
Eating well can be a challenge when you have cancer. And everyone is affected differently depending on cancer type and treatment. Some people find their eating habits change only slightly, while others find that eating well is really hard. Many people are somewhere in-between.
- Did you experience weight gain or weight loss during treatment? If you’re a caregiver what did your loved one experience?
- What was your go-to snack or meal during treatment?
- Any tips for others?
he's now 8 months into this journey, 4 of which were chemo, then surgery. Apparently he just weighed in at 150. And that is while retaining boatloads of water in arms and legs.
his eating didn't change much but his ability to digest took a hit.
go to snacks were granola bars and jello. Some boost and ensure.
he really developed a sweet tooth, buying pastries every day, ice cream, pies... i didn't object, at the rate he was losing weight, i figured any calories would be good.
i gained 10 lbs only partially eating along with him. Have lost 15lbs in the 8 weeks he's been in hospital post op. I subside mostly on sandwiches and juice. Should add veggie juice to keep the vitamins up i guess.
I lost around 6kg during my 2 weeks admission and surgery at the hospital. After going home and before radiation started, I gained back 3kg and I'm on good weight. During radiation, had 5 days in a row, I was a kilo down, a kilo up. Appetite was not great, so I was having ensure as a snack.
During immunotherapy, my weight is the same. But have to try not to get empty calories, yes I have a sweet tooth! My cancer centre snacks are usually some crackers, cookies, fruits and water. What ever is easy to eat without me making a mess.
When I'm on steroids that's a different story. I'm hungry most of the time and gain a kilo or two, that I lose after.
In general I would say that treatment has not effected my weight, however, I have to think about eating well, and not skipping meals.
RE: weight gain/loss during treatment
Thank you for this discussion point, in hind site, I wish I had prepared much differently for my nutrition needs thru my treatments.
I had 2 surgeries and radiation for L Breast CA, just finished a couple of weeks ago.
I was diagnosed at the beginning of COVID, so basically it went like this: 'sorry to tell you that you have breast cancer', and I said: 'time to order a pizza and drink all the cocktails'
ha ha ha
I love any/everything carby & cheesy---I really 'self medicated' with not so great for me foods, and because I was isolated and alone, my portion control was non-existent.
During radiation I found my seemingly insatiable appetite subsided, and as I started taking Arimidex I experienced additional appetite suppression. This is all good....
I existed on 'easy' food: wish I would had some freezer meals prepared for quick access - most days I was just too tired to cook, so toast and cheese became an easy go to. Thanks to friends & neighbours I did get some home cooked meals delivered, but they were really the exception and a nice change from my pathetic menu.
During radiation I made huge pot of bone broth and sipped on that when I was relaxing at home....LOTS of nutrients and tasted great.....and making it was a breeze--highly recommend. I had never eaten/made it previously, but saw on a post somewhere that a cancer patient basically lived on it. When its not so hot, I will try chicken version too!
I hope my case is the exception and others are eating nutritious and healthy foods prepared with some love.
cheers
su
I had half my lung removed for Adenocarcinoma in April, in Mexico because we couldn’t get back to Canada. I went from 92 kg. to 68 kg. Really scary as I also lost my sense of smell an$ taste from all the drugs I took. Not a pleasant experience at all. The only thing that saved me was eating sweets and Campbell’s soups. Food tasted like metal and carbs tasted like eating cardboard.
I got treated by an ENT doctor who had me flush my sinuses 3 times a day with normal saline, gargle with Maalox/Benadryl and an antibiotic nasal spray. Took 5 weeks to get my tastes back. I talked to others who experienced the same thing and it took about a month for them with no medication.
And now I am eating as much as I can and working out at home . I have been able to gain 10 kg. in 2 months but it is slow, I am 71 and have always been in good shape. I don’t know what I would have done without the soups and sweets. Granola bars were great for me as well.
so with my warped sense of humour, when I was first diagnosed (stage 2 triple neg breast cancer), I though, hmmm, maybe I'll finally shift those stubborn pounds, everyone loses weight with cancer, right? yeah....that went well, lol!!! I totally got the steroid munchies during chemo, and honestly, I ate what tasted good, ie what I could actually taste, as my taste buds were pretty fried, and I got thrush in my mouth each cycle too, from the antibiotics prescribed to counteract chemo-induced UTIs. The night before each chemo session, we would have a favourite meal, as I knew i wouldn't feel much like eating the next few days. Add in instant full menopause in my then mid-40s, and let's just say I'm still fluffy. It's hard to focus on doing everything right when you're fighting for your life, sometimes, and we're only human.
