It is the wish of every patient and family to stay as comfortable as possible during chemotherapy, and a healthy, scientific diet and routine will help you.
These tips for dealing with chemotherapy side effects
Chemo can harm taste buds, making certain foods and drinks taste metallic or unpleasant, especially water and meat.
- If plain water is hard to swallow, try flavored drinks or putting a few slices of lemon in the water.
- If meat becomes unpalatable, switch to eggs, low-fat dairy products, beans, and fish to provide your body with protein.
Reducing diarrhea
If diarrhea occurs, avoid the following diets: greasy or fried foods, beverages and juices with caffeine and sugar, vegetable salads, unprocessed produce, and sugar alcohols.
Oatmeal, most peeled fruits, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin can help keep diarrhea away.
Get rid of constipation
Some patients get diarrhea and others get constipation. Keeping yourself well hydrated is important to prevent constipation, and a high-fiber diet will also help.
You can slowly increase your fiber intake to allow your body to adapt, and the right amount of physical activity, even if it’s just a 20-minute walk, will get your bowels going.
Managing weight
Some cancer patients gain weight during treatment, and a low-fat diet with lots of vegetables will help you manage your weight and boost your appetite.
Chemo can be appetizing and carbohydrates are easy to digest, so try cereal, bread spread with peanut butter or other nut butters, and yogurt and flavored soups are also good choices.
Record your diet and symptoms
Recording your diet and symptoms each day will help patients and doctors find the foods that are causing nausea, constipation, or diarrhea, and make timely recipe adjustments or medications to relieve symptoms.
These methods make you more comfortable
Ease mouth ulcers
Some types of chemotherapy can cause mouth ulcers. Don’t eat spicy, hot foods or drink alcohol to reduce irritation, drink plenty of water every day to keep your mouth moist, and rinsing your mouth with salt water after meals is also helpful.
Stay hydrated
Diarrhea, vomiting, and drinking too little water can lead to dehydration. Dry mouth, sticky mouth, sunken eyes, decreased urine output, and darker urine are all “warning signs” of dehydration, and drinking plenty of water can help prevent it.
Control nausea
Chewing sugar ginger or drinking peppermint or ginger tea can help, and it’s best to avoid greasy, fried foods and strong-smelling foods.
Eat fewer, more frequent meals
During chemotherapy, eating fewer, more frequent meals with the same energy intake is often more acceptable than eating too much at each meal and helps reduce nausea.
Tips for staying healthy
The liver helps the body metabolize all the potential toxins in the blood, so be kind to it. Alcohol hurts the liver and makes it harder for the liver to metabolize chemotherapy drugs.
Drinking also worsens nausea or other gastrointestinal side effects, and may interact with some of the drugs used with chemotherapy drugs.
Beware of supplements
Dietary supplements, such as vitamins and minerals, can be taken as prescribed when oncology patients do not consume enough and develop clear nutritional deficiencies during chemotherapy.
Herbs and phytotherapeutic agents should not be taken without permission; potential interactions can affect the effectiveness of chemotherapy, and when receiving chemotherapy, inform your doctor if you are taking any supplements.
Drink less green tea, eat less soy products and get a good night’s sleep
Some doctors recommend that chemotherapy patients drink less green and white tea, and limit their tea consumption to 1-2 cups per day. Green and white tea are rich in antioxidants that may interfere with the desired effects of chemotherapy.
- Soy products. Before eating soy products, check with your physician about the type of cancer you have and your chemotherapy regimen, and ask your doctor to help you determine if you should eat soy products.
- Exercise. Ask your doctor what kind of exercise is appropriate for you and how much exercise is appropriate for you.
- Get a good night’s sleep.
All the discomfort during chemotherapy and the pain of the condition itself can make getting a good night’s sleep a luxury, but only a good night’s sleep can help improve your condition and make sleep more regular. Making your bedroom more comfortable or trying relaxation exercises and gentle massage can help improve your sleep.
Family therapy
Home remedies may help you.
Co-reviewed by Dr. Sun Yueli and Dr. Li Xiangmeng of Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital and Guangdong Lung Cancer Institute.