Administrator, Director of Patient Support Services Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 10,507 Likes: 7 | The best thing you can do to help yourself get thru this as easy as possible is to begin right ow focusing on your intake. Every single day take in a minimum of 2500 calories and 48 oz of water. Get used to this now as you will need to do this for at least the next year to help with recovery after rads is over.
I know it sounds like its alot but really thats the bare minimum you should get. With your health concerns you may need even more like 3500 calories and 64 oz of water daily. Your body burns up calories at an amazing rate while fighting cancer and trying to rebuild itself during and after treatments. Of course try to get the healthiest foods you can but also eat all your favorites now as well. Your sense of taste will change and eating probably will become difficult with your sense of taste being off and swallowing becoming a monumental task. You do not want to go into this craving anything so eat it now, especially any spicy or hard to swallow foods.
Wishing you all the very best with everything. ChristineSCC 6/15/07 L chk & by L molar both Stag I, age44 2x cispltn-35 IMRT end 9/27/07 -65 lbs in 2 mo, no caregvr Clear PET 1/08 4/4/08 recur L chk Stag I surg 4/16/08 clr marg 215 HBO dives 3/09 teeth out, trismus 7/2/09 recur, Stg IV 8/24/09 trach, ND, mandiblctmy 3wks medicly inducd coma 2 mo xtended hospital stay, ICU & burn unit PICC line IV antibx 8 mo 10/4/10, 2/14/11 reconst surg OC 3x in 3 years very happy to be alive |