So, in the perfect world, my tops tips would be as follows.
1. hydration is key. drink all the water you can, especially during the chemo sessions themselves. one time i turned up for chemo clutching my travel mug of tea, and the nurse told me to drink water instead (she said it nicely). soup, milkshakes, all good things.
2. if you are able, or have some amazing support, prep and freeze meals ahead of time, that can be reheated easily. I'm lucky in that my husband is a better cook than me. And i had the amazing gift of friends in our life too - unknown to us, a bunch of school mums / friends from our kids school had set up a secret facebook group and organized a meal train for us. During my 4 cycles of chemo, people would turn up 2 or 3 nights a week with meals prepped for us. they would leave them on the doorstep and text me "dinner is on the step, don't stand on it", as they knew i wasn't really up to visiting sometimes. It was amazing, we'll never forget their kindness.
3. eat as well as you can, but be kind to yourself too. do not beat yourself up over a donut, if that's what you feel like eating.
As a caregiver, I have gained about 20 pounds due to stress eating -- and that is not good.
https://livingkitchenwellness.com/the-cookbook/
my first thoughts on this topic hit me when i was first diagnosed with cancer. I try to find the positive aspects (something my father taught me). In my pesrpective, cancer runs in my family so it was NOT a matter of questioning "why me?" But why not me. We are all going to die at some point in our lives and i certainly did Not want to hurry things along. I put on a "stiff upper lip" and trudged through it all with of course my husband's support. I was already overweight, considered obese by 75lbs..
During chemo i thought would be a great help to get down some weight. However the nurses and the oncology team told me "Now Was Not the Time to Loose Weight". Due to the preparation meds needed to prevent upchucking from chemo meds. So to help take meds with food, I took rice pudding as a tiny tummy coating snack when i had to take those meds that would upset the stomach. I only lost about 5lbs from the onset of diagnoses to the end of chemo. While on chemo i had lots of opportunity to investigate healthier eating habits. I also was diagnosed before chemo began, with Prediabetes. So keeping that in mind, i also found out that sugar feeds cancer. OCTOBER 2019 I WENT KETO.! and lost 15lbs so far and Im no longer prediabetic. To this day, I am still on Keto, love the food. Staying off of all sugar, honey, syrups and also keeping away from all starches. I feel pretty good so far except for the neuropathy from Arimidex and residual effects from the chemo. My Doctors all know what im doing and have their support. I certainly don't want to do anything to cause the cancer to return. By the way, I don't eat anymore protien than I normally would before going keto. Also, I probably have reduced inflammatory symptoms by my going keto. So any pain reducing natural ways is a plus as far as Im concerned.
Hope my input helps some of you too.
Jeanne
my first thoughts on this topic hit me when i was first diagnosed with cancer. I try to find the positive aspects (something my father taught me). In my pesrpective, cancer runs in my family so it was NOT a matter of questioning "why me?" But why not me. We are all going to die at some point in our lives and i certainly did Not want to hurry things along. I put on a "stiff upper lip" and trudged through it all with of course my husband's support. I was already overweight, considered obese by 75lbs..
During chemo i thought would be a great help to get down some weight. However the nurses and the oncology team told me "Now Was Not the Time to Loose Weight". Due to the preparation meds needed to prevent upchucking from chemo meds. So to help take meds with food, I took rice pudding as a tiny tummy coating snack when i had to take those meds that would upset the stomach. I only lost about 5lbs from the onset of diagnoses to the end of chemo. While on chemo i had lots of opportunity to investigate healthier eating habits. I also was diagnosed before chemo began, with Prediabetes. So keeping that in mind, i also found out that sugar feeds cancer. OCTOBER 2019 I WENT KETO.! and lost 15lbs so far and Im no longer prediabetic. To this day, I am still on Keto, love the food. Staying off of all sugar, honey, syrups and also keeping away from all starches. I feel pretty good so far except for the neuropathy from Arimidex and residual effects from the chemo. My Doctors all know what im doing and have their support. I certainly don't want to do anything to cause the cancer to return. By the way, I don't eat anymore protien than I normally would before going keto. Also, I probably have reduced inflammatory symptoms by my going keto. So any pain reducing natural ways is a plus as far as Im concerned.
