Anyone fasting to boost chemo effectiveness & to reduce SE?

I will fast 48 hours before and 24 hours after chemo like I did the first time. My weight is pretty much back up to what it was before my last pre-chemo fast. I did not have any headaches or diarrhea as side effects the first go around. I am on FEC and was given Zofran to take after chemo - the pharmacist said I did not have to take it with food just water.

Hi Robyn, so glad to hear from you again.  I was hoping all was going well with you.  Hello to you too Cyborg and Neecee and to our new friends, Nicolgirl, Ma111, and SueUK.

On day 15 after my first FEC chemo (this Wednesday) I noticed that my hair was falling out when I ran my fingers through it.  I spent about 5 minutes over the bathroom sink and when it never stopped coming out, I called the hair salon and made an appt for later that afternoon to get my hair buzzed off.  The hairdresser talked me into going with a very very short pixie and coming back for the "buzz" when the hair thinning became noticeable.  That was two days ago - today is day 17. Significant hair shedding is not happening yet.  When I check my pillowcase, there is no hair on it, and my clothing has no stray hairs.  The hair only comes out if I pull on it so I have stopped doing that.

I thought chemo would mean no more periods and was caught off guard when I got my period this past Monday (4 days late).  It turned out to be a normal period for me.  Some of the woman in my support group said they got their periods once after starting chemo but not again.  I will see if that is the case for me too.  I am actually hoping that the chemo will put me into menopause permanently so that I do not have to make a decision about having a hysterectomy.

I found out today that my HER2 results are in and I am Her2 negative.  I will not need to consider getting a port after all.  I am happy about that.  I have had enough surgery already.  I will be having my reconstruction stage 2 surgery after I am done with chemo and radiation.

The fasting was much easier than I had expected the first go around so I may try increasing the pre-chemo fast to the 62 hours cited by Dr. Longo which would mean I could eat until midnight on Saturday for chemo on Tuesday at 2 pm.  I may just fast after breakfast on Sunday which would mean about 54 hours of fasting.  It will depend on how I feel when I wake on Sunday.   I will fast for 24 hours after chemo.  My chemo treatment lasted 2 hours and I ate at 24 hours after starting chemo.  This time I will try to wait to eat until 24 hours from the end time.

I have not been sick.  I did have some constipation but continued taking one colace and one senecot per day and was regular again within a week after chemo.  I have continued this combination every day since and will probably do so throughout the chemo.

I am sleeping 11 to 12 hours a night.  I really feel I need the extra rest.  I am trying to walk on the nice days but we have had lots of rain in the past two weeks.  I am finding that I am a bit lost without having a schedule to keep to other than medical appointments.  I will try to make a todo list of one or two things a day to accomplish.  Maybe that will help me feel more productive.

I think that the theory of how fasting may improve the effectiveness of chemo may be that the fewer side effects suffered may reduce the chances that you will need your chemo drugs reduced to a lower dosage.  I do not recall if the fasting has any effect on how quickly your blood counts recover after treatment.

Good luck to all of you and I wish you all side effect free (or at least minimal) treatments.  I look forward to hearing how the fasting goes for all of you.

Hi Nicolgirl, my medical oncologist told me that the tamoxifen would start after I finished the chemo.  I'm not certain but I believe that is the case for herceptin too. 

It is really nice to have so much information from people going through the breast cancer experience in one place.  I had been reading these boards since the end of last year before actually joining and starting to post in March of this year.  If hearing what I'm doing helps others who are not ready to participate in a way other than just reading, like I did initially, I'm happy.  

In the email I received from him, Dr. Longo referenced fasting 62 hours pre and 24 hours post chemo.

I have been drinking a lot of water but am not sure exactly how much. I have been a hot water drinker for about 10 years since I figured out tea was the cause of my migraines and gave it up. In addition to the hot water, I drink carbonated water and regular filtered water. I'm guessing at least 2-3 litres a day. I know that when I pass water it has almost no colour so I must be hydrated.



I had a banana around midnight last night and then started what will be my 62 hour pre chemo fast.



This afternoon, I had my hair cut with number one clippers. I couldn't stand all of the falling hair anymore. I could see bald areas once it was cut down. I am wearing one of the chemo beanies that I ordered online. It's great. I think I will order a couple more.



Good luck to everyone doing chemo this week!

I have been fasting for 61 hours so far and have my chemo #2  in just over an hour.  Last time I fasted only 48 hours before chemo and found it much easier to cope without food.  I am feeling a bit cranky and fixated on eating this time around.  Hopefully, like last time, I will not have much of an appetite following the chemo treatment so that I can make it 24 hours of fasting after chemo.

Another woman I know going through the exact same chemo treatment plan as me but a week behind, did not fast and she is in extreme pain due to mouth and gum sores.  She has also broken out in itchy red spots on her body and has felt terrible for almost two weeks since her chemo.  I don't know if fasting would have helped her but if I had to choose between the fasting and the pain, I would definitely choose the fasting.  So I should stop complaining right?

Take care to all of you!