Garden strawberries, the consumption of...

Hi  and welcome to the Online Community, although I am always sorry to see you having to find us.

So my team would have said say no to Strawberries as all fruit had to be pealed and all seeds removed..... there is more important things than spending time on than pealing Strawberries....... but it is up to you.

This is taken from the into I was given:

Food when on Chemo

Part of the way chemotherapy works is it kills fast growing cells. This includes not only the cancer cells, but your white blood cells (neutrophils) that fight infections.

There is some debate about whether patients need to change their diet to prevent infections when having chemo. Some doctors and dieticians believe it’s very important to follow strict dietary guidelines.

Others give less strict advice. This is because we don’t have evidence behind this and we are using professional opinion. This can be confusing. Food safety and hygiene are the most important.

Some tips for you:

Shop smart – Check foods are in date.

Make sure you get the chilled and frozen foods home quickly.

Prepare and clean up - Clean hands and the kitchen.

Use separate chopping boards for raw and ready to eat foods.

Prevent cross-contamination - Separate raw meats, chicken, seafood from ready to eat foods in the fridge.

Cook food properly, piping hot throughout.

Eat out in clean places and make sure your food is hot.

Don't have carry out food as you can not control it

Eat

Meat, chicken and fish cooked through

Pasteurised milk

Cooked eggs with a firm yolk

Washed fresh or cooked fruit and vegetables with skins/seeds removed 

Hard cheese or soft cheese made from pasteurised milk

Vacuum-packs meat, ham.

Re-heat cold rice till it is steaming all the way through.

Some foods have a higher risk of becoming tainted with bacteria. Here are some foods you might want to avoid.

Avoid

Raw or undercooked meat, chicken, fish and no shellfish

Unpasteurised or raw milk

Raw or undercooked eggs

Unwashed fresh fruit and vegetables that is not pearled and seeds removed

Soft cheeses made from unpasteurised milk

Uncovered deli meats

Cold rice

To limit your risk of infection from food:

• Cooking food (eggs/meat/fish) thoroughly and having good hand hygiene.
• Avoid cross-contamination between cooked and raw foods
• Wash fruit and vegetables well
• Avoid unpasteurised cheeses and milk
• Choose pasteurised milk, yoghurts and cheese
• Ensure that food is in date
• If having cooked/cured meat, opt to vacuum packed and not from the deli counter.

Your team will probably no. A lot is quite vague though. I heard i wasnt allowed nuts, my team said that was fine!

I did eat strawberries and tomatoes from the garden. Just washed. And sometimes my husband cooked my eggs to soft. I sometimes still ate them. It is just really what you think is right at the moment. If you do like to eat it then best to do so in your week before chemo where your bloods are back to normal and not in the week when it is down.

I placed myself in a bubble most of the time, but figured i need vitamins too to fight and not just the cooked ones. I ate a lot of salads to be fair. Just wash wash and wash.

My team said to be carefull with food but not to get paranoid about it. Stricter in your down week and less in your better week.

One of the weirdest things I was told not to touch was crack and ground pepper from a pepper mill as the digestive system would not deal with them!!!

10 days before I went in for my 2nd it 3rd cycle I did develop Helicobacter Pylori, a bacteria that developed ulcers and stomach inflammation.

Up until this time I was doing ok with eating - even hospital food!! The 3 pack antibiotics I was given for the HP were horrendous and put me in bed for a week...... we could not work out the trigger as We were following the safe diet to the letter.

Yes I have read the article  I came to the conclusion after thoroughly washing, preparation and inspection. I've eaten them now, three hours on I feel fine. It cannot be worse than an apple or a pear rinsed under a tap or shop bought salad, when you don't know who prepared it, surely. Other peoples hygiene regimes are the biggest threat, that's why hand washing is important, not your germs, but theirs. Lots of people do 't wash their hands, even after number 2's, then they use a door handle, handle furniture, food, cups and so forth. That's why you wash your hands and wear gloves. That's my opinion.

Yes, go with what you feel is correct for you, it’s hard enough going through treatment without thinking you can not have a treat. 

Due to my treatment journey I was Neutropenic for very long periods of time so had to take extra care.

As you say, the biggest challenge is what you can catch from others.

Keep on pushing for the goal.

What type of NHL have you been diagnosed with and what treatment regime are you having?

To be truthful, I am not too sure, it was clearly explained, the consultant gives me confidence. I'm an electrician, not trained in medicine as a doctor. I've always gone by the adage, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, such as pub experts and barrack room lawyers, whose advice goes in one ear and out the other.

Whatever it is, the experts will guide me to the best option I am sure, I've just started the chemo, overall I feel better already, so they're doing something right, eh?

It's Folicular Lymphoma,  I remembered.

Thanks, we do have a very active Follicular lymphoma forum that you may want to have a look through.

As you say we are not medical experts - ask me about making a timber stair - yes. So it is important to trust our teams. Have a great weekend.

Thanks, I will look at that section eventually, though the handbook issued states it all concisely.