Increased appetite?

Dear Cathie,

No, it's not your imagination. You were most probably given dexamethasone to prevent allergic reactions and nausea, and that will give you the appetite of Gargantua. The only way to deal with it is to consciously eat things that won't pile the pounds on you -- salads, vegetables, fruit. I was determined not to gain weight during chemo, especially since all studies show that weight gain tends to influence recurrence rates, and so had to engage in an ongoing battle not to eat my two cats (not to mention gnaw the floorboards and eat through the Venetian blinds).

It's hard not to load up on simple carbs when your body is urging you to do so, but maybe you can program a couple of treats throughout the day and use willpower to stick to those. I bought Dryers' fruit bars (no sugar added version) and Jell-o chocolate pudding (diet variety) to reward myself for eating mainly raw veggies and fish.

Hugs and keep that chin up!

Annie Camel Nostrils

I had the same reaction to the Decadron and Zofran they gave me - was starving - and sleepless as well. So I told my onc not to give me those pre-meds - and I've been fine without them. Just a bit of diarrhea the day of my infusion. My question is - why do the oncs routinely give us the steroids even before a first infusion? In my case  my original onc never gave me the steroids and I was fine. When I switched to a new onc office, without my knowledge, they gave me the steroids and I immediately saw a difference in my SEs (including extremely painful constipation and bloating which lasted 3 days). I told them I never got nauseous before - so they agreed to stop giving me the pre-meds. I know most women on chemo are on much more difficult drugs than I was - but still, if the side effects of the pre-meds are so bad, can't the oncologists switch meds or remove them?

I was told that the steroids were to protect the bladder from damage.  That is also one of the reasons we are told to keep drinking and to go to the bathroom often.

I too had the terrible hunger.  I now understand why babies cry so much when they are hungry.  I can remember getting up in the middle of the night to eat.  One of my favorite foods while on chemo was watermelon. It is high in iron, fiber and fluids.  I still eat a lot of it!