I have learned so much over the past few weeks about the treatment of cancer…specifically breast cancer.
There are so many drugs, treatments, and surgeries that can be used in the modern medical arsenal in this life and death struggle
We have received loads of paperwork describing the symptoms to expect with the varies methods of treatment. We have received an equal number of paperwork describing how each treatment effects the body. And even more on how to cope with them.
I have read every single word on every single line on each page of information.
What I have found completely shocking is the lack of reference to good nutrition before, during, and after cancer treatment.
Actually there had not been one word…NOT ONE!
How is that even possible?
The link between what goes in our mouths and the health of our bodies is very clear. Study after study shows that basically ‘you are what your eat’.
Yet in the fight for her life not one single doctor, nurse practitioner, RN, or CNA has even mentioned diet or nutrition.
I asked the very nice nurse in charge of her ‘chemo training’ about getting some information on nutrition. And note that this is a fairly large dedicated cancer center my mom is being treated at, full of different oncologists, chemo treatment rooms, labs, radiation treatment rooms, and such.
Here is the conversation I had with her….
Do you have any hand-outs on what to eat during chemo to help keep her healthy and her immune system up?
A hand-out?
Yes, one covering nutrition.
Ummm…we don’t have anything like that.
You have hand-outs covering everything else including how to buy a wig but you don’t have anything on nutrition?
Well…no.
Me looking confused.
But there is a dietitian over at the hospital that you could possibly see.
Does she specialize in treating cancer patients.
Well no, she mostly sees heart and diabetic patients.
Me looking astonished.
To be honest we usually tell cancer patients to eat whatever sounds good.
Even if its McDonalds Big Mac and fries?
Yes.
Me sitting there dumbfounded and speechless
I did not expect diet to be a big part of her treatment.
But to completely ignore the effects of diet on a sick patient seems utterly inconceivable to me. It is short-sighted and ignorant in my personal opinion.
So I have been devouring every book I can get my hands on, reading website after website on the subject of diet on disease, especially cancer.
I will be back next week to let you know what I have learned.
And be assured I firmly believe that diet does indeed play an important part in treatment of disease…cancer included.
Even if the medical establishment in our town chooses to think otherwise.
Yikes. I’m an oncology nurse and we have dedicated oncology nutritionists. With lots of handouts etc.
It is difficult undergoing treatment to ‘fix nutrition’ due to appetite changes/ not feeling hungry/etc so there is a need for some patients to “just eat something, anything” otherwise they might not be able to eat anything at all.
I tend to tell people to eat as healthy and in small quantities as often as they can. But also to eat what they can tolerate and sounds even slightly appetizing.
Good luck!
I think pre/post nutrition is so important!
Meg I am glad to hear that there is somewhere that takes nutrition seriously as part of cancer treatment…but annoyed that in my town it is totally ignored.
My mom has a very good diet but I thought maybe there would be some suggestions specifically for oncology patients…some hints as to what might be best tolerated when feeling nauseous.
But alas we are on our own in this area.
I will pass on your suggestions for small quantities often…luckily she already has the healthy part down. Thanks! Kim
I’m a PhD, not an MD, but I have worked at a Cancer institute doing research. I’ve also had family and friends with cancer.
While I agree with you about the nutrition side of things, with most chemo, it’s not so much what you eat, it’s what you can keep down. I think that it’s easier to tell people to eat what they want in hopes that they will feel like eating something, anything, whether it’s good for them or not.
I’m sorry that you had a sucky experience. Maybe it was just an unknowing nurse.
2 years ago I completed 6 months of chemotherapy + 1 month daily radiation for my lymphoma. Doctors and nurses suggested to me to eat what I could, and healthy if I could.
Please understand. Your mother will probably lose most of her sense of taste. And she will be tired, and nauseous, and just plain not feel like eating. The loss of taste buds absolutely doesn’t help, and some patients get sores in their mouths (gargling regularly with salt water is a good thing). For me, my saving grace in eating was scrambled eggs with peppers, onions, potatoes, sharp cheddar and sea salt. It was one of the few things I could stomach on a regular basis. Not great for the cholestoral/blood pressure but at least I was eating. Eating healthy is a great thought, but it has to be almost over-flavorful and interesting enough to get past the chemo side effects to want to eat it.
I agree, diet is surely important to patients on chemo. But my experience supports what Meg said about appetite loss… I visited my husband’s grandmother this summer — a couple months *after* chemo finished — and even then my MIL struggled daily to convince her mother to eat at all.
Most mornings she could be persuaded to eat a piece of toast with some fruit, and she did enjoy yogurt and tapioca pudding… often that was her lunch or her dinner, or both. We were definitely happy to see her eating anything.
Reminds me of my niece, who is 14 months old and losing weight because she does not eat solids. Her doctor wants my sister to give her anything — junk food if she has to — to get her to eat.
Hubby’s grandmother has been bedridden for the past year, and while she does not have cancer she is still very ill. I thoroughly support my MIL’s decision to NOT allow Granny to eat frozen waffles for every meal (because if she could she would). I’m glad to see her eat plenty of vegetables, protein, and an otherwise balanced diet.
I understand the need to put on weight, and the want to fulfill a sick woman’s wishes – but their are healthier means to meet those ends. While I’m not a nutritionist it should be common knowledge that a balanced diet will help support the immune system.
Need calories? How ’bout things like whole fat yogurt, beef tallow, fish, and potatoes. Maybe I’m confused but if you’re sick wouldn’t you want to be sure that your precious calories came from a concentrated healthy source with the occassional treat of junk food?
Kim, I’m glad you got the ball rolling for your hospital. Hopefully they’ll continue their own research and start offering other people advice about healthy eating during illness.
