I just posted a photo of Tracy Edwards standing next to my posing suit. It's a beautiful suit and I can't wait to receive it in the mail and try it on! Tracy and I have been trading email messages about preparing for the competition, and it sounds like she is also making plans to compete in a show (go, Tracy!!). We were writing to each other about getting our bodies in shape, and our conversation prompted me to think about the way in which this process has altered my perceptions about women's bodies in general and my body in particular. Some of it is good, but I'm not so sure about other parts... Please comment on this post if you have something to share!
One of the harder things for me to do this spring was to consciously try to gain weight. Bodybuilding is about developing muscles, which means they get bigger. This means you get bigger. In order to get bigger, you need to gain weight. This was not easy for me, as I had spent my whole life trying to lose weight and stay thin. I went on my first diet when I was about 13, and I have worked at maintaining my slender figure my whole life since then. I had never tried to gain weight until now.
It started six months ago, when Domenick (my trainer) developed my first fitness program specific for muscle growth and suggested that I add calories and protein to my diet. I didn't gain weight by eating snacks and sweets. I added to my diet a whole protein supplement, more servings of lean fish and chicken and more complex carbohydrates (i.e. oatmeal, sweet potatoes, apples, whole wheat tortillas). I also watched the scale climb from 144 lbs. in January to 152 lbs. by June. Yikes! It was good weight gain, though, and my muscles were visibly and measurably larger. I had to keep reminding myself of this. In hindsight, it would have been good to gain even more weight, and I might feel braver to do that when I train for my next competition.
I had feared that gaining weight would mean my clothes would become tighter, especially in the waist. This was a particular concern for me because whenever I gain a couple of fat pounds, it all goes to my abdomen and people think I am pregnant. (This has happened on more than one occasion and is very demoralizing.) What pleased me with the weight gain this spring was that my clothes continued to fit me well, and my waistline didn't change. I will confess that my sleeves became tighter due to larger muscles in my arms, but I didn't mind this too much. I was feeling proud of my biceps.
What is interesting to me is that I now find more muscular women to be beautiful. The "skinny is the only way to be beautiful" fashion-model mindset has lost some of it's grip on me, and I now find myself thinking that the typical fashion model would be better looking if she gained a little muscle weight. When I first decided to train for a figure show, the muscularity of the women was still a little unappealing to me, but this has changed remarkably over time. The look has great appeal to me and I take pleasure in watching my physique develop.
A trend I am seeing in myself that is not so good is the difficulty I have in believing that my body does, in fact, look trained and attractively muscular. Much like the anorexic, I look in the mirror and don't see what other people see. I will think "I don't look like much", when even strangers will comment on how developed and strong my legs look. Getting comments like this from people I have just met is a reminder to me that I am not seeing my body objectively. Maybe none of us do. I would like this to change, though, and I am beginning to stop myself in the middle of the self-critical thoughts and remind myself of what is true.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Estrogen, sleep, hot flashes and training
My breast cancer was "estrogen-positive", which means that the presence of estrogen in my body made the cancer grow. To combat this, I began taking the drug Tamoxifan after I was diagnosed. Tamoxifan suppresses estrogen production, and I stopped having menstrual periods in June 2009, after a month of taking the drug. I'll take Tamoxifan for at least five years. In December 2009, I had a total hysterectomy which included the removal of my ovaries. This reduced my body's estrogen production even more and officially put me into menopause.
A low estrogen level leads to some unpleasant side effects, as many menopausal women will tell you, whether they've had cancer or not. It increases your propensity toward a gain in body fat and loss of lean mass. It also causes hot flashes, which lead to difficulty sleeping at night.
I go to sleep about 10pm and, on a good night, I won't wake up until 4 am. I may or may not be able to go back to sleep, and will usually get up before 6 am. Being tired can make training more difficult. To ensure that I get enough rest to make training possible, I stay in bed even if I wake up in the middle of the night. I resist the urge to get up and will practice deep breathing and meditating to help me relax and rest, even if I can't sleep again. I think this helps me have more energy during the day. Even if I am tired, I still work out and find that, once I get started, I'll have a bit more energy than I thought I would. On days that I don't feel that energy, my workouts are not as strenuous and I simply accept it, knowing I did the best I could.