Hope my input helps some of you too.
prairiemom:
Hey hey Lacey_adminCCS ,
so with my warped sense of humour, when I was first diagnosed (stage 2 triple neg breast cancer), I though, hmmm, maybe I'll finally shift those stubborn pounds, everyone loses weight with cancer, right? yeah....that went well, lol!!! I totally got the steroid munchies during chemo, and honestly, I ate what tasted good, ie what I could actually taste, as my taste buds were pretty fried, and I got thrush in my mouth each cycle too, from the antibiotics prescribed to counteract chemo-induced UTIs. The night before each chemo session, we would have a favourite meal, as I knew i wouldn't feel much like eating the next few days. Add in instant full menopause in my then mid-40s, and let's just say I'm still fluffy. It's hard to focus on doing everything right when you're fighting for your life, sometimes, and we're only human.
You took the thoughts right out of my mind lol! I was the person who secretly revelled in the thought, after I processed the 'bad news' of cancer, that I might actually lose the extra 25 pounds that had been hanging around since & turned 45. Boy was I wrong! Had the breast removed, did the chemo, the radiation, the ovaries out & the full on menopause. Now I'm up 50 pounds & totally well, but feeling miserable in my own skin. I don't know if the loss of interest in sex comes from having to deal with the excess weight, my mental health or just the GD vaginally atrophy!
Your post was very relatable! prairiemom
So, in the perfect world, my tops tips would be as follows.
1. hydration is key. drink all the water you can, especially during the chemo sessions themselves. one time i turned up for chemo clutching my travel mug of tea, and the nurse told me to drink water instead (she said it nicely). soup, milkshakes, all good things.
2. if you are able, or have some amazing support, prep and freeze meals ahead of time, that can be reheated easily. I'm lucky in that my husband is a better cook than me. And i had the amazing gift of friends in our life too - unknown to us, a bunch of school mums / friends from our kids school had set up a secret facebook group and organized a meal train for us. During my 4 cycles of chemo, people would turn up 2 or 3 nights a week with meals prepped for us. they would leave them on the doorstep and text me "dinner is on the step, don't stand on it", as they knew i wasn't really up to visiting sometimes. It was amazing, we'll never forget their kindness.
3. eat as well as you can, but be kind to yourself too. do not beat yourself up over a donut, if that's what you feel like eating.
Hazewind:
Hello everyone!
my first thoughts on this topic hit me when i was first diagnosed with cancer. I try to find the positive aspects (something my father taught me). In my pesrpective, cancer runs in my family so it was NOT a matter of questioning "why me?" But why not me. We are all going to die at some point in our lives and i certainly did Not want to hurry things along. I put on a "stiff upper lip" and trudged through it all with of course my husband's support. I was already overweight, considered obese by 75lbs..
During chemo i thought would be a great help to get down some weight. However the nurses and the oncology team told me "Now Was Not the Time to Loose Weight". Due to the preparation meds needed to prevent upchucking from chemo meds. So to help take meds with food, I took rice pudding as a tiny tummy coating snack when i had to take those meds that would upset the stomach. I only lost about 5lbs from the onset of diagnoses to the end of chemo. While on chemo i had lots of opportunity to investigate healthier eating habits. I also was diagnosed before chemo began, with Prediabetes. So keeping that in mind, i also found out that sugar feeds cancer. OCTOBER 2019 I WENT KETO.! and lost 15lbs so far and Im no longer prediabetic. To this day, I am still on Keto, love the food. Staying off of all sugar, honey, syrups and also keeping away from all starches. I feel pretty good so far except for the neuropathy from Arimidex and residual effects from the chemo. My Doctors all know what im doing and have their support. I certainly don't want to do anything to cause the cancer to return. By the way, I don't eat anymore protien than I normally would before going keto. Also, I probably have reduced inflammatory symptoms by my going keto. So any pain reducing natural ways is a plus as far as Im concerned.
