Chemotherapy and dieting?

So my question is for you guys who have cancer or had, or know someone who has had it, should I put on weight for chemotherapy? I was diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma. My doctor isn’t the brightest (getting a new one) anyways I went months ago for enlarged lymph nodes and other symptoms. My doctor did a biopsy (cut them out) but it came back reactive which means something was causing it but that’s the only thing they did for a year, they didn’t do any further testing, nothing. A year later (about two months ago) the ones they removed, swelled up again different nodes but same place. Anyways she sent me in for a pet scan and it showed cancer all through my body. Moral of the story we could of caught it in earlier stages more than a year ago. Well anyways I lost weight over the months. Went from 158 to 124. I’m 5’3 and 124 pounds and she told me I was too small for chemotherapy and my body couldn’t handle it. So I would need to gain weight. It’s not the first crazy thing I’ve ever heard from her and kids go through chemo all of the time. It’s just I’ve worked so hard to lose this weight and it just adds on to the disappointing events that are going on. I was wondering if anyone had to gain or if it was okay to maintain my weight. I’ve been trying to gain but the more I eat the worse I feel, makes me very sick. Any advice?

Replies

1houndgal

rickiimarieee wrote: »

So my question is for you guys who have cancer or had, or know someone who has had it, should I put on weight for chemotherapy? I was diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma. My doctor isn’t the brightest (getting a new one) anyways I went months ago for enlarged lymph nodes and other symptoms. My doctor did a biopsy (cut them out) but it came back reactive which means something was causing it but that’s the only thing they did for a year, they didn’t do any further testing, nothing. A year later (about two months ago) the ones they removed, swelled up again different nodes but same place. Anyways she sent me in for a pet scan and it showed cancer all through my body. Moral of the story we could of caught it in earlier stages more than a year ago. Well anyways I lost weight over the months. Went from 158 to 124. I’m 5’3 and 124 pounds and she told me I was too small for chemotherapy and my body couldn’t handle it. So I would need to gain weight. It’s not the first crazy thing I’ve ever heard from her and kids go through chemo all of the time. It’s just I’ve worked so hard to lose this weight and it just adds on to the disappointing events that are going on. I was wondering if anyone had to gain or if it was okay to maintain my weight. I’ve been trying to gain but the more I eat the worse I feel, makes me very sick. Any advice?

If you want to gain weight for your battle, you should try to find calorie dense foods you tolerate ( foods where a small portion has many calories).

If nausea is an issue, try bits of candied ginger and "flat ginger". Ginger helps nausea and also stimulates appetite.

Homemade chicken noodle/rice soup is great. I am sorry you are going through this, but will encourage you to keep hopeful and fighting. I hope this helps. Hugs.

StevefromMichigan

I would do your best to put on some weight. You can worry about losing any excess later. If you end up doing a round of chemo, I have to believe the weight will come off anyway, which is probably one of the reasons your doctor is concerned.

Try eating calorie dense foods like peanut butter, nuts, etc. when you are having a tough time.

A lady I worked with was having chemo, and she was able to obtain medical marijuana, which she told me helped quite a bit with both nausea and her appetite.

musicfan68

I agree, you need to put some weight on - chemo can make you really sick and unable to eat at times, so extra weight would be good to have. Don't worry about gaining. you are bound to lose some during treatment so eat as much as you can before it starts to make you sick.

PAV8888

If I were getting ready to fight something like this I would be eating as much calorically dense food as I could tolerate. <hug>

rickiimarieee

AnvilHead wrote: »

Just so we have this straight: You've been diagnosed with Stage IV cancer, you're about to undergo chemotherapy, and you're worried about gaining weight and want to know if it's okay to go against your doctor's orders/recommendations?

Very sorry about your diagnosis and best wishes to you for a full recovery, but IMO you need to re-order your priorities right now.

It’s not priority to keep losing weight but food makes me sick I’m just wondering if it’d be good to just try to maintain. I’m at a healthy weight. It’s not that I wanna go against doctors orders but she has proven to be wrong and incompetent on many occasions, I have yet to get in with my other doctor (cancer centers of America) big hospital, long waiting period but I just wanted to know if anyone else has been told that or if it’s safe to maintain weight. I’m currently not going through chemo yet.

rickiimarieee

PAV8888 wrote: »

If I were getting ready to fight something like this I would be eating as much calorically dense food as I could tolerate. <hug>

The thing is I can’t tolerate much. And with watching my calories it makes me less sick because I watch what I’m putting into my body. I currently am not watching my calories and have been so sick and nauseous this last two weeks that I can barely take care of my one year old without wanting to puke and pass out.

rickiimarieee

musicfan68 wrote: »

I agree, you need to put some weight on - chemo can make you really sick and unable to eat at times, so extra weight would be good to have. Don't worry about gaining. you are bound to lose some during treatment so eat as much as you can before it starts to make you sick.