In hot weather, I find that I need to work out early in the morning because it's cooler. I'll have hot flashes when I exercise, which can be pretty uncomfortable. Exercising in front of a fan helps, as does exercising indoors and keeping the air conditioning at a lower setting. I can't take any hormones or herbal supplements that raise my estrogen level, but I have had accupuncture treatments which I think have reduced the number and severity of hot flashes I've experienced.
Something I have been very pleased with is the fact that I have been able to build muscle mass despite a lower estrogen level. Having lower estrogen makes it harder to build and maintain muscle, but it's not impossible. I want to encourage other post-menopausal women to not lose hope if they are struggling to build muscle and lose excess body fat. I've also adjusted my diet to be lower in fat and higher in lean protein, which helps keep my body fat lower and lean mass higher. I will write about this separately in another blog, but I wanted to mention it here.
A low estrogen level leads to some unpleasant side effects, as many menopausal women will tell you, whether they've had cancer or not. It increases your propensity toward a gain in body fat and loss of lean mass. It also causes hot flashes, which lead to difficulty sleeping at night.
I go to sleep about 10pm and, on a good night, I won't wake up until 4 am. I may or may not be able to go back to sleep, and will usually get up before 6 am. Being tired can make training more difficult. To ensure that I get enough rest to make training possible, I stay in bed even if I wake up in the middle of the night. I resist the urge to get up and will practice deep breathing and meditating to help me relax and rest, even if I can't sleep again. I think this helps me have more energy during the day. Even if I am tired, I still work out and find that, once I get started, I'll have a bit more energy than I thought I would. On days that I don't feel that energy, my workouts are not as strenuous and I simply accept it, knowing I did the best I could.
In hot weather, I find that I need to work out early in the morning because it's cooler. I'll have hot flashes when I exercise, which can be pretty uncomfortable. Exercising in front of a fan helps, as does exercising indoors and keeping the air conditioning at a lower setting. I can't take any hormones or herbal supplements that raise my estrogen level, but I have had accupuncture treatments which I think have reduced the number and severity of hot flashes I've experienced.
Something I have been very pleased with is the fact that I have been able to build muscle mass despite a lower estrogen level. Having lower estrogen makes it harder to build and maintain muscle, but it's not impossible. I want to encourage other post-menopausal women to not lose hope if they are struggling to build muscle and lose excess body fat. I've also adjusted my diet to be lower in fat and higher in lean protein, which helps keep my body fat lower and lean mass higher. I will write about this separately in another blog, but I wanted to mention it here.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Training After Surgery
Since my cancer diagnosis in March 2009, I have had four surgeries. They include the double mastectomy, additional lymph node biopsy (both sides), a hysterectomy (open, not laparascopic) and a final surgery to replace the tissue expanders in my chest with silicone implants. The two hardest surgeries were the double mastectomy and hysterectomy; I experienced the most pain and limitations after these. After the first three surgeries, I had one or more surgical drains in place and was advised by my surgeons to not lift anything heavy or engage in exercise beyond walking for six weeks. My final surgery was simpler, and I was limited in my lifting and exercising for just 3 weeks.
I was very careful to follow my surgeon's directions after each surgery. I did not lift heavy objects, run, or engage in any upper body weight training until I reached the 3 or 6 week mark. I was committed to healing properly and not causing any damage to sites where I had surgery. With that said, I was intentional about not being sedentary during this time of healing, as I knew that would not be good for my health or fitness goals.
The day after each of the first three surgeries, I got up out of bed and moved around the hospital room. I was careful to sit down if I felt dizzy or in pain, but when I felt good, I would stand up again. The day after the mastectomy and lymph node biopsy, I began a daily routine of "walking my fingers up the wall" to maintain my arm and shoulder range of motion. This was critical to do as soon as possible. Had I waited longer, it would have become much more difficult and painful to lift my arms. (My fourth surgery was as an outpatient, and I was standing up an hour after I was awake in the recovery room.)
Each day after surgery, I would do a little more standing and walking in my house. By the third or fourth day, I ventured outside and walked slowly up and down my street. It was hard to do this with surgical drains in place, but it worked as long as I had the drains wrapped snugly against my body. I also added in more stretching each day, progressing to a full-body stretching routine. At one week post-surgery, I could walk a slow mile and then stretch. During the second week post-surgery, I would take this one-mile walk twice each day. Gradually, the walks became longer than one mile. I also started adding some simple muscle toning exercises while at home. I did calf raises and standing leg lifts while balancing myself against the wall. Finally, I sat on a stability ball instead of a chair beginning the second week post-surgery. While I did nothing more than sit on it at first, this helped me utilize my core muscles in a gentle way. I then added some simple lower-body exercises while sitting on the ball. I was very careful to maintain my balance and didn't do any movement that could have caused me to fall off the ball.
