Fasting before chemo

Never, ever heard this, and no of any one who did.Please stay away from Dr Google. Eat/drink as normal.  Helps to have snacks and drink with you. Dietician told me to est high protein foods. You'll probably find eating little and often is the best option. Take the experience from those who have been before you 

• PS hope onto the AWAKE thread. You'll find someone there with bucket loads of sensible advice

Hi

I read some very interesting articles supporting fasting and to me it makes sense.

 I have tried to eat very little the day before a bit like the Fast800 if you know that and then something light on the day you’re going in for treatment.

My Oncologist said she knew nothing to support the idea of fasting. I would say try it and see how you go, especially if you are already used to doing it. 

Good luck x 

Hi Klertie - I just did a search about fasting and chemo and came across your post. I’m due to start chemo soon and I’ve been researching the idea of fasting before a treatment. Have you tried it? How did it go? Can you share anything about your experience or what you have found out? I’d be very interested in your experience. Good luck anyway with your treatment whatever you decided. J

Hi J,

Yes, I did fast ‘somewhat’ before my first chemo. Let me explain; I followed a ‘fast mimicking diet’ of very low calorie vegetables; spinach, celery, cucumber, mushrooms, onion, green peppers, kale etc.

  My chemo was on a Thursday morning and I ate my last balanced meal on Monday night. All of Tuesday and Wednesday I stayed under about 300 calories a day. (Veg smoothie for breakfast, veg soup for lunch, veg stir fry for dinner) No additional fats or carbs, black tea etc. I ate nothing on the Thursday morning through anxiety more than any other reason. It’s fair to say that I was hungry and a bit lightheaded but not desperately uncomfortable. 

 I did take the anti-emetic drugs as advised before treatment. The first chemo went very smoothly. I ate just the smallest amount for lunch directly after the chemo (a couple of oat cakes) but couldn’t resist a proper cup of tea! I then ate at 6pm that evening-the menu was the choice of my 10 year old (!) sausage, mash and veg...and it was heavenly! (I have to add that sausages are a rarity in our house but clearly husband and son felt this was some kind of celebration!) 

...and now for the best bit..zero sickness, zero constipation. I took all of the other post treatment drugs but did not need the ‘top -up’ anti sickness or laxatives. On days 2 and 3 I felt as if I was mildly hungover, minor headache, slightly queasy but only at night when my stomach was empty. This was quickly cured by eating a cracker at about 2am. There were no other side effects (apart from eating ravenously!) until day 4 when I felt as if I had drunk about 10 espressos. My oncologist advises this was probably a sensitivity to the steroids. My oncology nurse was deeply surprised at how well I had sailed through. 

I am now on day 15 of a 21 day treatment cycle. Since day 5 I have felt pretty much ‘normal’. My energy levels are good and I have been on my treadmill and exercise bike almost daily. Over the last few days I have got back to some gentle strength training too. The exercise certainly helps me to sleep.

I will follow the same regime for the next cycles...after all why wouldn’t I?!? I did talk through the idea of fasting with my oncology nurse and she was reluctant to support my decision. I fully understood her standpoint but this seemed right for me. Do take advice and make a balanced and informed decision; what works for one may not work for others. There are certain individuals that fasting could be whole inappropriate for, please be sure that this is safe for you.

I sincerely hope you have a smooth ride with your chemo. It really does not always have to be the dire, dreadful experience that we are all conditioned to believing it must be. Perhaps a really positive attitude and readjusting our expectations is just as powerful as the fasting? My view is to see chemo as recovery more than just treatment. I am therefore activity engaged in ‘recovery’ rather than passively receiving ‘treatment’. One could argue this is merely semantics but it is a powerful idea for me. 

Wishing you well. Let me know how it goes.

Kxx

Thank you Klertie  for your informative reply - that is so interesting. I’m very keen on trying it. Can I ask which chemo drugs you are being given? I’m a little worried about my size - I’m small and have lost a fair bit of weight from surgery last month. It makes me think I’d need to be careful with fasting. 72 hours might be too much.  Sounds like you are doing great! Well done you. Let me know how you get on with the next round. J x

Hi Beyoncepower - would you be willing to share some more about how this is going for you? Well, I hope! I’ve come across a few articles and I’m interested in trying it. I’d really like to hear different people’s experiences. Thanks.