Here’s hoping that ball will gain momentum!!
I can’t speak to your personal experience, but my impression is that the role of nutrition in cancer treatment is far from ignored.
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/supportivecare/nutrition/Patient
Here’s a quick link, from the National Cancer Institute, for example.
Thanks Joshua…I’ll go take a look. Kim
My mother recently came through what actually amounted to more of a breast cancer early-warning/scare that actually ended quickly and without too much in the way of treatment, so I realize these situations are not really similar. However, I know that her very healthy, whole grains, lots of produce diet impacted the way she was able to handle the treatment she did undergo.
Several years ago, I heard about a woman named Christina who battled her way through cancer, too, and her nutritional choices had a lot to do with her recovery. You’ve likely heard about her in your research, but just in case you haven’t here’s a link:
http://www.christinacooks.com/
Melanie…I’ve watched her many times but had no idea she was a cancer survivor. I just read her story and its incredible. Thanks so much for the link! Kim
Yep, to echo what so many said… it is incredibly difficult to describe the incredible impact of loss of appetite and taste changes. I was just discussing this with a patient today. They wanted to eat healthy. They intellectually knew it was best. They asked for it. But when it comes they just couldn’t even choke it down. Ordinary cooking smells can overwhelm. Even things that seem terribly benign. Caregivers often get frustrated trying to get balanced nutrition in…preparing things the patient things sounds good to them. Only to take a bite and be unable to stomach it anymore. Frustrating for all.
So, yep, eat was she can, healthy if possible, frequently & calorie dense if nothing else.
If you are interested, I can score a booklet and send it your way. Just send me an email =)
Thanks so much Meg for all the insights…
I would love any info you have.
theinadvertentfarmer@gmail.com
Kim
Frustrating but not all that surprising to me unfortunately.
As far as nutrition and cancer, I know mushrooms are “supposedly” good for all kinds. A friend grows them and has prostate cancer himself. Has chosen not to take conventional treatments but to eat healthy and try eastern medicine. Have seen him doing fairly well for at least 2 years.
The being able to “choke it down” could be a problem I understand. There are innumerable ways to get them into your diet, fried (for that junk food feel!), dried and put into soup (wonderful) etc…
Good luck and keep us updated. Cancer runs in my family and haven’t been able to help my family much as they live far away.
Just saw this in a “New Science” type newsletter I get (maybe Futurity?). Thought you might be interested. All the best to you and yours….
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100914115240.htm
That does not sound right to me AT ALL.
I do not want to pry into your personal life, but I would love to help in any way – say writing letters to the Cancer Center! I can’t handle the thought that people with ignorance on the subject of nutrition are not being guided by their DOCTORS and healthcare staff.
I will be curious to read what you find out. My mother has gone through numerous treatments since being diagnosed with thyroid cancer 11 years ago. Simple surgery did not end it for her. It is a daily, monthly, yearly battle for her with doctor appts, treatments, etc. I agree that when going through the treatments it is very frustrating trying to find items to eat. Looking forward to your future posts.
Blessings
Diane
I lost the last member of my family last Christmas to cancer. The diet he was given was horrendous. His plate contained foods I would never even consider, cancer or not.
Humans have lost touch of their roots. We are so encapsulated in concrete and pipes that we have no idea what we need to sustain life.
Luckily for me I have a GP and Naturalpath that both agree on food. We must start treating our bodies like the Temples they are and meet faith halfway. The majority of our doctors and health care providers only see the numbers, not the people. It rests in our hands.
And once the diet is good, it frees up the mind and spirit to heal. I have witnessed this enough times to know it surely does exist.
You know what your Mother needs. It’s inside you. There’s no need to ask anyone: you grow amazing food for a reason. Listen quietly, in the stillness. The answers are there. Perhaps this is your entry to teaching and showing them how to do it.
Health is the result of relinquishing all attempts to use the body lovelessly.
Diana Dyer is a registered dietician and multiple-time cancer survivor. She has a number of blogs that might be of interest:
http://www.cancerrd.com/
http://www.dianadyer.com/
and my favorite: http://www.365daysofkale.com/
I’m amazed at how little nutrition is covered with *any* medical condition. A friend who had breast cancer (twice) worked together with her eastern and western doctors to get a full balanced approach to treatment. She still claims that the herbal remedies she took (along with traditional medicine) helped keep her want to eat and stay emotionally strong. Although she’s been in remission for a few years now, she still keeps up her regimen.
Likewise, I have fertility issues and the doctors said very little about nutrition (don’t drink, don’t smoke, take your vitamins, etc., but not much on actual nutrition) until I went to an herbalist/acupuncturist. Now I’m watching my protein intake, I probably wasn’t getting enough protein before.
Prayers for your mother.
Bethany
The thing is, Kim, that there is nothing your mother can eat or drink that will keep her white blood cell count up or help to produce WBCs. The only thing a doctor or nurse can tell her is to eat good foods, and eat when she feels up to it. While taking treatments, she should be encouraged to eat but not force herself, that would only make her feel worse. She may even crave a certain food; for example, my aunt is going through cancer treatments right now and she has been craving watermelon and ice cream. So I buy it for her and she enjoys it, it keeps her spirits up.
Unfortunately patients usually have to get sicker before they get better, when it comes to cancer treatments. As long as your mom keeps eating well she will have the energy and “fuel” to keep her body healthy enough to fight the cancer and get better. It’s difficult, but not impossible. Praying for your family,
Karen
Go to one radio network and listen to the amazing podcasts here and you will learn alot about cancer, nutrition and cures. It is the most excellent free resouurce you will find. No one neds to suffer this terrible disease.
I hope this helps.
http://www.oneradionetwork.com/