Fasting during Chemo?
Comments
-
HI!!! Yes!!! I started chemo 2/18 and approaching my 4th cycle on 4/22. I've fasted each cycle and my numbers have been great and had very annoying but very manageable side effects. My last cycle I fasted 60 hours instead of 72 and had a much tougher time with side effects. So I say DO IT! I'm happy to give you any other details experiences. Hugs
0 -
Thanks Mary, did you still take your steroids prior to chemo?
0 -
Yes, not sure if you're referring to prednidone steroids which I'm already on for another condition or the ones onc gives me but I take all my meds, a some supplements but not all I also take papaya leaf extract look it up. Sloan Kettering did a study
0 -
I don't think fasting would be as healthy an option if you are having weekly treatment. It just doesn't give you much time for recovery not to mention the sustained potassium loss and damaged gut that taxols can cause. Better for ever three week treatments as that gives you a big buffer to focus on restoration -- which I think is essential. After about a week, or when my constipation was starting to let up around day 8 after TCHP I would start hardcore trying to push nutrient dense foods, probiotic food and supplements, and taking prebiotic foods as well. Chemo absolutely can flatten both the microbiota and the microenvironment as it hits the gut mucosa really hard. Fasting likely helps some with this but it is still a good strategy, especially if you have reason to think you are nutritionally deficient.
0 -
I fasted through my AC tx. I never regretted it as I felt it helped my side effects and helped kill cancer cells. I did 48 hrs before and 24 after. Drank only tea and water. Good luck!
0 -
I've heard good things from others who have chosen to fast before and after chemo. I am a weekly, so I don't think I could manage eating three days a week with my new Lion appetite, but I am looking into it when I start bi-weekly AC. Because there is only anecdotal evidence from patient experiences, most MOs don't recommend fasting. Blood counts and other health issues would be something to consider before fasting. Getting told that you have to delay treatment for low blood counts would defeat the purpose. But if you are otherwise healthy, it might be worth trying out. The idea is that by putting your body into starvation, your healthy cells go into protective mode and are less affected by the chemo. Cancer cells do not have this ability.0 -
Hi ladies, I fasted with every treatment. Although I had to stop my fourth round due to neuropathy I never got nauseated, vomited or fatigued. I had my crappy days with some other side effects but NOTHING like others experienced. Fasting also keeps your blood counts up actually, not down. Hence I never needed a nuelestra shot. Meanwhile it also makes the chemo more effective bec the healthy cells go into hiding and the cancer cells are xposed. Further, fasting as a lifestyle also kills off cancer cells. Check out google searches on IF aka intermittent fasting/cancer.
For those on weekly treatments it wouldn't hurt to try fasting 1-2 days of the week. Perhaps 36 hours before maybe?
0 -
I was on weekly Taxol and I fasted 36 hours before and 12 after. I believe it works very well to lessen the side effects. I doubted myself twice during my 12 weeks and did not fast-- those were my weeks of the worst side effects. I proved it to myself that it does work- at least for me.
0 -
excellent! God bless you HarrysMom💞
0 -
I'm bumping this thread up because I think this should be standard of care for all cancer patients.
Here's a related article that might interest you.
Study Suggests Using Excess Stress to Kill Therapy Resistant Breast Cancer
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/study-suggests-using-excess-stress- to-kill-therapy-resistant-breast-cancer-300088498.html0 -
im on my phone so the interface is wacky but I re linked to the article at the top of my previous post
0 -
I think the side effect systemically are far less -- your healthy tissues don't get hit as hard. It is very challenging, I recently did fasting during radiation for a brain tumor, but my recent scan looked clear in the tumor bed so I'm going to say yes, more is always better.
I followed others advice here and made sure to take lots of fluids which helps a lot. Since I still had my mothering duties to do and it was over a few days I would take a teaspoon of coconut oil, butter or avocado if I was needing a little bit more energy. When I hit my limit I switched to an extremely calorie restricted ketogenic diet. Lowering my metabolic rate like this caused me to be on the colder side and also caused more muscle fatigue but I've rebounded just fine.
I think it is important to note to introduce more food slowly after you come out of a fast as it can be hard on your system if you eat a lot.0 -
This thread is a couple of years old, so I would like to hear if there are people on this forum currently fasting while on weekly taxol
0 -
Thanks for this post. I start chemo on Mon. So I'm gonna stop eating after dinner on Saturday then continue eating on Tues at noon. I will eat avocado the morning of treatment. Crossing my fingers!
0 -
Lisbet- Thanks for bumping up this thread. It’s fascinating and I hadn’t heard of the idea of fasting pre and post chemo infusion. It makes sense, though. My oncologist has me on an everyday glucose-reducing eating plan (term I just made up; it's a modified ketogenic diet.). I'll ask her about fasting at my next appointment.
