Diet plan to help with chemo treatment for stage 4 O.C

Hi all, so my wife's oncologist has recommended drinking 2 litres of water per day to help with the chemo (hoping to get treatment dates tomorrow) and eat as much protein as possible, does this mean high carbs too? Should I go to a nutritionist to help us get a diet plan together or am I overthinking it?

[dexta2005]

Hi, I eat mostly fruit/veg/berries/nuts, plenty of olive oil, green tea , fish and lots of water. I try not to eat white bread or anything processed and No sugar what so ever. I did cut out meat, but my blood count dropped, so I am having some meat at the moment. I believe diet is the most important thing we can do to help ourselves. Best wishes. x.

[Caleda4]

Hello there, I would definitely recommend drinking 2 litres of water a day whilst your wife is having chemo. I used to take a bottle of my own and then get it in the hospital if you can. So far as diet is concerned where I attended we were given a list of foods not to eat. ie: Processed foods like ham, pate, soft cheeses, soft boiled eggs, take aways food, and shell fish. I did actually adhere with this and in fact I rarely eat those things now.

I was lucky as I was able to eat quite well & I sincerely hope that your wife will be able to do the same.

Sending your wife best wishes with her treatment.

Caleda xx

[Doglover1410]

My oncologist told me to drink water and eat what I fancied. In his words, every cell and process in your body needs water. I always have a minimum of 2.5 litres a day x

[Lyndy]

food and water are good but not as a target... she will eat and drink what she feels she can. Tbh the thing that really helped was time spent with loved ones chilling out and little treats. My brother sent a bouquet of flowers which arrived every evening when I came back from chemo... I can’t tell you what that meant xx

[Yorkiepudd]

Hello, water/fluids are important but don’t get too tied up with adhering to a strict diet. Aside from the things you should avoid due to heightened risk of infection such as pâtés, soft cheeses, shellfish etc then really only concentrate on actually eating. Obviously they don’t really want you eating loads of rubbish but I was told chemo was not the time to be worried about food and they just wanted me to eat as you need this to deal with the treatment. Tastes may change anyway, I wanted much stronger flavours but I was very lucky in that I had little nausea and no issues with my mouth. Good luck to your wife with the chemo x

[Cropcrop]

I think you are possibly over thinking it a little but you are showing you care and need to know more to support her further which is just fabulous.

Protein is needed to help our bodies and its cells heal so is really important at all times, but especially so now. Vitamins are really very important too carbs also have their part to play in this too. Balance is the key.

There is a list of foods we cannot have during chemo, this will be provided to you by the oncology team. Her sense of taste will change/diminish during treatment, I found I wanted to eat really sweet and really savoury foods because I found I could actually taste them. To be honest so long as the diet she gets is reasonably well balanced and she enjoys it that’s fine, don’t get too hung up on it though.

As my treatment progressed I craved more carbs which I found helped with the nausea but I balanced the carbs with protein, vitamins and fluids. I took supplements (vitamins and minerals) right through my treatment with the support and permission of my oncologist.

With the two litres of water recommendation, ideally we should be drinking this quantity of liquids each day anyway but on chemo day it’s very important to be really well hydrated so the veins are readily accessible to enable easier and much less painful cannulation.

I hope the treatment goes well and is successful in dealing with this disease. Virtual hugs on encouragement to you both and thank you for supporting your wife through this ❤️Xx Jane

[Iwillbeatit]

Water water water is the most important thing to flush your body. I physically struggle and know when I have not drunk enough. M o st are told two litres my treatment was three litres it is a lot but it is vital as l to make you feel well. What you can eat will depend on whether y o u feel nauseous as this means you crave carbs. Also on your bowels from friends at hospice its either constipation or diarrhoea so you need to eat the right things to cope with these. Everyone is different on how they react but the water is vital. I found eating little and often lessened pain. Good luck

[Kkaren]

I personally struggle to drink lots of water. Long story but anyway I now am addicted to water melon especially when it comes out the fridge. So refreshing and a great way of getting liquids. Still try and drink too but you can get liquids in others ways.