This is so weird for me!

I needed to lose 5 kgs before I got BC, and I had always told myself that if I ever got sick, Id go totally natural.  So you were already doing the totally natural before, so maybe its a bit psychological, the response to food we have.  I dont know.  I not once thought, gee I feel like sugar, fat or salt.  I felt the opposite, I really craved fruit.  However, I had an unusual side effect from my medication that surrounded the Chemo, the Dex gave me indigestion, so I couldnt eat much until I was put on Nexium.  I have stuck to my "healthier", plan, but my old self is slowly creeping back, eg wine.  I still have kept the 5 kgs off, but I also said to myself "Im not going through all that, and putting on wait too!"  But thats just me, apparently, it is more common to put wait on.  We are all very different.  Good luck, Bel xx

I have had cravings all the way through my treatment, I'm up to treatment 7 / 8 next tuesday. 

Some of my bizarre cravings:

1. Anything crunchy ie. crumbed frozen fish pieces, anything with pastry, anything deep fried, packets of chips. I once nearly ate a whole packet of rice cakes dry, straight out of the bag, as it was the only crunchy thing in the house.

2. Onion - doesn't matter how it's prepared. There was a week where every meal I ate had to have onion, even breakfast. 

3. Weird combos of food, like pregnancy cravings - my best one was a sandwich made with grainy bread, spread with lots of sour cream, then filled with hot chilli Kettle chips. It was the most delicious sandwich I've ever had, and required an immediate trip to the shops as we didn't have the ingredients to make it!

4. KFC...I never ate it, now I have to avoid walking past one when I go anywhere as just the smell walking past is enough to get me in and up to the counter ordering...

Strangely enough, my weight has stayed about the same the whole way through my treatment. None of my cravings are in the least bit healthy (except onion) so I think perhaps it is our body's way of telling us that we are lacking in something ie. sodium, fat, vitamin ...

I'm going to be making a few dietary & lifestyle changes after I finish all my treatment  (still have 6.5 weeks of radio to go after chemo) so I'm going to be gentle to my body & not worry too much about the odd craving here & there. On the whole, my diet isn't too bad, and that's good enough for me. 

Besides, if it makes you feel good, even just for a moment, that has to be a good thing. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Hi Tany, Thanks for letting us know how u feel day by day, I really wants to know.

I am so surprised but appreciate you want to "feel" every different changes yourself when starting Chemo, it seems to me like the first taste of Champagne and the first time you feel dizziling, and you are feeling craving, you are feeling sore throat, you are feeling every changes in yourself.  You are such a positive.

My chemo schedule will be start by 7March, I'll have to keep reading from you and encourage myself to go for it.

{{big hug}} cheers

Xoxo

Hi Tanya, on my first 3 rounds of chemo (FEC) I couldn't get enough food in my mouth and was really worried about weight gain. I think we have enough on our plate without worrying about weight, within reason of course. After 2 rounds of Docetaxol I now have absolutely no taste which equates to no appetite. Love your sense of humour, it will help you, take care, 

Hazel xx

Hi Tanya, on my first 3 rounds of chemo (FEC) I couldn't get enough food in my mouth and was really worried about weight gain. I think we have enough on our plate without worrying about weight, within reason of course. After 2 rounds of Docetaxol I now have absolutely no taste which equates to no appetite. Love your sense of humour, it will help you, take care, 

Hazel xx

I remember reading about your cravings for egg and lettuce sangas robyn... i had that craving too, tho one day i had to have some shallot on it too, well i paid for that by feeling sick for several hours...I have also had cravings for cheese twisties, i went thru 4 large packets last week, got some more yesterday tho havent touched them yet..

Just an update...Day 10 blood tests werent good, my neutrophils were zero, so have been really really careful about hand hygiene and picking up any infection, any person i see i think of them as one bug ready to come at me, so have been keeping away from anyone other than my daughter pretty well..

I am on day 13 of the first Docetaxel cycle, and have put on about 1 1/2 kg...i just did not have the energy to walk or do anything from day 3 to day 10, but went back to the gym today on got on the tready for awhile...this cycle has been a big learning experience and will approach the next few cycles differently...so i havent done as well as some with diet and exercise, as i write i wonder if its an emotional thing...i have been pretty positive on the outside thru all of this, havent once shed a tear or acknowledged the whole i have cancer thing...mmmm maybe eating is a comfort thing...

Also today and i noticed my hair was very easy to pull out, so my daughter clipped my hair this arvo, that was good, and my head feels good...its 16mm and we can go shorter when we are ready, but it was a big step for us today and one that i thought we would not cope with, but we did, and the comments from friends on facebook have been lovely...

Thanks Tanya for your post and all the best for your treatment, keep in touch, its good to know how other people are going...

Ofta bed now for me, am so glad to be off the dex, i hate that stuff, tho a week tomorrow i have to start it again, but am going to enjoy this week of good sleep patterns..

Hope everyone is doing ok..

Thanks Deanne. Good to know it is not the whole 3 weeks of chemo treatment otherwise I would be very worried! Yes it is just like very bad morning sickness so it has been something very familiar! Ginger tea and toast for brekkie has been a big help! Already feeling much better on day 5 as the hours pass. Yay!!! xx