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Help - Does anyone have any diet advice before Radiotherapy?

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User
Posted 18 Sep 2014 at 11:00

Hi,

I'm due to begin RT very shortly with the planning session taking place next Friday (26th).  I suppose to prepare by avoiding certain foods in my diet seven days before planning and during treatment.  They've suggested certain foods I shouldn't eat but not really suggested what foods I should eat.  Has anyone any advice based on their own experience?

Thanks.

Steve

User
Posted 19 Sep 2014 at 17:59
User
Posted 18 Sep 2014 at 18:26

Hi Steve,

My advice is to go along with what your medical team recommends.

My experience of salvage RT with 66Gy over 33 sessions was that my team did not recommend any changes to my diet, they just asked me to stick to their protocol of a full bladder (1 litre of water 50 mins before for me) and an empty rectum (Microlax about 2hrs before) and said they would suggest changes if I had specific problems. So I ate my normal diet with plenty of fibre and occasionally had curries and hot chillies with no ill effects.

I had no significant issues apart from mucus occasionally and I think that was as much due to the microlax as anything else.

Some general advice especially if your hospital wants a full bladder is to know where the toilets are on your way home, I had a couple of Tescos on my 35mile rural route home which I often used.

Good luck with it all and I hope you find the RT easy

Andy

Edited by member 18 Sep 2014 at 18:32  | Reason: Not specified

User
Posted 18 Sep 2014 at 18:32

Hi Steve,

I don't have any advice re the diet , I wouldn't want to give you wrong advice but I would like to say good luck. I am sure lots of people will have some good advice for you.

BFN

Julie X

NEVER LAUGH AT A LIVE DRAGON
User
Posted 18 Sep 2014 at 18:52

Steve I was much the same as Andy. They did give me a diet sheet but advised only to change to it if I developed any problems.

Fortunately I sailed through it and had no problems whatsoever and I ate and drank as normal throughout.

Good luck with yours

Bri

User
Posted 18 Sep 2014 at 20:55

Hi Steve

The time seems to have flown round so quickly since diagnosis and you are planning the RT already!

I know that this does not answer your question directly, as we were not given any medical advice about what to eat as such, but had a booklet that advised us in the case of diahorrea or constipation (whichever happened, if any) - as it happens my OH had neither so we controlled his diet ourselves as normal.

That said, we decided that during the RT he would have the following foods (after reading about foods and the prostate): The thinking was that we wanted to assist the RT as much as we could in killing the cells and did not want to 'feed' it in any way after reading that dairy could so this.

1. Reduced Dairy from 3/4 cappuccinos a day to this amount or less per week.
2. Ate broccoli/cauliflower/red kidney beans with every evening meal.
3. Drank a glass of Pom per day.
4. Increased tomato items (sauces on pasta, tomato ketchup, soup etc).
5. Cut out red meat and stuck to chicken mainly and fish (in batter!! OH is from Yorkshire)

Don't know if it helps, but we thought it was worth a try and could not do any harm!

When discussed with Onco he was not convinced - as they seem to only rely upon strict medically researched advice, but I read a lot of the Jane Plant books and a book I have related to diet and prostate cancer (I can look up exact details if you need it).

Have tried to continue with these diet outlines since, but not easy as Pom is sugary and OH got sick of the veg, but just trying to have a varied diet now as you never know what will come out next in the news as being bad for you.

Good Luck. Must dash...babys nappy to do!!

Alison

User
Posted 19 Sep 2014 at 13:19

Hi Gerry

The machine my hospital used to give me IMRT was a Varian. The idea behind the protocol is to attempt to keep the bladder and rectum as far away from the target as possible and then to try to keep the shape of your insides the same for each zapping.

Did they explain how RT dehydrates you?

Andy

User
Posted 27 Sep 2014 at 03:54

Thanks everyone for your advice.

I finally had my RT planning session at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading this morning (Friday), at long last.  Whatever I ate in the last few days, must have worked.  It seemed to go well and now I have my first tattoos.  My kids were disappointed, they said they were pathetic, they were expecting more than just dots.

I was also told my RT would start on Tuesday 14th October and I would have 19 sessions of 3Gy (total 57Gy) on a IMRT Linac machine.  Really pleased to get a date at last, nothing much seemed to be happening over the last couple of months and I was keen to know when my treatment will get underway.

Steve

Edited by member 27 Sep 2014 at 03:56  | Reason: Not specified

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User
Posted 18 Sep 2014 at 18:26

Hi Steve,

My advice is to go along with what your medical team recommends.

