this blog is about ovarian cancer,i wish there were more people on this site that could give more information i.e. tips on basic foods you can eat when chemo takes your taste away,how to try and cope when you become constipated,what you can try to help yourself,the list goes on and on i suppose an a to z what more can i say as for myself not having any close family i look forward to the help many thanks
FormerMember
Hi Marie, I used to eat lots of fruit lollies while on chemo this helped with my "hot" mouth and also I could taste them. As for the constipation the doctors should give you pills for that. Try and eat lots of fruit and veg. Its hard I know as I used to binge on sugary things. I wish you well.
am in the same ovarian cancer boat as you. there is some forum entries about chemo and tips to help you through which was quite good. i just put my head down and tried to survive it as best i could. i didn't find much really helped other than time. i tried to avoid strong smells but that's not always possible. salty plain food was easiest and sweet stuff. some other people have suggested using plastic cutlery/crockery. if the worst of it only lasts for a few days then don't worry too much and just eat as well as possible the rest of the time.
accept any offers of help from other people. you would do the same for them so there is nothing to feel bad about. they will be feeling bad and powerless so being able to do something will make them feel better. i know it's hard sometimes but can you ask for help if you need it - anything to make life feel easier is worth doing.
is there any cancer support services locally? the one near me offers loads of stuff e.g. complementary therapy, art groups, benefits advice etc. of course there is this place too which is brilliant so come often
hope you're doing ok. please pm me if you need to anytime
I'm sure that everyone will respond to your email and as we all have slighlty different experiences and of course differing reactions to the chemo that the information they provide will give you lots of options. I guess the simple way of saying all that is we are different and what works for one person may or may not work for others.
In response to your questions:
Chemo and taste change:
I found that it was more a case of what to avoid than what to eat. I found the things I previously loved such as a glass of Shiraz, strong cheeses, and dark chocolate all became poisen to me. Also foods that were highly spiced where also ones to avoid. I wouldn;t go out for a meal, something I used to do on a regular basis, in case the smells made me feel sick. I would suggest sticking to simple foods, with mild tastes. Salads were wonderfull on really bad sickness days. Also plenty of fresh fruit and veg as this also helps with the constipation. As I had lost loads of weight I was also told to eat cream cakes, use full cream milk and other fatty foods if I could tolerte them to build myself up but this may not be applicable to everyone. Find out what you can eat and try to make sure you get enough vitamins etc. I took a simple multivit as this was recomended by my dietician at the hospital.
Constipation:
This one I never got quite right unfortunately.... I found increasing my laxative a day before my chemo and keeping at that dose for 3/4 days after helped altho it did cause the opposite problem at times but I preffered that to not being able to go! Another tip I have just been given by my dietician is to sprinkle linseeds onto my cereal. I haven;t tried it yet but am going to. It may also be useful asking one of the nurses on this site as well.
Well thats all for now please feel free to ask anytthing else, it must be hard with no close family .. hug.... I have found the women on here are an amzing group of people who are always willing to lend an ear and offer their support and experience.
I was given movicol by the chemo nurses and advised to take double dose if needed(it was) for constipation , this generally worked eventually.I also ate prunes and that worked very well and quite quickly.Only had this problem for 1st few days after each chemo.You can get movicol at the chemist but as its very strong its probably best to check with your medical team that its ok for you to take.
