Hi,
Just would like to know if there is anyone who gained lots of weight and if so how long did it take to get back to normal.(ish).I've put on a stone and I'm struggling to "remove "it.I know people say a few extra pounds is a good trade in and at first I thought the same,but now it's annoying me.I'm eating healthier than I ever have As I'm only 5ft 1 the extra weight is quite uncomfortable and I'm tired of my moonface. haha.
Best wishes to all O.C buddies xxx
Yes, I've done the same probably more than a stone, coming up to my last chemo, the steroids just make me so hungry especially for chocolate which I dont normaly eat, easy to put in weight but hard to take off,I'm really going to try to cut down, at least I'm not the only one, we can do this !!! I hope . Love Sue x
Yes, I lost a stone after the hysterectomy then put two stones back on during and after chemo. It seems to be very difficult to shift! (Impossible?) An OC friend of mine has the same experience. I'm wondering about trying the Dukan diet everyone seems to be raving about. Any thoughts?
yes!!! Lost an instant stone after hysterectomy but gradually put weight on during chemotherapy as I got such a sweet tooth munching away on chocolates and jellybabies . don't eat junk food,never have. rest of family all have normal to low bmi but I've turned into a middle aged blob and now 8 months later am fatter than I 've ever been. Been reading the dukan diet book and am about to give it a go! Have been walking though and find that helps to keep more weight from going on. good luck!!
Are you still around Janet? Asking because cut all sugary foods. Because I heard feeds cancer.
wanted to ask same question and hopping person is still around after 10 years....But my oncologist said " Cancer feed on everything"She said eat sugar but not too much .....
Hi Suzieque and others above
Chemo certainly messes up eating habits but weight gain could be under (oddly,also overactive) thyroid gland. Presumably you have been checked for this and stuff like polycystic ovarian syndrome. Don't rate the Dukan diet, very strict on not eating vegetables & fruit at same time as all that protein. Does not suit everyone but like all diets, if you stick to them religiously, they work. However dieting can be boring ( I know so many diet bores) and there's more to life than a few extra pounds. The adage, "wake up and smell the roses" works for me.
Best wishes, Jennie
I must admit eveyr time I mention my weight gain to the docs they seem to think it is better on than off! Now I've been told that everything has reduced, I realize my breathing problems must be because of my excess weight, but still no reaction from the GP, though when pushed she did agree to sign me up to special sessions at the gym. I do try to eat a healthy diet, with plenty of fruit and veg, and no junk, so I think exercise must be the answer.
Good luck to everybody trying.
At the beginning of this journey I consoled myself with the prospect that surgery followed by chemo would leave me thin! WRONG!!
I have (probably obssessively) eaten very healthily throughout, and I am still heavier than at the start (despite my incresed exercise and no alcohol). I think, for me, it's the menopause, and keep hoping that in due course the weight will reduce. My thyroid tests fine.
I would rather struggle on the heavy side, than risk my health with diets as I can get very tired and run down when dieting. I'm also about a stone over my normal weight.
Isadora.
I think that I agree with Isadora- that in all probability the weight gain is to do with the menopause.
I have not had chemo but I have gained nearly a stone since surgery despite trying to eat healthily. I have an under active thryoid but my doctor has tested me recently and does not think that is the problem.
Read recently about a cream that contains progesterone that is supposed to help with the side effects of the menopause including weight issues. Has anyone tried it?
Would be grateful to hear if anyone has.
Hope you find some way of dealing with the the problem, Suzie!
I'd be nervous of anything with progesterone - or any other hormone- in it, in case it led to recurrence.
I.
Hi Suzieque Im the opposite I'm trying to put the weight on as I lost 2stone in a matter of months and I loved my moonface !!!I'm eating all rubbish to try and get it on can't win can we Marge xx
Oh yes! When I had my first meeting with the oncologist and registrar to tell me what type and level of cancer I had and what the treatment would involve, the very first thing she said was 'on this treatment you will NOT lose weight, in fact you will put weight on' - due to the steroids. She also said I was not to try to lose this weight while having the chemo but to exercise when I felt able and to listen to my body as to what I wanted to eat, within reason, including chocolate cake! She said to make sure I ate loads of vegetables and fruit and included protein in my diet every day. Of course, I didn't believe her about the weight gain, what a shock! I found my appetite following each chemo was almost feral: I just had to eat, I wanted seconds and I craved foods. I put on 2.5 stone. This round of chemo treatment finished (for now) on 17th October and I noticed the other day that my appetite has changed again- I no longer feel I have to eat all the time, I don't want seconds or sweet things. I stilll feel my body is not 'mine', but I have lost approx 3 kgs without attempting to diet and feel a bit better as a result, less under pressure! I see my oncologist on Wednesday for the scan results and find out what happens next. Very nervous about it.
