Hi all

I start my Cisplatin tomorrow. I have resigned to the fact that it is going to be a bad couple of days but I'll survive.

What should I have for breakfast? I expect I'll struggle with nausea and eating etc, but whats best to start the day with? Big feed of bacon and eggs? Tons of cereal and fruit? Or go easy so it doesn't all come back up?

Dave, I would eat normally. They give you some IV anti nausea meds before your cisplatin dose. I usually ate fine during the actual dosing, they served lunch at my treatment center, and when I could no longer eat I was able to use my gravity feed formula on treatment day no problem. The worst for me was the second and third nights post chemo.

I was getting weekly doses, the first week was miserable and it wasn't that I had to vomit, it was like a very low grade seasickness... Just enough woozy/uncomfortable that you didn't want to eat anything and sleeping was difficult. I complained to the nursing staff and on the second week they used a bunch of anti nausea meds that worked well. I still was not 100% but it was tolerable.

You can read my blog in currently under treatment if you want to know the medication they had me on. Can't remember it now. Everyone reacts differently so go in with a good attitude you might be one of the lucky ones.

Hi Dave, Kris had a regime for anti nausea meds given to us before he started the Cisplatin. He took some prior to the first dose.
His meds were; Domperidone ( Mitilium ). 10 mgs 4 times /day

Ondansetron. ( Zofran ). 8 mgs. 3 times /day

Dexamethasone. 8 mgs. 2 times /day

Aprepitant. 80 mgs Once / day

He started this regime on the morning of the first dose.

I'm sure that the chemo Nurses will give you anti nausea meds. Please also ensure that you are given a script so that you have these meds to take routinely at home - at least for the 3 days following the Cisplatin.

You will get through this.
Tammy

This is from Cleveland Clinic, "I have cancer. What should I eat during cancer treatment?" The other is from NCI, National Cancer Institute, "What Should I eat before, during and after Cancer Treatment." These are in general, not just geared for Head and Neck Cancer Patients. Chemo effects start to be felt a few days after infusion, unlike radiation, which usually you start feeling 10-14 days after starting. Generally you want to stay away from foods that are Spicy, Acidic, sharp textured, not too hot tempersture wise as not to cause irritation to the mouth, which will worsen mucocitis, which is bound to happen, thrush, other infections. Strong smelling foods can also cause nausea, food aversions. I couldn't eat garlic during treatment, and could smell it a mile away, even on people's breath. The same with certain textures like bread, potatoes I couldn't eat for a year..it was a texture thing. You may want to eat a bland diet, sometimes not your favorite foods since your taste will be off, and may dislike them in the future if you do eat them during treatment. You definitely want to avoid unsafe foods, unsafe cooking practices, food handling, storage, and I limited my eating out to avoid sickness while my immune system is down. Water is also important to flush the cisplatin from the kidneys. Everyone is different in what they can taste or may dislike. It was trial and error for me.

http://health.clevelandclinic.org/2...l-_-social-_-140329+cancer+treatment+eat

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/coping/eatinghints/page1/AllPages

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/supportivecare/nutrition/Patient

Good luck.

Best wishes for your treatment Dave and hoping you sail through it.
Looks like you are getting great advise here.
Gabriele

Thanks everyone. They hydrated me for a couple of hours, put in some anti-nausea stuff in the mix, and it went ok. Was drinking water and peeing all afternoon but didn't feel too bad. I started to feel a bit seasick in the afternoon but I nipped that in the bud with Metoclopramide as instructed and I have Ondansetron and Dexamethasone as well. I'm aware it could be worse tomorrow, but I understand the importance of keeping on top of my meds.

Had the first radiation treatment today, which had me under the mask longer than normal while they set it all up. But I had my wife holding my hand through that so it was ok. Only 34 to go! Thanks everyone for the well wishes.

No two cases are the same I know, but I wasn't ready for the nausea. Not 8 solid days of it. I kept hydrated and kept on top of the meds, only vomited a couple of times. Constipation didn't help either. Today is the first day I've been able to eat without meds, which is a huge victory. Now to build up the strength again before the second hit in week 4. I'll be more mentally ready for it this time.

Hey there... everyone is different as you said. I found cisplatin only mildly annoying. Did they give you a med for breakthrough nausea? If not request one. Some people have a tough time with it. I really wasn't bothered by it. I had the three bag method but they kept me in overnight and ran an IV. Hugs,

Other than dinging my hearing pretty good, I had very few issues. Actually went on a training run after my first (of three) infusions. I never claimed to be smart...

Actually its good to move... even if you are feeling crappy... I used to walk my dog daily - twice... even if I was dragging my butt... ;o)

I think the best advice I got was to drink lots and lots of water and have a bowl of ice cream each night before bed.

The water for the kidneys and the ice cream for the calories. Besides ice cream has significant, but difficult to quantify medicinal benefits.

Definitely on the water.. My hospital was super cautious with cisplatin, they kept us in for the night on a full IV to flush the kidneys, hugs