Hi Again,

Yes, I appreciate the potential impact of weight loss. I am also slim/athletic with low body fat percentage for a woman of 49- typically my scales tell me 20-22% body fat (I know that such scales are not super accurate!) I also lost weight after surgery but this was mostly muscle mass as I haven’t been able to workout with my typical dedication. Eating has never been as issue! The fasting only had a short term impact and since I have upped my intake of avocados, nuts and olive oil to boost me a bit. I am rebuilding muscle modestly with some gentle weights. I gather from my reading the inclusion of cod liver oil is of benefit too regarding prevention of excessive weight loss-this might be worth digging in to a bit. (I can’t remember all my sources for this info!) 

My chemo is FEC-T for breast cancer. How this might ‘compare’ to other treatments is well beyond knowledge!

Again, it really is all so personal. You will know your own body and mind best. Take medical advice too. All the best,

Klertie

Thank you so much for this, Klertie.  I love your positive spin and I intend to embrace a similar stance, 

I have been searching for info on fasting, having researched the science side of it as thoroughly as one can. My oncologist had heard about the benefits of fasting on nausea anecdotally and had no strong objections to me trying it in principle, other than carefully monitoring any weight loss.  I am very fit and otherwise well and a mid range BMI. 

Just about to start chemo next week, but I have to have 12 lots of weekly chemo for the first 4 cycles, then 3 weekly for 4 more cycles,  before surgery/radiotherapy in the Spring (I have triple negative bc), so I am not going to be able to do 72 hours fasting per week for the first section, I fear.

Interested in the FMD idea... could manage that for 24 hours, then 24 hours liquids, perhaps?  And 12 hours after (so only 36hrs true fasting)... I have done fasting before, so I know I can cope with it in general.   I will have a go and see what it's like. 

If you pick this reply up, I would love to know if you have any further insights having completed your treatment.  

I really hope that your spirit and positivity saw you through it all. 

Best wishes

Lxx

Hi L,

Clearly it is not beneficial to make any comparisons, however I really wanted to reply with a small update.

My chemo got tougher as it progressed but I stuck to my method and did not experience any sickness or digestive upsets. My weight has plateaued at 9st 3lb now and my BMI is 20 but I know that my body composition is different- I have definitely regained ‘conditioning’. Considering I am on tamoxifen and zoladex and have therefore been chemically pushed in to menopause I am very happy with where I am. I turned 50 at the end of chemo but still think of myself as ‘good for age’ despite not quite having all of my original assets! 

As an active sort of person I hope that you can take heart from my experience. I think having a holistic approach is key. Diet, hydration, exercise, relaxation, sleep-it all plays a part.  I do less cardio work now (a little bit of cycling) and have become a big fan of lifting weights and resistance work. I have been very fortunate to have a 12 week exercise package with my treatment (through Genesis Care) and my team there are very knowledgeable about the benefits  of strength training-especially for breast cancer survivors.

I had full lymph node clearance on my right side and was initially advised not to lift….current research from Canada and America suggests otherwise. I now train 5 or 6 days a week split between focused sessions on legs and glutes, upper body and core. Do read the research on strength training! Any is better than none! 

Better than all of this, is that I have returned to playing tennis-I hit with my right side. I am delighted to regain flexibility and almost all strength…although my serve needs some work if I want to get back to competition!  I want you to know that rebuilding yourself physically is possible and actually very therapeutic and empowering. It makes my heart sing to play tennis with my son when 8 months ago I thought it would be impossible. I made it possible and that makes me quietly proud. 

Take it gently and get some advice. Be aware of your body and how depleted chemo can make you feel. My white cell count is still lowish and I am conscious about only training if I feel good and have slept well. I have increased my protein intake and the whole approach seems to be working for me. My ongoing goal is to work on relaxation and mindfulness-these are not my fortes! 

I truly wish you well. Be strong!

Kxxx