Cancer treatments can affect and temporarily destroy taste buds. Your sense of smell may also be altered. Changes in taste and smell can reduce appetite and create aversions to food. To combat this, try combinations of foods that make food taste and smell better to you. Some people find that tart flavors, like lemon wedges, vinegar, and pickled foods, are better tolerated and tasted. If you have a metal taste in your mouth, try drinking water flavored with lemon before you … [Read more...]

Constipation is a common side effect of many medications, especially medications for pain. Regular bowel movements are different for everyone, so there's no "right answer" when it comes to how often you should have a bowel movement. Constipation means that you are: unable to move your bowels, or are having fewer bowel movements than normal, or are having to push harder to perform your normal bowel movements, or bowel movements are painful and stool very … [Read more...]

Weight loss can affect healing and recovery, as well as result in the need to stop treatment, if weight loss becomes too severe. Be sure to get adequate protein and calories. Eating small, frequent meals throughout the day can help with this because it helps you get the calories you need without overwhelming your system or making you tired from eating. See our post on Poor Appetite for more information on this. Eat when you feel hungry! There are times you will feel … [Read more...]

Tiredness can be due to cancer treatments, stress, diarrhea, dehydration, infection, or anemia. Because you can’t measure tiredness, it is important to keep track of it and let your doctor know. Keep a journal of how often you become fatigued and how long it lasts. Choose a fun journal that you will remember to write in! Note when fatigue happens and what was happening that day. Sometimes feeling sad or down can make you feel tired and weak, as well. At this point, the … [Read more...]

Diarrhea is defined as having two or more watery stools per day. This can lead to weakness, poor appetite, dehydration, and weight loss. With diarrhea, you will need to increase fluid intake to rehydrate yourself from lost fluids. Make sure that you are avoiding caffeine and carbonated drinks. With persistent diarrhea, you may need to choose sports drinks that contain electrolytes. Eating small, frequent meals can be easier on your stomach and reduce the risk of diarrhea. … [Read more...]