Fasting before Chemo?

I did not fast before chemo - I needed to eat processed carbs and fiber like oatmeal or whole wheat bread before chemo to fight the nausea but I drank lots of water before I went in and during chemo to flush the meds from my system - my MO and the nurses recommended that and they felt I had fewer side effects because I was well hydrated? And I kinda fasted during infusions - I only ate crackers or hard candy to take the taste out of my mouth, if I ate much more than that I felt bloated, like my GI tract couldn't handle too much to digest but with the anti-nausea meds that got better by the next day. It's been 4 1/2 months and I have healed really well from both my surgeries, my hair is about 2 inches long and my fingernails are back so thankfully my healthy cells seemed to rebound well:) Good luck with your chemo...

I would think fasting before chemo is a bad idea. You need a lot of water, water and more water, but also protein, fiber and just calories. I had no appetite for the first few days after chemo, so eating well before each treatment was important.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3048045/

Literally, you are starving the beast, not feeding it with lots of calories.  And seems to allieviate side effects too.

Claire

Thank you Teresa and Melrose melrose. This is day 6 after my first chemo. I think maybe the fasting helped with se's. No nausea, no mouth sores. Im not saying it was a picnic. Day two was chemo fog. And a general yuk feeling. And each day there has been something.The biggest thing I have pain from is the neulasta shot. Even with clariton each day my bones hurt. Today my back throbs. If it wasn't for that, I'd feel good today. I'm wondering, since I am fasting and fasting protects the good cells, does the white cell count stay higher? Hmmm! Going to fast the next go around also.

One reason I did not fast but ate light meals the day before and the morning of my chemo is that the infusion nurses were adament about me having some food in my tummy before the infusions.   I received a combo of IV drugs right before my chemo round---- Zofran, Benedryl, Ativan.  The Zofran can ( not always) cause nausea if taken on an empty stomach.  Just remember everyone reacts differently to the chemo and meds. 

Wishing everyone the best with their chemo rounds and minimal side effects!!!  

Hi, fasting friends,

I'm very intrigued and believe I will try a modified fast. My very first chemo date is Sept 16 (2013) and I'll be doing A C followed by T (I guess that will show up on my sig?)

My oncologist hadn't even heard of it so I sent her some of the links. Still waiting to hear back. Though young she strikes me as conservative and very middle-of-the-road. I just called the 1-800-4CANCER folks (National Cancer Institute) and it appears that the trials underway will not conclude till 2015. So we just have anecdotal evidence to go on and the one 2009 (?) study that involved only 10 people.

I guess the question is does modified fasting (say 500 calories?) help reduce side effects or do we need to go all out, I wonder?

Thanks,

Bonnie

Hello Bonnie - Not sure what the modified fasting calories is. The first chemo I did 0 calories and only lots of water. The second time I did about 600 calories in about 84 hours. The third time I haven't written anout in this forum yet. I guess nows a good time.

Carla53, thanks for those posts. I am still on the fence but leaning towards some kind of light fasting (say 500 calories per day) for the two days before. Hard to see how that could hurt anything! I will report back if I do indeed do it. First chemo 9/16 and I am dreading it but I do take heart from all the helpful, resourceful and determined woman energy represented on these boards!

I'm "fasting" now for my next chemo on Thursday. By fasting, I mean 500 calories/day two days before, day of and day after - definitely not water only. I'll also include some vitamins and supplements for the nutritional deficit. I wouldn't do a water only fast without doctor's supervision and my MO isn't keen on it.

I did this last time for round 2 and it really alleviated the bloating, constipation and gas I suffered in my first round of chemo - my SO was poking at my belly telling me I looked like I was pregnant, it was so bad a couple nights. My fatigue wasn't any better, but I'm doing the fasting again to reduce the digestive tract effects. All in all, my second round was no worse than first in regards to fatigue, so no cumulative effects, and the digestive tract SEs were so much better. Neulasta pain was about the same. I don't know about nausea because I'm taking the meds preventatively throughout the first week since I threw up once 7 days out the first round after taking my Zofran too late to help.

My big change this time compared to the last round is I'm going to try to have all 500 calories in one meal each day so it is a 24 hour fast between eating. Last time, I spread it over the day as very small breakfast, lunch and dinner meals. Food is going to be some protein (chicken breast) and the rest all veggies and fruit - no grains (too calorie dense).

Edit to add: I can't tell from the thread link from SpecialK when in the chemo cycle TonLee was fasting. Sounds like in the week following treatment. That isn't what the pro-fasting research is suggesting! I think you do neet to nourish your body after chemo. Fasting before and during chemo is what has shown a protective effect in mice.

There is actually a clinical trial going on to test this now. http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/search/view?cdrid=649836&version=healthprofessional#EntryCriteria_CDR0000649836

I emailed Valter Longo about for his recommendations and let me know about this. I had considered joining but didn't meet the eligibility (Histologically confirmed malignancy for which platinum-based chemotherapy on a 21 day cycle or 14 day cycle is being recommended). 

He also copied in the email some general information I hope he is okay with me sharing here. 

"If the oncologist agrees, the patient can fast for 3 days before and 1 day after chemo.  Depending on what type of chemo is being administered and at what intervals this could change. Patients should avoid re-feeding (resuming their regular diet) until the chemotherapy is below toxic blood levels (usually 24-48 hours after administration). Although we have seen a few negative side effects caused by fasting (high liver toxicity markers in 1 patient fasting and receiving a chemo cocktail) there are some potential risks so keep that in mind. For example, an early re-feeding immediately after the chemo could cause liver damage, because of the combination of hepatotoxic drugs with the proliferation of the liver caused by fasting. Also, several patients have fainted while taking hot showers after several days of fasting probably because of the major reduction in blood pressure and glucose levels after day 1 of fasting. The patient should also not drive or operate machinery and sho uld be preferably accompanied by someone during the fasting period. Most people can drive while they are fasting but for a few this could be a problem. Starting 24 hours after the chemotherapy, the patient should only eat rice or a similar source of carbohydrates + soups + fruit juices for a period of 24 hours. Then, a normal diet can be resumed, paying particular attention to nourishment (vitamins, minerals, proteins, essential fats). The patient should also try to return to within 2-3% of their body weight before doing another fasting cycle. Obese patients should consult their doctors on whether some of the weight loss caused by fasting is advisable and whether they should try to remain at the lower body weight. Diabetic patients should not undergo fasting unless this is approved by their diabetologist. Subjects on hypertension medication should also talk to their doctor about the blood pressure drop caused by fasting and the risk of combining it with medications. Until cli nical trials are completed fasting will remain an experimental procedure and should only be considered with the approval of the oncologist and when other viable options are not available or are known to be ineffective."

The liver toxicity frightened me! That's why I opted to just do a reduction to 500 calories to just lighten up my food intake and alleviate some of the slow digestive tract issues.

Last chemo was August 28th )).



Again I did more of a calorie restriction. Similar to what I wrote on my last post. Again had similar s.e.'s in addition this time my tongue hurt a little, my fingernails had white lines in them. My fatigue has lasted longer. My blood count once again was good and did NOT need any shots. Sooo glad about that Maybe if I completely fasted s.e.'s would have been better. Who knows. Although I have had fatigue, I don't feel it is because of the fasting or limited calories. I have noted almost everyone if not all on my chemo board has had fatigue and they have not fasted.

All in all I am glad I did this. I feel my s.e.'s have been less than most that I've read about. My blood count was good. Never had nausea never had mouth sores. Diarrhea very light and sometimes not at all. Food always tasted good. Will never know for sure what my s, e.'s would have been if I had my normal diet.



Good luck to all. And God Bless.



Carla