Hi to all
Cheers for your responses.I am the type of person,who has always had to work at keeping my weight at an "acceptable"(for me) level.I was midway through the menopause and put the graft in, sensible diet , keep fit class, power walking etc..
I just have to smell chocolate and MMMM,,that lush creamy aroma and piff paff pooph!! there's 2lbs on.So when I was diagnosed I thought awe well ,at least I won't have to worry bout my weight for a while,It will drop off, Doh !!.How bliddy wrong could I be! I felt ripped off.!I wanted a refund! And Moominkat, my oncology nurse gave me exactly the same spiel as yours....So I ate cake etc ,etc,etc.........I did read somewhere that weight gain is due not only to the steroids but the chemo itself and that you can put up to 25lbs on !!!! Shocking ..The oncologist should include a weight stabiliser while we are on chemo, take note docs(.Only kidding)....Maybe we should start our own slimming club eh girls ;).....In the meantime I will keep plugging away and try to lose weight to make room for the christmas goodies .............
Take care OC buddies xxxx
<chuckles> I have the same reaction: I feel outraged that I've had this rubbishy disease and the surgery/chemo treatments thrown at me, my life turned upside down and inside out, hair loss, poor sleep, which really doesn't help, pins and needles in extremities, achey joints, restless legs for 10 days post chemo, blah blah blah...the weight gain is just an added insult! Take care all xxxx
Hiah Girls,
Everyone expect us to lose the weight not gain it, this is very true. I have gained alomost 1 /2 stone. This is now 6 months after my lkast chemo and the weight was going nowhere on its own. I do believewe are what we eat so I am not suprised after my chocolate and cake gravings. One day after suragry, I fancied a cadbury`s caramal bar so hubby fetched me one from the shops, he came back with a 5 pack thinking they would last me. No chance I scoffed the lot in about 10 minutes.
However, now I have finished with the chemo and trying to eat healthy, I still was not losing as much as an ounze. I put myself on weight watchers and have lost ONLY 4 pound in a month, but its a pound a week and rather that than gaining a pound a week.
It was reasurring that I am not the only one having this problem, we feel like we are living in someone elses skin, don`t we just?
I also had all the chemo side effects as described above - now 6 months after last chemo my energy levels are starting to gradually creep back up but my muscles and joints are terribly stiff and I feel as tho I`ve had a fight with a bulldozer!
yes i have but i never had chemo but i think my wieght gain is due to depresson
My oncologist said steroids make you put on weight so I experimented a bit and only ever took half the dose with no ill-effects whatsoever. I felt the dosage was based on statistics rather than my personal needs and that led to an 'overdosing' of steroid.
I did start to put weight on at the end of the 6 course treatment and like you I don't like the feeling. I think I craved food as I felt tired and the days seemed rather long as the summer months came to a close.
I hope this feeling of being hungry is synonymous with the cancer diminishing.
With the steroids - how would this make you keep the weight on when you have finished all treatment?
As for menopause causing the weight gain, I am on HRT (the cancer I was treated for is not an oestrogen-receptor) and I still have put on more than a stone above my usual weight.
Does anyone think that the chemo permanently affects the digestive system?
Hi SaraL,I thought the same as you, if the steroids are finished,how come the weight stays on.I've been told that it's not just the steroids but the chemo itself and that weight gain can be as much as 25lbs.The menopause put weight on me before all this started and it is becoming really hard to shift. Mind you eating for England through my chemo didn't help and I so regret it now.
.I had horrendous heartburn/indigestion while on chemo and still get bouts of it now (last session in August)
I've been told that the chemo does affect the gastric juices but ,like everything ,all will return to normal ....... eventually......I'm waiting ..........
Best wishes
Suziequexxx
Was overweight but when I got sick lost it. Became slightly under for my frame. Appetize on some med made me eat more. Gain some back. 15-20 lbs. Lost weight again now 131 lbs. last med curved my appetite and made my stomach smaller. Not on anything now. Waiting for scan. Was on Zejula for 1-2 months and Keytruda for a year prior.
But that moonface as you say could just be from puffiness or swelling? Beside the addition of weight. If it’s that. Sometimes can’t be helped because of meds. Try not to let it get to you. Most important is health. Seen some people in waiting room this lady had humongous legs. Out of proportion with her body. Looking back realized it’s probably from her meds. Hers was a lot worse. But she didn’t care still wore shorts and good for her. Wouldn’t try to let something like that get to me. If you were never fat it is harder to get used though. Try not to focus too much on it.
UNEXPLAINED WEIGHT GAIN
Weight gain
Did anyone gained Post Op?
Steroids and Weight Gain
