Healthy Foods To Eat while doing IMRT

[Mischa1111111]

I am in the second week of IMRT and my body is going nuts with bloating and constipation. Been taking Simeticona and and Movicol(sachets thatcontain macrogol) as well as a change of diet (no fried foods , no cruciferous vegetables ,alcohol) sine a week before treatment and i am constantly constipated and bloated. Spoke to nutritionist and MO and the suggestion was double up on the Movicol which so far has done nothing . Any suggestions out there ?

[Nusch]

Bloating I experienced, too. Divide your breakfast, lunch and dinner in smaller fractions and do as much exercise as possible - walking, running, whatever is doable. I‘m an plant based diet, so constipation was no problem. I just skipped raw vegetables and preferred cooked ones during RT.

[Mischa1111111 in reply to Nusch]

Thanks for sharing .So basicly you kept with steamed vegetables and smaller portions . DId you have steamed broccoli or coliflower for example or did you stay away from cooked whole grains, or certain fruits? I'm cycling up and back from the clinic every weekdayplus the gym 4 days a week 45minutes , I hope to get out of this constipation rut works itself out. .

[Nusch in reply to Mischa1111111]

I had steamed broccoli, didn’t want to give up on this. I also added nuts & seeds, especially flaxseed. And whole grains. I always drink 1 liter of water in the morning long before breakfast, that helped me a lot.

[Nusch in reply to Mischa1111111]

One more: If nothing worked I used MICROLAX.

[Mischa1111111]

Thanks . Hope all comes to ight at the end of the tunnel!

[spouse21]

For what it's worth: Mr. Spouse21 was advised to adjust the plumbing--empty colon, full bladder--before every IMRT session scheduled at 11 AM every five mornings a week for nine weeks. Though he's not a smoothie kind of guy, he prepared a smoothie of frozen strawberries, blueberries, a banana, and milk every morning along with a cup of coffee. Like clockwork, he had a bowel movement before leaving the house for the hospital, so everything was clear for the radiation. He adjusted his water consumption en route to the hospital on his motorycyle!!! The rest of his diet was pretty much Mediterranean per me--whole grains, some fruit, vegetables, fish, some meat, some dairy (cheese, the milk in the smoothie), an occasional egg, daily red wine for fun, not health. No supplements or Metamucil type stuff. No packaged foods because I prepare everything fresh. He was on Lupron but no other medications.

He did fine with this regime, but your mileage may vary. I seem to remember it took just a few days to get the plumbing in sync with the IMRT schedule. (He'd had abdominal surgery six months before dx and had six inches of his colon removed, so things move quickly "down there.") All this is anecdotal, not scientific, i.e. it worked for him. He's not into supplements, diet, etc. and would eat red meat every day if his chef, i.e. me, gave the go ahead, but that's not on the chef's menu. The smoothie two hours before each session seemed to put him on a schedule that worked with the IMRT without too much bloating or constipation.

[MateoBeach in reply to spouse21]

Like your smoothie plus coffee nreakomenu, Chef 👍🏼👍🏼👩‍🍳

[MateoBeach in reply to MateoBeach]

Breakfast menu that was

[Mischa1111111]

Thanks for sharing. Just spotted your advice and i am still adjusting . Hope my body works this out soon . So far this has not interfered with the IMRT.

[lokibear0803]

I used to have constipation and bloating, and have gotten past it with a combo of Metamucil and Calm (magnesium powder). I use these two things as “dials” that I can turn, based what things are feeling like and looking like.

Too much Metamucil, however, can be constipating, as can too much fiber in general (as I understand, and as I’ve found to be true for me). I eat a high-fiber mediterranean diet, but with careful hydration + Metamucil + Calm, I do just fine.

My understanding is that bananas can be constipating unless there’s some green on the peel. Not sure just how much green; but if they are ripe, I avoid them.

Drink “enough” water, but do not overdo it. I can tell you from experience you can develop an electrolyte imbalance and even go into hyponatremia, which can be deadly. I’ve added sodium tabs (prescription) and coconut water as part of daily liquids to gain some electrolytes back. Especially if you’re pounding the water during/after exercise, you need to watch out for this.

Caffeine and alcohol can be dehydrating, which of course can lead to constipation.

Finally you can consider stool softeners like Docusate Sodium, and for that matter MiraLax or the generic equivalent ClearLax. I only use those if increasing the Calm + decreasing the Metamucil doesn’t help, but I’ve been successful with my “dials” strategy for many many months now.

FWIW, I try to remedy things solely with OTC stuff + diet + hydration. Speaking strictly for myself, I’m adverse to prescription remedies and avoid them if possible. Too much intense biochemistry going on for a easily destabilized system like my own.

[Mischa1111111 in reply to lokibear0803]

Excellent advice points made which should be considered .BTW I am totally onboard with your last stement". Speaking strictly for myself, I’m adverse to prescription remedies and avoid them if possible. Too much intense biochemistry going on for a easily destabilized system like my own." Thanks for posting. 👍😀

[j-o-h-n]

Prune juice and stewed prunes.....

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Thursday 06/02/2022 7:02 PM DST

[Mischa1111111]

And some Good Humor ice cream to you dear j-o-h-n

[mjtct61]

I was advised to take a probiotic to regulate things. I am having the opposite reaction to IMRT. Going more frequently so I have changed to probiotic every other day. My biggest problem is slow flow urination and Flomax or Rapidflo provide little relief. Definitely affecting my sleep since I dont seem to fully empty my bladder and wake every 1.5hrs.

[Mischa1111111 in reply to mjtct61]

I did switch over to a probiotic and in the 3rd week of IMRT, I was seeing the desired result . Started ADT and I back to being constipated and slow urination . Was told by Dr. that thatconstipation was not a SE of ADT. I I was precribed an anti inflammatory medicine for the urine flow which was a SE of ADT and that did improve the situation . I have 4 more sessions and then I'm done will and see how everything sorts its self out.

[mjtct61]

What was the anti inflammatory. My oncologist is simply suggesting Advil. Was on ADT for 4mo and didnt have the problem until IMRT. Also on my 3rd week. I need some relief.

[Mischa1111111 in reply to mjtct61]

I was prescribed naproxeno sodico 550 mg .(sodium naproxen 550 mg) 2 tablets a day , i in the morning the other in the evening . I took it for 5 days . Also taking an alpha blocker tamsulosina 0.400mg once a day. naproxeno straightened me out within a day or 2. Hope this helps. All the best on your treatment and wishing you all the best in health .

[mjtct61]

Took 2 ibuprofen after treatment yesterday and was helpful but didnt take before sleep and was up every hour with slow urination. Will try the sodium naproxin since it lasts longer. TXs