I recently received an e-mail from a friend, about a friend of hers who has just been diagnosed with throat cancer. After a little thought about the content of her message, I sat down and typed a response. I share our back-and-forth communication with you today because it may help you, a friend, a family member, someone. And it may motivate some of you to contribute your own wisdom on the topic. If it does, by all means -- please share by leaving a comment.Jacki,
Hope all is well with you. Nick and I have a close friend that has recently been diagnosed with cancer. It's in his throat and neck area. He had his tonsils removed and showed they are the source of the cancer but he will still be undergoing chemo and radiation.
The reason I am reaching out to you is because I wondered if you had some good recipes for keeping your energy levels up during chemo and radiation. He said he needs to eat a lot of protein -- I want to make him some things, or buy the right food for him that are high in protein -- what should I be doing? How can I help? His throat is going to be very sore due to the location of the cancer and eating is going to be an issue. What do you suggest?
Here is my reply:
Other high protein ideas:
Fruit smoothie with protein powder.
Yogurt (beware of high sugar, though)
Cottage cheese (go low fat and it's very healthy). Add fruit on top.
Egg or egg white
Low-fat cheese. I love Sargento Light String Cheese.
Chicken
Turkey
Canned tuna (no albacore -- it has high mercury levels)
Salmon
Nuts and seeds (might scratch going down, though)
Nut butters
Beans
Tofu
Tempeh
Soy
Vegetarian burgers
Eating for energy:
Start the day with breakfast
Eat every three to four hours
Don't skip meals
Here's the catch -- chemotherapy often takes away appetite. So the chore is to keep eating when the idea seems somewhat repulsive.
I suggest naps to restore energy too! Radiation causes fatigue -- Why? No one really knows. Cancer is the perfect excuse for frequent, daily naps! I never took very many. If I ever have to do it all again, I'm taking nap time!
Please let me know if you have any questions! I'd be happy to share more or hunt down answers if you need them.
1. My friend in support group had cancer of the tonsils...surgery followed by radiation. She says her biggest regret is not going ahead and getting a feeding tube inserted before she started radiation. Swallowing food can become all but impossible, so she thinks it's best to just anticipate that and be prepared.
She said she would also have looked into a technique to move the salivary glands out of the radiation field so they don't get zapped. She's four years out and the lack of saliva is her biggest problem. Losing the salivary glands can have long-term implications for the health of your teeth.
Your friend might also email Dr. Cathy Oster, a head & neck cancer survivor who has developed a good nutrition plan. Email drpop@aol.com and say you got the address from Pat McRee. Cathy lives in Big Sky, Montana so if your friend lives close by, maybe they could meet.
Posted at 4:23PM on Jul 12th 2007 by patgmcree