First chemo Tuesday, is it best to fast before infusion or eat?
This discussion was created from comments split from: What food do you eat?.
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Eat something light a couple of hours before. They will probably offer you a meal or snack during treatment but it's likely to be blah unless you like hospital food. Don't be shy about taking your own snacks or herbal tea--particularly if you have any dietary restrictions or preferences. You may want them, you may not.
First chemo can take a very long time as there are always risks of allergic reactions; things move slowly so you can be monitored. If you tolerate the first, the second and subsequent are usually faster. It is most unlikely you will be nauseous enough to want to chuck, but it's a good idea to have something in your gut as you may not feel like eating when you get home.
The main thing to concentrate on is fluid and fibre so fruit and lost of water. Heaps. Literally litres. I recommend having several bottles of soda water on hand and some lemon to add taste.
Make sure you put some emla (an anaesthetic cream) on your port about half an hour before treatment.
Good luck. Starting chemo just before Xmas sucks, but the oncology ward people are one of the few departments that don't all bugger off for the holidays. They will look after you and we are always here. Mxx
First chemo can take a very long time as there are always risks of allergic reactions; things move slowly so you can be monitored. If you tolerate the first, the second and subsequent are usually faster. It is most unlikely you will be nauseous enough to want to chuck, but it's a good idea to have something in your gut as you may not feel like eating when you get home.
The main thing to concentrate on is fluid and fibre so fruit and lost of water. Heaps. Literally litres. I recommend having several bottles of soda water on hand and some lemon to add taste.
Make sure you put some emla (an anaesthetic cream) on your port about half an hour before treatment.
Good luck. Starting chemo just before Xmas sucks, but the oncology ward people are one of the few departments that don't all bugger off for the holidays. They will look after you and we are always here. Mxx