COFFEE

I was told no caffeine..so I switched to decaf...But the only ones I like are the flavored ones.

They taste better than the regular decaf.

Angie

I drank coffee through out my treatments with no adverse effects.  I drink alot of coffee, there were a few days post treatment where coffee just didn't taste as good so I didn't drink much.

My Dr. never told me to stay away from coffee either.  I had TCH.

I'm a caffeine addict through & through and found it especially helpful in getting me through chemo. I was never sick, but became so laid back that I could fall asleep at will instantly. Coffee kept me working, both at my full-time day job and at my part-time aerobics job. Otherwise, I would have fallen fast asleep on my step bench and been rather poor inspiration for my students! If coffee bothers your stomach though, Red Bull is VERY helpful. Also, Mountain Dew can be "used" in a pinch!

~Marin

Hi i drink coffee.I'm 15 months out from treatment Ned,and I still drink coffee everyday.I did drink it everyday during treatment.They have taken everything from me there not taking my coffee....godbless roxy

I drank coffee every morning during chemo and still do. On days though that my tummy was a little off-I would start with some coconut juice. Then wait a little while-then have my coffee.I absolutely love coffee in the morning. I did TCH. Since it was evy 3wks, usually around the third week I would have a glass of wine or a beer.

I was told to lay off coffee and alcohol while on chemo.  The reasoning being that I have acid reflux and have been taking Protonix daily before I started Chemo.  Chemo can worsen acid reflux on it's own so it's important for me to avoid any triggers and take my medication regularly.  I get awful hearburn with the reflux and I slipped and had about a 12 oz. coffee over the weekend (boy was it good) and got bad heartburn.  This was day 17 after my 1st Chemo treatment.

I recently saw an interview on the Today show with regard to health benefits/risks with caffeine and the thing that stuck with me was that the expert said that caffeine is metabolized differently by different people.  As a result, you will have individuals who can drink 20 cups a day and not seem to be affected and individuals who drink 1 cup a day and will have some sort of side effect(s).   

Another thing is that I also have fibrocystic disease in my breasts and caffeine (even in very small amounts I've recently discovered) has an inflammatory effect on me and makes them tender.

So my answer is that I think whether or not you can drink coffee during chemo depends your body's reaction and individual medical history.

I have always been a one to two cups a day person and never had a problem up until around the time I turned 40.  What is it about 40????  I love coffee and really miss it.  I'm trying with some success switching to green teas.  I also will have an occasional decaf just to participate in the morning ritual.  I've heard/read though that there are chemicals used in the decaffeinating process that may not be good for us.  I have not done a lot of research on this though.

Sherrie 

I drank coffee through my tx. What I did was dring 32 oz of water throughout my infusions to help flush out my body. There is this water called Penta water that is supposed to hydrate you better. When Kroger had it on sale, I bought a bunch for my tx days. Not sure if it helped or not. I drink about 6 bottles/glasses of water a day. I still drink cokes, and eat chocolate. The only time I was told to limit my caffine was when I was dx with fibrocystic breast disease and I went 4 years with decaf. Then I had a Starbucks and I was off and running. I don't drink alcohol but I love my morning cups of coffee. Just try one cup in the am. Switch to flavored water during the day. I like the new mineral waters although they do have sugar.

Shoot...along with snacks, water and soft drinks, they had a coffee machine in my tx room??? I was never told to stop it.

Debbie 

Debbie 

Hi, all ~  I was told no caffeine for several days prior to surgery, but it was never mentioned re. chemo.  After my lumpectomy in Feb., coffee didn't appeal, so I started drinking Chai.  When I gave that up prior to my mx, I never went back to it or coffee.  I only drank 2 cups of coffee a day, but I used to have frequent headaches, which I had never connected to the coffee.  But since I have been off coffee, I have not had one headache.  Now I'm addicted to a big glass of OJ in the a.m.    Deanna 

my onc, my doc, my surgeon all agreed that coffee or alcohol were ok - in moderation of course. So that one glass of wine, one cup of coffee was OK, given my otherwise good general health. It was specifically stated that whatever tasted good and made me feel good added to my well-being and to the good outcome of the whole process.

I found it a pretty sensible approach. Of course, it still all tasted like ****.