I’m not worried about putting on weight. I mean it’s not ideal but the thing is not watching my calories has made me so sick because I’ve been trying to eat as much as I can

rickiimarieee

kazgorat1 wrote: »

I would do your best to put on some weight. You can worry about losing any excess later. If you end up doing a round of chemo, I have to believe the weight will come off anyway, which is probably one of the reasons your doctor is concerned.

Try eating calorie dense foods like peanut butter, nuts, etc. when you are having a tough time.

A lady I worked with was having chemo, and she was able to obtain medical marijuana, which she told me helped quite a bit with both nausea and her appetite.

In my state medical marijuana isn’t legal yet unfortunately

rickiimarieee

1houndgal wrote: »

rickiimarieee wrote: »

So my question is for you guys who have cancer or had, or know someone who has had it, should I put on weight for chemotherapy? I was diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma. My doctor isn’t the brightest (getting a new one) anyways I went months ago for enlarged lymph nodes and other symptoms. My doctor did a biopsy (cut them out) but it came back reactive which means something was causing it but that’s the only thing they did for a year, they didn’t do any further testing, nothing. A year later (about two months ago) the ones they removed, swelled up again different nodes but same place. Anyways she sent me in for a pet scan and it showed cancer all through my body. Moral of the story we could of caught it in earlier stages more than a year ago. Well anyways I lost weight over the months. Went from 158 to 124. I’m 5’3 and 124 pounds and she told me I was too small for chemotherapy and my body couldn’t handle it. So I would need to gain weight. It’s not the first crazy thing I’ve ever heard from her and kids go through chemo all of the time. It’s just I’ve worked so hard to lose this weight and it just adds on to the disappointing events that are going on. I was wondering if anyone had to gain or if it was okay to maintain my weight. I’ve been trying to gain but the more I eat the worse I feel, makes me very sick. Any advice?

If you want to gain weight for your battle, you should try to find calorie dense foods you tolerate ( foods where a small portion has many calories).

If nausea is an issue, try bits of candied ginger and "flat ginger". Ginger helps nausea and also stimulates appetite.

Homemade chicken noodle/rice soup is great. I am sorry you are going through this, but will encourage you to keep hopeful and fighting. I hope this helps. Hugs.

Where could I find ginger? It’s not around I’m the stores where I’m from

MichelleSilverleaf

If you can't find candied ginger, you could try ginger beer or ginger ale. Anecdotal, but I've always found ginger ale (especially Canada Dry) to help me with bouts of nausea. I've heard the same about ginger beer. I believe there's also an OTC nausea med that's made with ginger, I can't recall the name though.

The_Ta

Not all chemotherapies are the same, and not all of them make you lose weight. You need to find out the specific therapy your medical oncologist is prescribing.

I didn’t see where you mentioned your BMI, but you want to stay in the normal range during and after treatment. People lose weight during treatment for several reasons including increased caloric needs related to cell repair from chemo/radiation, pain during eating from mucosities (sores that run your entire GI tract), change in taste, and nausea.

You really should join a support group specializing on your exact cancer. They will have a wealth of knowledge available to you.

One final word...be careful eating your favorite foods if you get sick during treatment. You could end up never wanting to eat that food again.

lynn_glenmont

rickiimarieee wrote: »

1houndgal wrote: »

rickiimarieee wrote: »

So my question is for you guys who have cancer or had, or know someone who has had it, should I put on weight for chemotherapy? I was diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma. My doctor isn’t the brightest (getting a new one) anyways I went months ago for enlarged lymph nodes and other symptoms. My doctor did a biopsy (cut them out) but it came back reactive which means something was causing it but that’s the only thing they did for a year, they didn’t do any further testing, nothing. A year later (about two months ago) the ones they removed, swelled up again different nodes but same place. Anyways she sent me in for a pet scan and it showed cancer all through my body. Moral of the story we could of caught it in earlier stages more than a year ago. Well anyways I lost weight over the months. Went from 158 to 124. I’m 5’3 and 124 pounds and she told me I was too small for chemotherapy and my body couldn’t handle it. So I would need to gain weight. It’s not the first crazy thing I’ve ever heard from her and kids go through chemo all of the time. It’s just I’ve worked so hard to lose this weight and it just adds on to the disappointing events that are going on. I was wondering if anyone had to gain or if it was okay to maintain my weight. I’ve been trying to gain but the more I eat the worse I feel, makes me very sick. Any advice?