Hope my input helps some of you too.
Just a note about 'sugar feeding cancer' I wanted to share this info from Cancer.ca.
What’s the link between sugar and cancer?
The claim
Sugar feeds cancer – and it makes cancer grow faster.
The truth
Your body’s cells consume sugar as they grow and divide, but eating sugar does not make cancer cells grow faster.
All cells require sugar (glucose) for energy. Your body can also store sugar to use as energy later. Your body needs this sugar to function normally. Canadians consume thousands of dietary components every day, so it’s hard to pinpoint precise links between diet and cancer.
When sugar can increase your risk of cancer
Eating lots of foods that contain sugar means you’re more likely to gain weight. Research shows that obesity increases your cancer risk. Obesity may cause changes in hormone levels which may also put you at a greater risk of developing cancer. A healthy body weight will be different for everyone, so talk to your doctor about yours.
The Canadian Cancer Society is committed to sharing important information about cancer risk to Canadians and will continue to monitor research in this area.
Learn more about the health costs of a sweet tooth.
Get tips on having a healthy body weight.
Everyone's Journey with Cancer is Unique Even if it is the Exact Same Type of Cancer
I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma B-Cell and given 6 Chemotherapy Treatments.
Like DonJP I experienced all the same issues as he did. Along with some more I won't mention here.
My wife was in charge of my meals, pills and everything else. I do remember that she did make sure I was eating regularly and properly. She said you have to rebuild all those cells that were affected by the treatments and get my Blood Count up so that I will be able to continue with treatments and also not be too weak after treatments.
This was not easy because sometimes I would not feel like eating and prefer to skip it all together. She always incouraged me to eat some of it.
I had a major problem with consipation even though I was drinking a lot of water. This was another thing she insisted on, hydration.
I am thankful that my wife Susan was there for me during this difficult time for both of us. The time would have been so much more difficult without her. She is a wonderful person and the only Love of my life.
We are now separated, as two people who have lost there way.
Speedystill
Ed
Good topic. I am caregiver for my husband. His CLL progressed into his lymph nodes in his neck last August is when we noticed swelling. By November 2019 they decided to try radiation to see if it would help. It did not last long. By February 2020 his neck was so swollen he could not eat let alone swallow water. He underwent heavy dose radiation this time but the swelling and effects had almost closed his throat. He lost a total of 55 pounds and was put on IV fluids at home until he could start drinking and eating again. The radiation destroyed his saliva glands so that made eating an new learning process. He is eating now but always needs a glass of water beside him to help swallow. He is just coming up to his 6th and last chemo so we are hoping that the lymph nodes don't swell again.
Time will tell.
My healthy snack is a banana with a spoonful of almond butter spread on it. I sprinkle hemp hearts and goji berries on it and then slice the banana into rounds I like to call banana sushi. Love it!
Following the end of my radiation, I had lost about 40 lbs. because I was in too much mouth and tongue pain for eating, swallowing, or breathing and speaking, actually. Opiates killed my appetite as well.
I had tongue cancer and was very blistered in my mouth for about the first 9 months of my recovery. When I began to eat ice cream, whipped cream on everything, mushy potatoes and omelets...swallowing was very painful but I had to gain back at least 15 lbs...which I did after 2 years.I now am at the weight I feel comfortable, still no taste, smell, or saliva.... and I have to be careful not to eat too many mushy carbs or maple syrup on everything, or I will gain more weight and most likely become diabetic! Maple syrup is a very functional (tho' unhealthy) substitute for saliva.
I do miss Greek salads, but begin choking on the veggies when I attempt to eat even tiny bites 🤔
law
As I mentioned going Keto was the right thing for me. Also, I mentioned I have my doctors support. I should mention that once had cut sugars out of my diet, I also don't have the cravings I had anymore. Its like sugar begets sugar in a manor of speaking. 🤣
When he had to have a second course, it was a little different. In retrospect, I don’t think his heart was in it that time, because his second course happened when they discovered that his cancer had metastasized, so that course was part of his on-going palliative treatment.
D1955 , I worked with a man who had a similar surgery to your husband, and I remember him carrying a water bottle with him everywhere after he returned to work. He said that this was especially important to have on hand when he was eating.