I was able to walk a mile because my pre-surgery fitness level was very high. Someone who is less fit going into surgery should not try to walk, move and stretch as much as I did or as quickly as I was able to do it. I never pushed myself; if I felt pain, fatigue or discomfort, I stopped and rested. The walking and stretching felt great. I think I needed less pain medication and slept better at night because of it. I also know it helped me feel more optimistic and peaceful. (Anyone who exercises on a regular basis knows its power to improve one's mental health.)
By the time I reached the 3 or 6 week date post surgery, I was feeling strong, flexible and ready to train again. Each time, I took a week to build back up to my pre-surgery level of training, but it was not difficult to do this. I'm convinced that the walking, moving and stretching I did during the six-week recovery period made the difference. (I was also careful to eat well and include enough protein, water and complex carbohydrates.)
Because I wasn't completely sedentary and ate a nutrient-dense diet during the recovery period post-surgery, I lost little muscle mass and physical ability during those times. This was very encouraging, as I was concerned that I would lose the fitness gains I had made prior to each surgery. My fears that I would lose muscle and increase body fat weren't realized during any of these periods.
I was very careful to follow my surgeon's directions after each surgery. I did not lift heavy objects, run, or engage in any upper body weight training until I reached the 3 or 6 week mark. I was committed to healing properly and not causing any damage to sites where I had surgery. With that said, I was intentional about not being sedentary during this time of healing, as I knew that would not be good for my health or fitness goals.
The day after each of the first three surgeries, I got up out of bed and moved around the hospital room. I was careful to sit down if I felt dizzy or in pain, but when I felt good, I would stand up again. The day after the mastectomy and lymph node biopsy, I began a daily routine of "walking my fingers up the wall" to maintain my arm and shoulder range of motion. This was critical to do as soon as possible. Had I waited longer, it would have become much more difficult and painful to lift my arms. (My fourth surgery was as an outpatient, and I was standing up an hour after I was awake in the recovery room.)
Each day after surgery, I would do a little more standing and walking in my house. By the third or fourth day, I ventured outside and walked slowly up and down my street. It was hard to do this with surgical drains in place, but it worked as long as I had the drains wrapped snugly against my body. I also added in more stretching each day, progressing to a full-body stretching routine. At one week post-surgery, I could walk a slow mile and then stretch. During the second week post-surgery, I would take this one-mile walk twice each day. Gradually, the walks became longer than one mile. I also started adding some simple muscle toning exercises while at home. I did calf raises and standing leg lifts while balancing myself against the wall. Finally, I sat on a stability ball instead of a chair beginning the second week post-surgery. While I did nothing more than sit on it at first, this helped me utilize my core muscles in a gentle way. I then added some simple lower-body exercises while sitting on the ball. I was very careful to maintain my balance and didn't do any movement that could have caused me to fall off the ball.
I was able to walk a mile because my pre-surgery fitness level was very high. Someone who is less fit going into surgery should not try to walk, move and stretch as much as I did or as quickly as I was able to do it. I never pushed myself; if I felt pain, fatigue or discomfort, I stopped and rested. The walking and stretching felt great. I think I needed less pain medication and slept better at night because of it. I also know it helped me feel more optimistic and peaceful. (Anyone who exercises on a regular basis knows its power to improve one's mental health.)
By the time I reached the 3 or 6 week date post surgery, I was feeling strong, flexible and ready to train again. Each time, I took a week to build back up to my pre-surgery level of training, but it was not difficult to do this. I'm convinced that the walking, moving and stretching I did during the six-week recovery period made the difference. (I was also careful to eat well and include enough protein, water and complex carbohydrates.)
Because I wasn't completely sedentary and ate a nutrient-dense diet during the recovery period post-surgery, I lost little muscle mass and physical ability during those times. This was very encouraging, as I was concerned that I would lose the fitness gains I had made prior to each surgery. My fears that I would lose muscle and increase body fat weren't realized during any of these periods.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Feeling sad and training anyway
Through most of my cancer treatment, I did not feel much sadness or depression. It's not that I was ashamed of those feelings or thought I shouldn't have them, but I knew I needed all of my energy to keep moving through surgery and treatment. It seemed as if my feelings were a luxury I couldn't afford at the time. If I let myself get down, it would have been really hard to go back for the next chemo treatment or have the next surgery. I knew that, at the end of treatment, those feelings might come and it would be time to face and accept them.