If you want to gain weight for your battle, you should try to find calorie dense foods you tolerate ( foods where a small portion has many calories).

If nausea is an issue, try bits of candied ginger and "flat ginger". Ginger helps nausea and also stimulates appetite.

Homemade chicken noodle/rice soup is great. I am sorry you are going through this, but will encourage you to keep hopeful and fighting. I hope this helps. Hugs.

Where could I find ginger? It’s not around I’m the stores where I’m from

I have bought candied ginger from

Amazon.https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00Q1RT1N8/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&th=1

If you buy candied ginger, make sure it's either in a resealable bag or that you put it in an airtight container, so it will stay soft.

1houndgal

rickiimarieee wrote: »

1houndgal wrote: »

rickiimarieee wrote: »

So my question is for you guys who have cancer or had, or know someone who has had it, should I put on weight for chemotherapy? I was diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma. My doctor isn’t the brightest (getting a new one) anyways I went months ago for enlarged lymph nodes and other symptoms. My doctor did a biopsy (cut them out) but it came back reactive which means something was causing it but that’s the only thing they did for a year, they didn’t do any further testing, nothing. A year later (about two months ago) the ones they removed, swelled up again different nodes but same place. Anyways she sent me in for a pet scan and it showed cancer all through my body. Moral of the story we could of caught it in earlier stages more than a year ago. Well anyways I lost weight over the months. Went from 158 to 124. I’m 5’3 and 124 pounds and she told me I was too small for chemotherapy and my body couldn’t handle it. So I would need to gain weight. It’s not the first crazy thing I’ve ever heard from her and kids go through chemo all of the time. It’s just I’ve worked so hard to lose this weight and it just adds on to the disappointing events that are going on. I was wondering if anyone had to gain or if it was okay to maintain my weight. I’ve been trying to gain but the more I eat the worse I feel, makes me very sick. Any advice?

If you want to gain weight for your battle, you should try to find calorie dense foods you tolerate ( foods where a small portion has many calories).

If nausea is an issue, try bits of candied ginger and "flat ginger". Ginger helps nausea and also stimulates appetite.

Homemade chicken noodle/rice soup is great. I am sorry you are going through this, but will encourage you to keep hopeful and fighting. I hope this helps. Hugs.

Where could I find ginger? It’s not around I’m the stores where I’m from

Health food sections in grocery stores, and health food stores. Costco sometimes also.
Trader Joe's stores. Etc. Good stuff. My old hound loves candied ginger also

. You can also buy ginger capsules.

There was a study that showed ginger can help as well as anti nausea meds, with out the side effects. Ginger ale is great if made with actual ginger. (Some folks find they tolerate the ginger ale soda better when it is flat, but I like it cold and fizzy myself.

1houndgal

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4818021/

fuzzylop72

When I underwent abvd chemo (for hodgkin lymphoma), I was told not to change dietary habits but if you're on the lighter side, they probably want you to be above a certain weight due to the expectation that you will have a reduced appetite. It might vary based on the treatment, and not everyone is affected the same. For example, I didn't really get nausea in the days following a treatment unless I ate something extremely spicy on the day of/day after treatment. I had anti-nausea medication, but didn't need to take it. Even with that said, I didn't have as much of an appetite in the days immediately following chemo.

cheryldumais

I understand your concern after fighting to lose weight being told to gain must be infuriating on top of the diagnosis. My sister had stage three hodgkins disease and underwent chemo. It was a rough road with lots of nausea and vomiting. At this point maybe you should go ahead and allow yourself to gain a few pounds. I'm assuming they would be happy with 10 pounds? You could also get a second opinion. She was not told to gain weight but perhaps she was heavier than you.

I am so sorry for your situation. At this point you're fighting for your life and a few extra pounds aren't going to make alot of difference for the next little while. You have the rest of your life to lose those 10 pounds. Good luck my friend.

toxikon

I'm so sorry you're going through this.

Maintaining/gaining a bit of weight will definitely help. My first thought would be adding smoothies and protein shakes. For smoothies, you could try a blend of full-fat Greek yogurt, leafy greens like spinach or kale, a banana, and any other fruit you enjoy (berries are tasty). For protein shakes, maybe a scoop of chocolate protein powder, a couple tablespoons of full-fat peanut butter, a banana, and milk.

If you can tolerate those well enough, they will add a good calorie boost to your diet, not to mention a good amount of protein.

Good luck.

