee was important to me and I still could.  Best wishes xx