My tendency in life is to be optimistic. I usually see my glass as being half full, and finding the good in difficult situations is not hard for me to do. This ability helped me remain hopeful through treatment and not give up on my goals, including the figure competition. Through my treatment, I met several women who were also facing breast cancer, and it was interesting to hear their responses. A number of them struggled with depression and hopelessness during and after treatment. It was not uncommon to hear another woman tell me that she stopped exercising, socializing and otherwise taking care of herself during treatment. I was just the opposite and felt very motivated to take even better care of myself than I had been doing. I found that I could do this without feeling guilty of being self-centered, which I would have felt pre-cancer.
After my third surgery, a hysterectomy, I felt that I had come to the end of my treatment and that the hardest part was behind me. I still had reconstructive surgery to complete in six months, but that would be a smaller surgery and was not part of cancer treatment. Psychologically, I reached the point where I knew it was time to feel my feelings, and I did.
What I felt (and can still feel at times) was more like a sadness than a depression. I'm not sure what the difference is, but it seems like there is one. I am fortunate that the feeling has never lasted more than one day. I felt this sadness one to three days a week during the time after my hysterectomy and before I went back to work full time (about 5 weeks later). My job, which I enjoy, was very busy and I found myself once again putting the feelings of sadness on hold. Now that the semester has ended (I am a college professor), I'm finding that my sad days are returning periodically.
My primary way of handling the sad feelings is to acknowledge them, but to keep moving through the day as best I can. I may not have the energy to train as hard as I normally would, but if I can just make myself start, I will finish the workout. I do this with my other activities, too. I'll stop and take short rests, but then get going again with as much as I can do.
Friends have asked me if I would consider joining a support group or get counseling therapy. While I'm not completely opposed to a support group, I am hesitant to join one. My fear is that the other women will be depressed and bring me down. I'm also not sure that I will find other women in my stage of life and at my activity level in the group. We might not have as much in common. I am more open to getting counseling therapy, as I've had it in the past and liked it. Right now, I don't want one more thing on my schedule, which is probably another way of saying that I don't feel such a strong need for it. This could change.
One thing that has been very meaningful and helpful is to have people help me spiritually. I have been meeting with Ruth Workman for years for spiritual formation. Ruth and I meet once a month to talk about my life and where I experience God at work in all that is happening. I needed to take a break from our meetings during treatment, as I didn't have the emotional energy for them, but it is good to be meeting with Ruth again. I had another wonderful experience right after my initial diagnosis and surgery with a Stephen's Minister from the Woodside Presbyterian Church. Sara Ewing and I spent several times together as she prayed for me and my family. Sara was a caring, empathic listener and I am really grateful for the time we spent together. This summer, I am finding that I am able to meditate on scripture and pray again, and I do that each morning with my husband, Stuart. I know that God is holding me in his hands on the sad days.
Oh, one more thought. I find on my sad days that it is nice and cathartic to watch a movie or listen to a song that lets me feel sad. Today is one of my blue days, and I've listened to Howard Jones' No One Is To Blame about five times already. It helps to just tune out with a good, sad song and let the feelings out.
My tendency in life is to be optimistic. I usually see my glass as being half full, and finding the good in difficult situations is not hard for me to do. This ability helped me remain hopeful through treatment and not give up on my goals, including the figure competition. Through my treatment, I met several women who were also facing breast cancer, and it was interesting to hear their responses. A number of them struggled with depression and hopelessness during and after treatment. It was not uncommon to hear another woman tell me that she stopped exercising, socializing and otherwise taking care of herself during treatment. I was just the opposite and felt very motivated to take even better care of myself than I had been doing. I found that I could do this without feeling guilty of being self-centered, which I would have felt pre-cancer.
After my third surgery, a hysterectomy, I felt that I had come to the end of my treatment and that the hardest part was behind me. I still had reconstructive surgery to complete in six months, but that would be a smaller surgery and was not part of cancer treatment. Psychologically, I reached the point where I knew it was time to feel my feelings, and I did.