AnnPT77

I've had cancer; I've had chemotherapy. I'd advise following your doctor's orders, unless and until your new doctor directs you differently.

Personally, I'd look at it this way: It's not going to be possible for you to gain massive amounts of weight before chemo. Going into that period a few pounds heavier can't hurt you, and might possibly help you.

((Hugs)).

danae16

My mom just went through lymphoma and the treatment. First - you may be sick or you might not. She did well with the chemo that she had and never actually threw up. One of the things that she noticed is that if she took the anti-nausea medication right when she started feeling a little off she could get through it without being sick. She didn't lose a lot of weight or anything while doing chemo. I'd talk to your oncologist about nausea medication and other things they can give you. Also - figure out what tastes good and eat it. Some stuff didn't taste the same for her. She ended up eating ramin noodles which is hilarious (I'd never seen her buy them in all my years at home). Also - she would eat lemon deserts because the flavor was better than chocolate or other rich foods. Drink a ton of water. It will help.

I'm so sorry that you are going through this! Best of luck!!

mitch16

My father has lung cancer (this week, incidentally, marks 2 years since he was diagnosed). He went through 2 different rounds of chemo. One of the rounds of chemo made him very thin and frail, but my mom has done a fantastic job of fattening him up again. He's holding steady now on immunotherapy.

Regardless of you thinking that your doctor is terrible, gaining a little bit of weight is a good idea as you will have a little extra fat stores in case you do end up losing your appetite or find it difficult to eat. It doesn't have to be a complete binge that makes you feel sick, either. Just add a few extra hundred calories every day will do it--just add a small bowl of ice cream or something else that you enjoy eating.

Good luck!

Crafty_camper123

First of all, my heart goes out to you! I've had many family members go through cancer, so I can imagine what you may be going through. I'm sending lots of hugs and positive vibes your way. Have you tried taking Dramamine? It's anti-nausea medication they sell over the counter. It comes in pill form, and a bracelet you can wear. Pending any prescription reactions of anything you could be taking at the moment. I would imagine a pharmacist can help you in that department. If your doc will do it, they also sell prescription patches. Peppermint tea is also soothing on an upset stomach. Maybe try slowly sipping on any type of liquid calories you can get? The ginger ale mentioned above could be soothing, and something like Ensure shakes or Slimfast shakes could bulk up your calories if you can keep them down. And, of all stupid things, flat Pepsi or Dr. pepper might help the nausea. I know it's one of those old wives tale things, but I've seen it work on my siblings when they would get sick. Best of luck! Kick that cancer's *kitten*!

jseams1234

rickiimarieee wrote: »

kazgorat1 wrote: »

I would do your best to put on some weight. You can worry about losing any excess later. If you end up doing a round of chemo, I have to believe the weight will come off anyway, which is probably one of the reasons your doctor is concerned.

Try eating calorie dense foods like peanut butter, nuts, etc. when you are having a tough time.

A lady I worked with was having chemo, and she was able to obtain medical marijuana, which she told me helped quite a bit with both nausea and her appetite.

In my state medical marijuana isn’t legal yet unfortunately

Yes, but Marinol (dronabinol) is. I was given Marinol during the end of my treatments because I had such a hard time eating and had lost so much weight. Marinol is THC suspended in oil in a little white gel cap. They worked - gave me quite the buzz too. I'd pop a few and hit the food court at the mall. I'd eat so much that I could barely waddle to the train.

I went from 230 pounds at 6'1 to 135 pounds at the end. I can't imagine what would have happened if I had been much lighter at the start. A good chunk of deaths attributed to cancer are directly caused by wasting... You have a fight on your hands. You are going to want to stack the deck as much as you can in your favor.

yirara

I'm not sure you want to hear it, but my mom lost the battle with cancer. She always had somewhat disordered thinking about food and weight, and was happy when she lost more. She was given food via a tube when she refused to eat, but she removed it. Doctors said she had a real chance of recovery. She chose not to but to be thin instead.

rickiimarieee

The_Ta wrote: »

Not all chemotherapies are the same, and not all of them make you lose weight. You need to find out the specific therapy your medical oncologist is prescribing.

I didn’t see where you mentioned your BMI, but you want to stay in the normal range during and after treatment. People lose weight during treatment for several reasons including increased caloric needs related to cell repair from chemo/radiation, pain during eating from mucosities (sores that run your entire GI tract), change in taste, and nausea.

You really should join a support group specializing on your exact cancer. They will have a wealth of knowledge available to you.

One final word...be careful eating your favorite foods if you get sick during treatment. You could end up never wanting to eat that food again.

