Vegan Diet during Cancer Treatments

[turtlegirl]

I was recently diagnosed with rectal cancer (complete and total shock, no family history or anything) and will soon be undergoing cancer treatments (chemo and radiation). One of the side effects of radiation can be digestive troubles, and the information I've been given with tips to counteract the side effects is very obviously aimed at people eating an omni diet. I can go see the dietician, and most likely will at some point, but I thought I'd start here and ask some questions.

So, have any of you gone through chemo/radiation? Did you do anything special, diet-wise? Were there foods that were easier for your system?

Any and all advice is appreciated!

[Poppy]

My husband has had chemo three times for non-Hodgkins lymphoma. When he gets nauseous, he nibbles on oatmeal cookies all day long. I bake batches and batches of them when he's going through treatment. Other than that, we stay very bland. Mac & cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches, all kinds of soups and crackers, baked potatoes. Since I'm vegan, these are usually veganized versions, unless my mother makes it.

I'm so sorry you've had this devastating news. Cancer is such a shock. Please keep us posted.

[Wolfie]

Sorry to hear this news. :(

[Toast]

Sorry to read that. :hug:

[Elinor]

I'm so sorry Sheri.

When I went through for breast cancer, I was omni, but didn't eat much meat during treatment. I think most people going through chemo prefer bland, easy to digest food like potatoes and rice, but the doctors and nurses all stressed the importance of eating plenty of protein. I seemed to crave different things with each treatment and just ate whatever I craved.

Do you like quinoa? How about potato/bean soup?

[estacey]

Sheri, I'm sorry to read about your diagnosis. Sorry you have to go through those hard cancer treatments, but it'll be worth it.

My fiance is a doctor who specializes in radiation. He said that basically anything with fiber is going to "pour right through you." If you're OK with diarrhea, then don't worry about it. Otherwise, like Poppy and Elinor said, stick to bland food like plain white bread, plain white rice, etc. He said do live a little -- radiation and chemo are bad enough on their own and having to deprive yourself of your favorites is just insult to injury -- but just know that you may pay for it later GI-wise.

And it could be that you tolerate food better than others, so you may not need to stick to a strict bland, low-fiber diet, but at least you know in advance what to expect and what to watch out for.

A dietitian will be able to help you a lot, but do feel free to PM me with any questions since I can actually be of use in this area. My fiance is a really good doctor and a very caring guy.

[turtlegirl]

Thank you so much, estacey, I'll keep you in mind. :)

Yes, I do like quinoa and all kinds of soups.

[Treehugger267]

I was just asking my friend about this for someone else on the board who is going through treatments. My friend has IBS and takes Questran, it's a cholestoral drug, a powder mix, but it works wonders for digestive problems. It bulks things up, her mom takes it for her Crohns too. You could ask your doctor about it. I'm so sorry you are having to deal w/ this. ((big hugs))