What I felt (and can still feel at times) was more like a sadness than a depression. I'm not sure what the difference is, but it seems like there is one. I am fortunate that the feeling has never lasted more than one day. I felt this sadness one to three days a week during the time after my hysterectomy and before I went back to work full time (about 5 weeks later). My job, which I enjoy, was very busy and I found myself once again putting the feelings of sadness on hold. Now that the semester has ended (I am a college professor), I'm finding that my sad days are returning periodically.
My primary way of handling the sad feelings is to acknowledge them, but to keep moving through the day as best I can. I may not have the energy to train as hard as I normally would, but if I can just make myself start, I will finish the workout. I do this with my other activities, too. I'll stop and take short rests, but then get going again with as much as I can do.
Friends have asked me if I would consider joining a support group or get counseling therapy. While I'm not completely opposed to a support group, I am hesitant to join one. My fear is that the other women will be depressed and bring me down. I'm also not sure that I will find other women in my stage of life and at my activity level in the group. We might not have as much in common. I am more open to getting counseling therapy, as I've had it in the past and liked it. Right now, I don't want one more thing on my schedule, which is probably another way of saying that I don't feel such a strong need for it. This could change.
One thing that has been very meaningful and helpful is to have people help me spiritually. I have been meeting with Ruth Workman for years for spiritual formation. Ruth and I meet once a month to talk about my life and where I experience God at work in all that is happening. I needed to take a break from our meetings during treatment, as I didn't have the emotional energy for them, but it is good to be meeting with Ruth again. I had another wonderful experience right after my initial diagnosis and surgery with a Stephen's Minister from the Woodside Presbyterian Church. Sara Ewing and I spent several times together as she prayed for me and my family. Sara was a caring, empathic listener and I am really grateful for the time we spent together. This summer, I am finding that I am able to meditate on scripture and pray again, and I do that each morning with my husband, Stuart. I know that God is holding me in his hands on the sad days.
Oh, one more thought. I find on my sad days that it is nice and cathartic to watch a movie or listen to a song that lets me feel sad. Today is one of my blue days, and I've listened to Howard Jones' No One Is To Blame about five times already. It helps to just tune out with a good, sad song and let the feelings out.
Friday, June 4, 2010
My diet and training during chemotherapy
I trained and monitored my diet through 18 weeks of chemotherapy, and I think it made a tremendous difference in keeping me feeling good and functional as much as possible. I would encourage anyone going through chemotherapy, whether they want to engage in body building or not, to exercise regularly and to eat carefully.
Here are a few things I did:
Exercise during Chemotherapy
My chemo treatments were tough. Many women with breast cancer will have 8 treatments and alternate between drugs. I had six treatments, but I received all three standard drugs (TAC) at every treatment. My treatments were three weeks apart (instead of two) for this reason. It would take until day 11 post-treatment for me to feel healthy again, so I would have a little more than a week of feeling strong before the next treatment began.
I would have treatments on Monday afternoons for 4 1/2 hours. My worst day would be Thursday, so I had a massage on that day from either of two massage therapists who were trained to work with cancer patients. Donna and Brenda were the two therapists at St. Mary's Hospital Wellness Center (in Langhorne, PA) and they were wonderful. The massage on my worst day helped me get through it more easily.
Each day without exception, I would make myself get out of bed, get dressed and take at least one slow walk in my neighborhood. It was hard to get out of bed, but once I was out, I would start to feel better. I would also do a 20-minute stretching routine each day. As the days went by, I could walk and stretch a little more until I reached the 8th day, when I would add in some resistance training. By day 14, I could jog 2 miles and do a fairly intense resistance training workout, which I would do each day for the week prior to my next treatment. I am convinced that this made me stronger for the next chemo treatment, and I my chemo symptoms were reduced because of my training.
Every Monday morning, my trainer (Domenick Salvatore), would come to my house and work with me. Even if it was day 8 and I couldn't do much, he came anyway and I did as much as I was able. Psychologically, this was very important to me. It helped me feel less like a cancer patient and more like a healthy athlete. How I perceived myself was cricital to my ability to stay active.
The great thing about training all through chemo is that I was able to maintain my fitness level so that, at the end of cancer treatment, I was still in good physical condition and ready to prepare for body building.
Diet during Chemotherapy
I experimented with my diet after each cycle and, by cycle 3, had figured out the best eating plan to help me feel better and move through the symptoms faster. Don't get me wrong; I still felt lousy much of the time, but not as bad as I could have felt. Many people lose weight during chemotherapy, but others gain weight because they are not exercising and they find that constantly eating can help settle their stomachs. My goal was to maintain my weight throughout chemo. I tried to limit the sweets and high-fat foods, and to eat as much organic, whole food as I could.