I think my BMI is 22.1 I’m 5’3 and 124/125. So I’m in the healthy weight I’m not underweight or anything!

rickiimarieee

fuzzylop72 wrote: »

When I underwent abvd chemo (for hodgkin lymphoma), I was told not to change dietary habits but if you're on the lighter side, they probably want you to be above a certain weight due to the expectation that you will have a reduced appetite. It might vary based on the treatment, and not everyone is affected the same. For example, I didn't really get nausea in the days following a treatment unless I ate something extremely spicy on the day of/day after treatment. I had anti-nausea medication, but didn't need to take it. Even with that said, I didn't have as much of an appetite in the days immediately following chemo.

This helps a lot! It’s not so much I’m worried about the weight gain just as I’m worried about the nausea that comes with eating more than my body has adjusted too over the year I’ve been doing this. I’ve been stuffing my face for the last two weeks and haven’t gained a pound so at this point I’d rather watch my calories and not be nauseous then to force myself to eat!

rickiimarieee

AnnPT77 wrote: »

I've had cancer; I've had chemotherapy. I'd advise following your doctor's orders, unless and until your new doctor directs you differently.

Personally, I'd look at it this way: It's not going to be possible for you to gain massive amounts of weight before chemo. Going into that period a few pounds heavier can't hurt you, and might possibly help you.

((Hugs)).

I have yet to see my new doctor. I’m going to cancer centers of America. It takes awhile to get in there. It’s not so much I’m worried about the weight gain just as I’m worried about the nausea that comes with eating more than my body has adjusted too over the year I’ve been doing this. I’ve been stuffing my face for the last two weeks and haven’t gained a pound so at this point I’d rather watch my calories and not be nauseous then to force myself to eat!

YvetteK2015

11 years ago I had NHL. A very aggressive form. I was 5'5 and 110 lbs. There was no concern about putting extra weight on. And my rounds of chemo lasted 96 hours each. But I will say that I was put on 2 anti nausea drugs. One I was given during chemo, and the other I could take as much as I needed. It worked so well, I never got sick, I hardly ever felt sick (I took ALOT of that second drug) so I ate all the time. I even gained weight during treatment.

The standard anti nausea they will give you during treatment is zofran....but I asked my oncologist to give me extra thorazine on top of that. It's AMAZING for strong nausea and was a life saver for me. If the doctor doesn't want to give that, you can ask for compazine....but it's not as strong.

rickiimarieee

cheryldumais wrote: »

I understand your concern after fighting to lose weight being told to gain must be infuriating on top of the diagnosis. My sister had stage three hodgkins disease and underwent chemo. It was a rough road with lots of nausea and vomiting. At this point maybe you should go ahead and allow yourself to gain a few pounds. I'm assuming they would be happy with 10 pounds? You could also get a second opinion. She was not told to gain weight but perhaps she was heavier than you.

I am so sorry for your situation. At this point you're fighting for your life and a few extra pounds aren't going to make alot of difference for the next little while. You have the rest of your life to lose those 10 pounds. Good luck my friend.

Thank you for understanding! It’s not so much I’m worried about the weight gain just as I’m worried about the nausea that comes with eating more than my body has adjusted too over the year I’ve been doing this. I’ve been stuffing my face for the last two weeks and haven’t gained a pound so at this point I’d rather watch my calories and not be nauseous then to force myself to eat! Also about her being told not to gain weight, I’ve read on multiple things that you shouldn’t change your eating habits and try to maintain so that’s why I feel she is wrong.

rickiimarieee

toxikon wrote: »

I'm so sorry you're going through this.

Maintaining/gaining a bit of weight will definitely help. My first thought would be adding smoothies and protein shakes. For smoothies, you could try a blend of full-fat Greek yogurt, leafy greens like spinach or kale, a banana, and any other fruit you enjoy (berries are tasty). For protein shakes, maybe a scoop of chocolate protein powder, a couple tablespoons of full-fat peanut butter, a banana, and milk.

If you can tolerate those well enough, they will add a good calorie boost to your diet, not to mention a good amount of protein.

Good luck.

Thank you I haven’t thought of protein shakes! Good idea!!

CSARdiver

I've had cancer, chemo, and radiation.

Follow your doctors orders.

Prioritize. First get healthy and do whatever you need to do to get through chemo and into remission. Worry about aesthetics later.

What got me through were KFC potatoes and gravy, loads of pudding and jello with protein powder mixed in. Rice and bananas and as much fiber as you can tolerate to keep the bowels moving. I also went through bags of horehound and ginger candies to ease the nausea.

Prayers are up!