My experience of salvage RT with 66Gy over 33 sessions was that my team did not recommend any changes to my diet, they just asked me to stick to their protocol of a full bladder (1 litre of water 50 mins before for me) and an empty rectum (Microlax about 2hrs before) and said they would suggest changes if I had specific problems. So I ate my normal diet with plenty of fibre and occasionally had curries and hot chillies with no ill effects.

I had no significant issues apart from mucus occasionally and I think that was as much due to the microlax as anything else.

Some general advice especially if your hospital wants a full bladder is to know where the toilets are on your way home, I had a couple of Tescos on my 35mile rural route home which I often used.

Good luck with it all and I hope you find the RT easy

Andy

Edited by member 18 Sep 2014 at 18:32  | Reason: Not specified

User
Posted 18 Sep 2014 at 18:32

Hi Steve,

I don't have any advice re the diet , I wouldn't want to give you wrong advice but I would like to say good luck. I am sure lots of people will have some good advice for you.

BFN

Julie X

NEVER LAUGH AT A LIVE DRAGON
User
Posted 18 Sep 2014 at 18:52

Steve I was much the same as Andy. They did give me a diet sheet but advised only to change to it if I developed any problems.

Fortunately I sailed through it and had no problems whatsoever and I ate and drank as normal throughout.

Good luck with yours

Bri

User
Posted 18 Sep 2014 at 20:55

Hi Steve

The time seems to have flown round so quickly since diagnosis and you are planning the RT already!

I know that this does not answer your question directly, as we were not given any medical advice about what to eat as such, but had a booklet that advised us in the case of diahorrea or constipation (whichever happened, if any) - as it happens my OH had neither so we controlled his diet ourselves as normal.

That said, we decided that during the RT he would have the following foods (after reading about foods and the prostate): The thinking was that we wanted to assist the RT as much as we could in killing the cells and did not want to 'feed' it in any way after reading that dairy could so this.

1. Reduced Dairy from 3/4 cappuccinos a day to this amount or less per week.
2. Ate broccoli/cauliflower/red kidney beans with every evening meal.
3. Drank a glass of Pom per day.
4. Increased tomato items (sauces on pasta, tomato ketchup, soup etc).
5. Cut out red meat and stuck to chicken mainly and fish (in batter!! OH is from Yorkshire)

Don't know if it helps, but we thought it was worth a try and could not do any harm!

When discussed with Onco he was not convinced - as they seem to only rely upon strict medically researched advice, but I read a lot of the Jane Plant books and a book I have related to diet and prostate cancer (I can look up exact details if you need it).

Have tried to continue with these diet outlines since, but not easy as Pom is sugary and OH got sick of the veg, but just trying to have a varied diet now as you never know what will come out next in the news as being bad for you.

Good Luck. Must dash...babys nappy to do!!

Alison

User
Posted 19 Sep 2014 at 13:19

Hi Gerry

The machine my hospital used to give me IMRT was a Varian. The idea behind the protocol is to attempt to keep the bladder and rectum as far away from the target as possible and then to try to keep the shape of your insides the same for each zapping.

Did they explain how RT dehydrates you?

Andy

User
Posted 19 Sep 2014 at 17:59
User
Posted 27 Sep 2014 at 03:54

Thanks everyone for your advice.

I finally had my RT planning session at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading this morning (Friday), at long last.  Whatever I ate in the last few days, must have worked.  It seemed to go well and now I have my first tattoos.  My kids were disappointed, they said they were pathetic, they were expecting more than just dots.

I was also told my RT would start on Tuesday 14th October and I would have 19 sessions of 3Gy (total 57Gy) on a IMRT Linac machine.  Really pleased to get a date at last, nothing much seemed to be happening over the last couple of months and I was keen to know when my treatment will get underway.

Steve

Edited by member 27 Sep 2014 at 03:56  | Reason: Not specified

User
Posted 27 Sep 2014 at 10:55

Glad to hear that you are getting on with the treatment Steve.

Hope it goes smoothly - no reason why it should not.

Notice you are up very late!!!??? Not worrying too much I hope????(easy to say I know).

All the best

Alison

User
Posted 27 Sep 2014 at 14:22
Hi Alison,

After the RT planning yesterday morning, was working until midnight for a paper. Fell asleep for a couple of hours then decided to post my message before going to bed for a few hours. Out today working a 12 hour shift, same tomorrow. Really tired but I have to work when it's available. Could do with a holiday but that's not really possible. Feeling a bit low today but I'm sure I'm just tired. I'll be ok.

Stay in touch.

Steve

User
Posted 27 Sep 2014 at 21:57

I know what its like to be self employed, take the business whilst you can!

Keep strong.

Alison

 
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