Done with chemo, rads - now about those 10 pounds...

CHJ, isn't getting cancer a second time a real kick in the teeth!  You're right, you just have to do it.  I can't even imagine moving during all of this.  When I was going for chemo with ovarian we were having our basement finished.  I remember going to Home Depot at 10:00 at night after chemo and with a cold to pick out carpet!  What was I thinking?

Anyway, I guess I too missed the point zero weigh in, but I'll weigh myself today and report + or - this Friday.  By the way CHJ if you give up your soda you will lose weight.  It's so easy, yet so hard to give up.  I drink water and diet green tea.

The word on diet soda, and anything else with artificial sweeteners is that the sweeteners can make you crave more sweet stuff.

Personally, for a lot of health reasons I don't eat or drink anything lablelled "diet" if I have no clue what the ingredients mean, I don't eat it. I just eat regular food, and make sure the sweet/ high fat stuff is in moderation. My mom already died of cancer, and I am not taking any more chances on man made chemicals in my diet or in my personal care products. 

  Here is a site that has all the Kraft site does, and a lot more. 

 http://www.realage.com 

Cheers, Noelle  

Welcome Lauren!  The pedometer was great for me when I started to focus on losing weight a few years ago.  It was great because it opened my eyes to how little I was moving!  It was really sad to see the numbers at the end of the day.  But it got me to get up and move more during the day, so I love the motivation it gave me.

Does anyone know of anything we can eat or drink that is a good way to get the chemo out and get on with the raidiation I am on a tight budget so I was going to go to healthy foods only and cut back on all eating and drinik water no sugar products got any suggestions I am preparing for my body to come back... Hopefully by my birthday in November I can see some hair and some wieght off but 2 more chemo to go and I will try all through radiation ....

Maura

Hey Maura-I drank lots of water and ate a lot of salads, that helped a bit with the constipation during chemo as well.

Maura, constipation really snuck up on me during chemo.  I had been warned but didn't think it would happen as I've never had a problem there.  It was pretty bad though.  I agree with the green tea and water suggestions.  I was a big water drinker before chemo and thought I'd have no trouble continuing my massive water consumption during chemo.  I was wrong, it was very hard for me to drink (or eat) a lot of anything.  I kept trying different things...sparkling water, flavored water, etc.  I had to switch up all the time as things that tasted OK one week, tasted awful the next. My favorite green chi tea tasted like sludge during chemo and I couldn't stand it.  If you can ...keep up on the drinking.  I did feel better the more fluids I got in.  I can now happily report that I'm back to massive water consumption and green tea tastes great again..

Dear Winter, I know what you mean about constipation...not this time but 5 1/2 years ago when I had ovarian cancer.  It was so bad I couldn't even sip water and I wanted to die.  I remember telling my husband that if it was going to be like that every time I couldn't go through with the chemo.  But I learned how to manage it.

Lilith, you sound like me.  When my husband's home he cooks.  If he's not here it's a crapshoot.  Ususally it's just my daughter and I and if there are leftovers we have that.  The other night I had chips for dinner and yesterday the kids and I had takeout.  My husband is away two evenings out of every five.  I have a neighbour that brings food if he's away but only if it's not a day that she's working.  I feel guilty letting her do this but it sure does help.

Lauren, you have the right idea with the walking.  It's one of the best exercises out there and so simple to do...just put on a comfortable pair of shoes and away you go.  I had started back walking two Fridays ago, going out every evening after dinner, then I missed this Sat, Sun and Mon.  We were busy, either out or family over and I missed my walk.  Last night I was way too tired.  I have to get back on track starting today.

Also, Lauren, your point about the weight of the breasts occurred to me too.  I keep track of my weight and I don't remember my clothes being this tight at this weight but then I realized that my breasts (both were removed) must have weighed something even though they weren't that big.