I am a week out from my first A/C infusion.
I’m having trouble keeping to even the modified ketogenic plan due to rabid cravings. Given that, I don’t know if I will be able to successfully fast for three straight days.
Julz- I hope you come back to this thread and tell us how it’s going. Best of luck with your first “sesh
0 -
There is a thread on fasting during chemo that has some links to research on the topic. https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/69/topics...
I fasted for three days before, day of infusion, and 24 hours after for each of my TC chemo rounds. I had very few side effects, except for hair loss (I didn't lose all my hair on my head, still have eyelashes and some eyebrow hair). I had pain from the Neulasta OnPro, I never had nausea, lower gi symptoms, mouth sores, or neuropathy, and my lab work stayed in range or very close to it. I did get a UTI after the first round, and took an antibiotic for that. I was very fatigued after the last round. I'm 17 days post final chemo, and I am feeling great.
My MO didn't believe that the fasting would help me in anyway, but was fine with me trying it. Not everyone feels the need to tell their oncologist, but I figured if I'm trusting my health to her during this time, it's fair to give her any information that might be relevant.
During my fasts I drank black coffee in the morning, herbal tea in the evening and a LaCroix (unsweetened seltzer water) in the afternoon (and lots of regular water all day). It was hard sometimes, but I really believe in the science behind it so I never considered breaking the fast early. My cardiologist put me on the Keto diet with intermittent fasting in February of this year, which made the five day fasts easier for me, I believe. I'm very overweight, but have lost a little more than 60 pounds since I started the Keto diet (25 or so during chemo months.) I have started rads, and am eating one very low carb meal a day, black coffee, tea, and unsweetened seltzer as desired.
0 -
Just finished 4th and final round of taxotere/cytoxan yesterday. I fasted 36-48 hours prior to each infusion and 24 hours after. Get to eat in 3 hours 😂. Synopsis of side effects, hungry day one of fasting, drank black coffee with stevia, supplemented water with tazo tea, no calorie electrolyte powder, regular supplements of daily multivitamin, alpha lipoic acid, glucosamine and senna. Lost hair 5 days before second treatment, still have eye brows and lashes. Havent shaved legs or pits in two months 😃. No nausea, but did have a little stomach pain day 4 after first infusion. Doc had me on dexamethasone and zofran for three days after each infusion. WBC dropped, a lot. 6.5 to 1.5 after two weeks, did three shots of granix bumped up to 30. Got ahead of it after subsequent treatments. First shot didn't take Claritin until after injection, followed with Tylenol. More pain than I have ever experienced. Second shot Claritin an hour before followed with ibuprofen, no pain what so ever 😁. Wish they would give more information on all this...also, hot flashes, all day and all night. I live in South Texas, still 90 degrees daily which does not help....
Other notable things about me and my lifestyle. I am an avid cyclist and have been able to continue riding throughout treatments (100 miles +per week) as well as swim. I ramp down to just walking and yoga while fasting for safety reasons. My lowest energy days are the two to three days after I quit the dexamethasone. Still ride, just slower and nap after. Started juicing a month ago as a nutritional supplement and I eat very little meat, although I do eat yogurt and cheese almost daily.
Overall, I feel pretty good. Concerned about starting tamoxafin, but will give it a try. I recommend the fasting, if nothing else, gives you control over your treatments....I was afraid to not try it. Last time I threw up was 1997, when I had the flu...
0 -
Wow, good to hear from you all! Sounds very exiting! I'm stage 4 - liver mets - that seem to be very aggressive at the moment. Ibrance/Faslodox (and before that Letrozole) failed me. Now moving to weekly taxol - no ending (so not a 8-round chemo). Until it stops working, onc. says. Never had any chemo before so quite scarred of the prospect. I will definitely try fasting 36-48 hours before and 24 hours after infusion. Just a little worried that it is every week - so will be kind continuous 3-4 fasting. And don't know how long this is going to be possible.
Please keep writing about your experiences as you go along. And if there are stage 4 on weekly taxol out there fasting - please kick in too!
0 -
lisbet54, so sorry to hear you have mets. That’s tough. I hope the taxol works for many years. Or even better, there is a cure.
I can’t imagine how difficult it would be to fast several days a week every week. If it ends up being too much, you might research “fasting mimicking diet.”
I hope you’ll post updates.
0 -
bump... has a new thread been started for Fasting during chemo? I am a newbie and my first Onc appointment is not until April 24th ... so I am reading everything and anything to help me through this so called BC Adventure!
Still waiting on pathology reports, I hate waiting.
Thank you in advance for any updates.
0 -
I think if you join an April 2019 chemo thread some people will be fasters on that. I fasted and I believe it benefitted me a great deal in SEs alone. Feel free to PM me if you need support!
0
