Ellen Campbell -Grizzle
MEDICINES USED to treat cancer are well-known to change taste and smell sensations. Food may taste rancid, bitter or metallic. This happens because chemotherapy alters the receptor cells of the mouth that tell your brain what flavours you are tasting and odours you are smelling.
There is no medication to relieve this temporary side effect. You can suck on hard, sugarless candy to decrease the metallic taste that is often caused by intravenous chemotherapy. However, these unusual sensations fade away and you will return to normal after a few weeks.
Chemotherapy can also affect the stomach and intestinal lining. You may feel 'too full' after you have eaten only a few bites. Try to eat slowly and have frequent small meals instead of three meals every day. Chew well. Avoid fatty, fried and greasy foods with strong smells as well as gas-forming vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cucumbers and green peppers. If you have any changes in your bowel habits, let your doctor know straight away. There are medicines that help with both diarrhoea and constipation.
HELPFUL HINTS
Here are some helpful hints to help you cope with some side effects that cancer medication may have on your appetite:
Avoid eating or preparing food when you feel sick.
Eat cold or slightly warm food if the smell of cooked or cooking food makes you feel sick.
Have a small meal a few hours before treatment (but not just before).
Drink lots of liquid, taking small sips slowly throughout the day.
Avoid filling your stomach with a large amount of liquid before eating.
If you have diarrhoea, eat less fibre (raw fruits, fruit juice, cereals and vegetables).
Avoid foods which irritate your mouth such as very salty or spicy foods, citrus fruits or rough foods like toast.
Drink plenty liquid to replace the fluid lost if you have diarrhoea.
If you have constipation, eat more fibre, raw fruits, cereals, fluids and vegetables.
Prune juice and hot drinks may help make your bowels work.
Eating fresh pineapple chunks helps to keep your mouth fresh and moist.
Ginger is a good natural anti-emetic. Try sipping ginger ale, taking herbal tablets or chewing crystallised ginger if you like the taste of it.
If you are worried about losing weight, ask your doctor to prescribe a 'meal in a drink'. Between chemotherapy treatments, you can drink these as well as have your regular meals.
Avoid doing too much around the time of your chemotherapy treatment. Get some rest. Some people find that using relaxation techniques help to reduce sickness.
There are several anti-vomiting drugs that your doctor can prescribe to help prevent and relieve your squeamish stomach. Feeling nauseous is now a much smaller problem than in the past and can usually be well controlled. Follow the directions for taking these medications very carefully.
Remember, many drugs are much better at preventing vomiting than relieving it once it starts. Do not give yourself a hard time if you really do not feel like eating in the two or three days following your chemotherapy. You can make up for lost calories between treatments, and remember that you will soon be able to enjoy your favourite foods again.
Ellen Campbell-Grizzle, president, Caribbean Association of Pharmacists; director, Information & Research, National Council on Drug Abuse; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.