During the first few days of chemo, I would get up at 2 a.m. or so (I would naturally wake up) and go into the kitchen for a small bowl of shredded wheat 'n bran cereal with skim milk and two 12-ounce glasses of water. I didn't always want the water, but putting lots of ice in it and drinking it slowly helped get it down. This middle of the night snack helped me feel less queasy in the morning. Hydration during the first few days was also important to get the chemo drugs out of my body faster and help me feel better.
As much as possible, I limited sodium in my diet, as it only made me feel worse. I ate small, frequent meals with minimal spices, sugar or fat in them. Too much fat or oil in a food would make me feel worse after eating it. I also gave up ginger ale after my first cycle, as the sugar did not leave me feeling so good. Diet ginger ale tasted bad during this time, as chemo changes your sense of taste.
Eating healthfully and exercising gave me not only physical improvements, but psychological ones as well. It felt good to be taking care of myself during this time and doing all I could to minimize the negative effects of chemotherapy.
Here are a few things I did:
Exercise during Chemotherapy
My chemo treatments were tough. Many women with breast cancer will have 8 treatments and alternate between drugs. I had six treatments, but I received all three standard drugs (TAC) at every treatment. My treatments were three weeks apart (instead of two) for this reason. It would take until day 11 post-treatment for me to feel healthy again, so I would have a little more than a week of feeling strong before the next treatment began.
I would have treatments on Monday afternoons for 4 1/2 hours. My worst day would be Thursday, so I had a massage on that day from either of two massage therapists who were trained to work with cancer patients. Donna and Brenda were the two therapists at St. Mary's Hospital Wellness Center (in Langhorne, PA) and they were wonderful. The massage on my worst day helped me get through it more easily.
Each day without exception, I would make myself get out of bed, get dressed and take at least one slow walk in my neighborhood. It was hard to get out of bed, but once I was out, I would start to feel better. I would also do a 20-minute stretching routine each day. As the days went by, I could walk and stretch a little more until I reached the 8th day, when I would add in some resistance training. By day 14, I could jog 2 miles and do a fairly intense resistance training workout, which I would do each day for the week prior to my next treatment. I am convinced that this made me stronger for the next chemo treatment, and I my chemo symptoms were reduced because of my training.
Every Monday morning, my trainer (Domenick Salvatore), would come to my house and work with me. Even if it was day 8 and I couldn't do much, he came anyway and I did as much as I was able. Psychologically, this was very important to me. It helped me feel less like a cancer patient and more like a healthy athlete. How I perceived myself was cricital to my ability to stay active.
The great thing about training all through chemo is that I was able to maintain my fitness level so that, at the end of cancer treatment, I was still in good physical condition and ready to prepare for body building.
Diet during Chemotherapy
I experimented with my diet after each cycle and, by cycle 3, had figured out the best eating plan to help me feel better and move through the symptoms faster. Don't get me wrong; I still felt lousy much of the time, but not as bad as I could have felt. Many people lose weight during chemotherapy, but others gain weight because they are not exercising and they find that constantly eating can help settle their stomachs. My goal was to maintain my weight throughout chemo. I tried to limit the sweets and high-fat foods, and to eat as much organic, whole food as I could.
During the first few days of chemo, I would get up at 2 a.m. or so (I would naturally wake up) and go into the kitchen for a small bowl of shredded wheat 'n bran cereal with skim milk and two 12-ounce glasses of water. I didn't always want the water, but putting lots of ice in it and drinking it slowly helped get it down. This middle of the night snack helped me feel less queasy in the morning. Hydration during the first few days was also important to get the chemo drugs out of my body faster and help me feel better.
As much as possible, I limited sodium in my diet, as it only made me feel worse. I ate small, frequent meals with minimal spices, sugar or fat in them. Too much fat or oil in a food would make me feel worse after eating it. I also gave up ginger ale after my first cycle, as the sugar did not leave me feeling so good. Diet ginger ale tasted bad during this time, as chemo changes your sense of taste.
Eating healthfully and exercising gave me not only physical improvements, but psychological ones as well. It felt good to be taking care of myself during this time and doing all I could to minimize the negative effects of chemotherapy.
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