Foods

How wonderful to have a caring mum.  My lovely sister arrived on day 3 of my first chemo with a car load of cooking.  Some for my husband and lots for me.  I am gluten intolerant so she had cooked cakes and scones for me.  It was just what i needed. I had heaps to put in the freezer for when I felt like them.  I found that I forced myself to drink heaps of water and I found through a straw the best way to achieve this.  When I was well I would stock my cupboards with a variety of foods because I never knew what I would feel like when I was ill.  I also found that I could only tolerate small portions.  Soups and cordial were pretty staple and when I didn't feel like eating I just nibbled on whatever.  I did try hard to eat a balanced diet most of the time though.  For the first 7-8 eights after chemo my tongue was horribly coated and nothing tasted good.  Be prepared for some knock-backs during this time as it is very hard to appreciate food when it tastes like eating through the back end of a hairy dog!!!!! Thank you for being so kind to your daughter. She will really appreciate it. XLeonie

How wonderful to have a caring mum.  My lovely sister arrived on day 3 of my first chemo with a car load of cooking.  Some for my husband and lots for me.  I am gluten intolerant so she had cooked cakes and scones for me.  It was just what i needed. I had heaps to put in the freezer for when I felt like them.  I found that I forced myself to drink heaps of water and I found through a straw the best way to achieve this.  When I was well I would stock my cupboards with a variety of foods because I never knew what I would feel like when I was ill.  I also found that I could only tolerate small portions.  Soups and cordial were pretty staple and when I didn't feel like eating I just nibbled on whatever.  I did try hard to eat a balanced diet most of the time though.  For the first 7-8 eights after chemo my tongue was horribly coated and nothing tasted good.  Be prepared for some knock-backs during this time as it is very hard to appreciate food when it tastes like eating through the back end of a hairy dog!!!!! Thank you for being so kind to your daughter. She will really appreciate it. XLeonie

yep its salt and vinegar chips from me too, pumpkin soup and creaming soda softdrink.  Yep not real healthy, but was the only thing that cut through that metal taste.

I am now back eating healthy and put on 17kg through chemo!!

Hi Heather,

I loved pumpkin soup, vegemite on toast,anything salty. Even though I couldnt taste it I still craved savoury foods. Stay away from fatty and dairy foods. I loved lemonade ice blocks..actually I lived on them. I ate fruit but only coz I felt like i should be eating fruit. I ate mashed potato & pumpkin a fair bit. At one stage I wanted fish fingers and I never usually eat them.

Everyone is different so what we all like and feel like may not be what others feel like.It's kind of like you are pregnant and have cravings. Since finishing chemo I have been wanting to eat alot of fish so I think my body must be needing Omega 3.

Hope everything goes well. Take care.

Chrissy D xox :)

I ate lots of 2 minute noodles and vegemite on toast. I also got addicted to salt and vinegar chips just because they had lots of flavour. At dinner my mum always made sure I had a balanced dinner to ensure I got the right nutrients. By the second week I felt upto eating everything again x 

unfortunately taste buds seem to go and have a party somewhere else so nothing tastes like it should...i felt like everything had a 'tinny' taste..so i would say just feed me whatever..but i did enjoy soups-pumpkin was good..something with a strong flavour..vege with pasta was always a good 'meal' too

i would also have mints on hand..i liked eclipse green (spearmint) & still do today..

for other 'meals' for the freezer perhaps spaghetti or lasagne, casseroles etc ...i'm sure anything u do would be appreciated (even if she may not say) as when ur feeling ill its hard to sound sppreciative at times..

Ensure she has some anti-nausea meds from her Dr..she should not have to put up with feeling sick, fatigue and other side effects are enough to deal with.

Good luck with her treatment, what a wonderful thing to be cose enough to support her

Sam  :)

unfortunately taste buds seem to go and have a party somewhere else so nothing tastes like it should...i felt like everything had a 'tinny' taste..so i would say just feed me whatever..but i did enjoy soups-pumpkin was good..something with a strong flavour..vege with pasta was always a good 'meal' too

i would also have mints on hand..i liked eclipse green (spearmint) & still do today..

for other 'meals' for the freezer perhaps spaghetti or lasagne, casseroles etc ...i'm sure anything u do would be appreciated (even if she may not say) as when ur feeling ill its hard to sound sppreciative at times..

Ensure she has some anti-nausea meds from her Dr..she should not have to put up with feeling sick, fatigue and other side effects are enough to deal with.

Good luck with her treatment, what a wonderful thing to be cose enough to support her

Sam  :)

Thankyou Heather,

Your hints are very helpful,

from Heather

the only thing that really does it for me when I'm feeling bad from chemo is fresh fruit. Small pieces -- sometimes different elements taste really strange, but it can change from day to day for me. So sometimes apples taste like crunchy cardboard, other days they taste like yummy apples. But as the other girls say, everyone is different. In winter soup's gotta be a good option, just be sure to go with small serves, and avoid rich, creamy kinds.

My mum has cooked a few times for me and I felt really comforted by it. It's great that you love & care for your daughter. Ask her to be honest with you, then believe what she says when she tells you what she wants/needs. Lots love to you both.

Heather

Thank you! Very helpful advice!