In Blog 3 I reported the side effects I had experienced when I was more relaxed with my fasting regime, which included nausea  for 11 days; gastrointestinal disturbance; dry and cracked skin; sleep disturbance; shooting pains; watery eyes; and fatigue.

It is now only seven days since I underwent the last of my four EC chemotherapy sessions and I am very happy to say I’m recovering well. In fact, I think this has been the best of the four sessions, although each has had its very different charms!

Specifically, the side effects I have experienced to date after this final treatment include:

• Nausea whilst the chemotherapy is at its most active in the body (4 days after treatment)
• Gastrointestinal disturbance whilst the chemotherapy is at its most active in the body (4-5 days after treatment)

So… what went right? 

There are two aspects I want to discuss with you today: the drug regime I am following, and my fasting regime.

The Drug Regime: A 42% reduction in ‘core’ antisickness drugs between treatments 3 and 4

Firstly, I want to be very clear about the prescription drug regime I am on.

Whilst we will never know for sure if the positive impacts I am reporting are due to the drug regime… or the fasting … or indeed another unknown unknown… at least if I am transparent about the drugs I am taking you can read and take a view.

I have been prescribed a cocktail of drugs to manage the side effects of the chemotherapy (for 3 days during each treatment):

Core Antisickness or Anti inflammatory Medication

1. Domperidone
2. Ondansetron
3. Dexamethasone
4. Aprepitant

Other Medication

5. Lorazepam
6. Omeprazole
7. Laxido

Of course, it is impossible to draw conclusions from one person’s experience outside the confines of a controlled experiment, but to try to illustrate the very real improvement in symptoms I have experienced I would like to draw your attention to this very simple comparison:

• During the first seven days of EC treatment 3, when my approach to fasting was more relaxed, I took a total of 50 of the ‘core antisickness’ tablets. In addition, on days 7 and 9 respectively I was prescribed Cyclizine and then Omeprazole to cope with gastrointestinal inflammation and nausea, which lasted well into the following week.

• During the first seven days of my latest EC treatment 4, when my approach to fasting has been much more strict, I have taken a total of only 29 of these ‘core’ tablets. As of today, I am taking 1x Omeprazole daily but no other medication apart from the occasional over the counter indigestion tablet.

The reduction in the number of core antisickness drugs taken for the first seven days of treatment 4 compared to treatment 3 is 42%.

The Omeprazole is clearly having a positive impact in protecting my gastrointestinal system, but there could be more at play here…

The Fasting Regime: 350 calories a day for 6 Days

So, now I’ve come clean, so to speak, about the drugs regime I am following, I want to update you on the fasting regime I followed over the last week.

Whilst in my last blog I indicated I would increase to a maximum of 500 calories in the final 48 hours of my fast, I was so concerned about the potential side effects of the chemotherapy that I decided to fast as rigorously as I could. So, I ate a strict diet of 350 calories per day for 48 hours before treatment until 96 hours after.  I avoided carbohydrates including fruits and starchy vegetables and ate small amounts of protein with low calorie vegetables. I bulked my diet up with a natural fibre drink.

It was not easy. More than anything it’s just a bit dull, especially when your partner and mother are tucking into roast dinner on a Sunday evening!

But now I feel I am reaping the rewards.  At this point after treatment 3, I was still taking antisickness pills and had just been prescribed Cyclizine to handle long running nausea. The gastrointestinal disturbance had not even begun yet!

Today my appetite is healthy, food and drink tastes good, and I am eating all the things I love. The next few days will be crucial. Next week I will update you on progress and any additional side effects, which will hopefully be minimal. I will also talk about an aspect of fasting I have not yet covered in this blog – the potential impact of fasting on tumour response during chemotherapy.

I hope you find the information here useful. Do get in touch if you have stories or information to share – I’d love to hear from you.

Della x

Disclaimer:

The information contained in this post or any other post on this blog is based on personal experience and should not be viewed in any way as medical or other advice. If you are considering fasting for chemo, please consult your healthcare provider.

Copyright © 2015 Johnson