CHJ, yeah I used dulcolax to prevent constipation.  As soon as the needle came out of my arm I started popping them.  During my ovarian the only time I threw up was from the constipation (which, by the way, was caused by the anti-nausea drug...talk about ironic).

The only way I can avoid eating chips, butter tarts, danish, etc. is to NOT HAVE THEM IN THE HOUSE!  My husband is terrible.  I'll ask him not to buy junk but then he does and then I have no willpower.  If I know it's in the house I'll eat it.  It calls my name.  I call him the saboteur.  The only way to prevent eating junk is to not buy it (for me).  I'm far too lazy to go out to buy it if I get a craving in the evening.

Winter, you made me laugh!  Luckily for me I don't like the same chips as my kids so at least there's no problem there.

irishdreama: I gave new meaning to "ripped a new one".  I had the bleeding too.  My onc said that happens a lot but it was very alarming for me.  Chemo really does a job on the entire digestive system from mouth to you know where!

Tortilla chips are my weakness, too, so I try not to buy the full-fat ones, just the baked.  Even so, I could eat half a bag if I'm hungry.  I sometimes make up little bags for myself with one small portion of salty food (chips, pretzels, etc.) and take that to work for a snack -- it's the only way I can control my portions.

Constipation has been an issue for me for a while (I have IBS and it's my major symptom) and during chemo it was horrible.  I have finally gotten on top of it (for this week, anyway) and I think it may have to do with the probiotic supplement I've been taking.  Also, I always thought that a stool softener (generic colace) didn't do a thing for me, but the visiting nurse who saw me post-surgery told me that I should take 2 pills (100mg) at night AND two in the morning.  I started doing that regularly and it seemed to help.  I am almost 3 months out from chemo and my body is finally starting to feel normal! 

WW is good because it forces me to write down what I eat and pay attention to portions.  I still go over my points allotment sometimes but it's way better than when I don't write it down.

Oh, just an aside.  My father-in-law and sister-in-law were over on Sunday for dinner.  What does my (almost) 88 year old FIL say to me?  Oh Barbara, you look like you've put on weight.  Arghh!!!  I haven't put on weight since he last saw me and, in fact, have lost several pounds since chemo.  Why do old people feel they can say rude things like this!!!!  I know he didn't mean it as an insult as he's done it before and last time my husband said the my FIL is of the generation that likes their women on the plump side.

When I said no I hadn't and my husband mentioned that that's not a good thing ever to say to a woman, he said no, I meant your arms look bigger!  Great.  I actually have thin arms and legs (below the knee, pudgy above, saddle bags, you get the picture).  I just haven't been able to do much toning lately especially the arms because of cording.

Anyway, I was so pissed off after and laid into my husband even though he defended me and told him I was going to stop eating.  Unfortunately, I didn't stop.  Who needs those kind of comments, even from a well meaning old man.

Ok do you have a "reward" for yourself when you make your goal?  Here's mine - getting my belly button repierced!  I got it done about this time last summer because I wanted to believe I was done with any scans that would force me to remove it for 6 months (well healed by that time and not an issue to remove and switch to a plastic one for scans) OH NO! In Sept I had PET Scan that found my Triple A and that led to 2 CT scans and then heart surgery!  Silly me for thinking I could do something "normal" that everyone else could do without thinking about scans!

So! When I hit 140 (5.5 lbs away but the smae 5.5 I've been fighting all summer!) I get it repierced!

Any plans for you?

Wintermoon-I hear you about the bleeding-I was so scared I'd end up with colon cancer on top of the breast cancer from all the trouble I was having. My former onc told me there would be constipation, but there's constipation and then there's CONSTIPATION!

Lilith, that's good to hear.  I keep stretching and I'm seeing the onc on Thurs when I go for my Herceptin so I'm going to ask her about it.  It got worse the day after I finished rads.

When I'm back to a normal weight I'll definitely buy clothes.  I hate to buy anything now coz if I go back to my normal weight I won't be able to wear them anymore so I'm waiting.