Into the Final Fast

I can hardly believe it, but I’m now 31 hours into the final fast before my (hopefully!) last chemotherapy session tomorrow (29th October 2015). In Blog 10 I felt it was too early to discuss how the fasting was going for that treatment, and that I would update you today.

So,  I can report that I stuck rigorously to my six day fast (350 calories-a-day for two days prior to treatment and for four days afterwards) and, whether cause or correlation, my digestive tract has had an easier ride this time overall. I have also had less severe pain, although I do have some ‘peripheral neuropathy’ (or numbness) in the fingers and feet, along with some leg pain, which would probably be expected to go by now. On that basis, we have agreed to reduce my chemotherapy dose by 20% tomorrow because my treatment outcome will not be affected, and that numbness can be permanent if not managed properly.

Keeping it Simple

When I started fasting I was preparing quite elaborate soups and stews which were delicious but, now I am receiving treatment every two weeks and am starting to feel very tired, it has been quite tricky to maintain.  So, my approach now is to keep it very simple, focusing on protein and vegetables for all meals, including breakfast. Sample meals include:

Breakfast (88 cals)

• Soft boiled egg
• 80g celery cooked in stock and cut into dipping ‘soldiers’ (with celery salt to taste)

Lunch (110 cals)

• 200g Yorkshire Provender Pea and Spinach Soup

Dinner (147 cals)

• 100g grilled chicken
• 50g steamed green beans
• 30g steamed broccoli
• 100g steamed spinach
• 60g steamed carrot

It’s pretty simple huh?! But doing it this way you actually get a really good plateful of food and, being simply prepared, it is gentle on the digestive system.

If you are vegetarian you could of course substitute the chicken for Quorn or a similar high protein product.

Much Reduced Surgery

After a summer of chemotherapy and fasting, I was feeling pretty nervous before my meeting with the Royal Marsden breast surgery team last week to discuss the surgical options open to me. Would the weeks of sickness and pain have been worthwhile?

Given that the starting point was a radical mastectomy back in June, I am so relieved to report that my surgical team are confident that they can remove the cancer by carrying out much reduced surgery on just one side.  What’s more, the scan they were working from was taken before my last two rounds of Taxol chemotherapy, so we can expect the tumours to have reduced even more by the time I have surgery on 26th November.   The neoadjuvant chemotherapy has done its job.

Thanks again for reading… If you are going through a similar experience I wish you all the very best.

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