Preparing for 1st FOLFOX infusion on Monday - what to eat?

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AnnClare
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Preparing for 1st FOLFOX infusion on Monday - what to eat?

Postby AnnClare » Sat Mar 26, 2016 11:16 am

I'm scheduled to have my first FOLFOX infusion Monday (3/28) morning. I've heard/read varying things as to what to do and eat prior to going. I have an anti-nausea patch to put on the night before (can't remember the name of it, but it's Rx, not OTC), and a numbing cream to apply to the port site an hour before Tx. As for breakfast, would peanut butter & jelly on toast be okay? What about coffee? Typically I have a cup of green tea after my morning walk, then breakfast (which varies), then coffee.

ANY and ALL tips, advice, etc. are welcome by this newbie. :)
42 yr. old female
Rectal cancer Stage 3C T3 N1 M0 - Sept 2015
28 rounds radiation w/Xeloda - Nov - Dec 2015
2/17/16 - Surgery to remove rectal tumor, lymph nodes (2/20+), ovaries & fallopian tubes, temp. ileostomy
3/28/16 - 9/26/16 -12 rounds FOLFOX w/full oxi
Ileo reversal 10/27/16; Port removed 12/1/16
Lung mets confirmed 2/6/17
March-May 2017 - brain mets; brain rad. 5/9-5/29/17

SuseB
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Joined: Thu Feb 04, 2016 11:34 am
Facebook Username: Susan Bomkamp Burke

Re: Preparing for 1st FOLFOX infusion on Monday - what to eat?

Postby SuseB » Sat Mar 26, 2016 12:06 pm

Hi...it's kind of hard to tell because some get nauseaous and some don't. I've only done 3 rounds; no nausea the first, terrible the second (with the meds), adjusted meds the third and not as bad. I'm sure the toast with peanut butter and jelly would be ok. I try and eat greek yogurt or drink keifer the morning of, some fruit, maybe some toast, too, and a hard boiled egg. I've read that probiotics do help with the stomach issues. Not sure how the coffee weighs in, but I usually have a small cup a day and haven't chnged that. Stay away from rich and heavy, just in case. The main thing, IMO. is to be super hydrated going in. Good luck!
61 y/o female
Dx May 2015 Stage 1T2 rectal cancer
Surgery 06/08/2015 clean margins 16 lymph nodes all clean
Post surgery bowel issues and sacro pain
6 mon f/u w/onc 12/23/15 ordered cat scan for bowel pain issues-
liver lesions
PET Scan 01/14/16 mets liver & pelvis
03/31/16 done 4 rnds FOLFOX w/ Avastin
Scans 04/15/16 all shrunk!
2 rnds FOLFIRI done 05/12/16
Liver resection 06/08/16
CEA 06/08/15- .9 (post Stage 1 surgery); 12/28/15 (post pet scan) 3.9
02/03/16 (pre-treatment) 13.0 ; 03/31/16 - 2.0

midlifemom
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Location: NJ

Re: Preparing for 1st FOLFOX infusion on Monday - what to eat?

Postby midlifemom » Sat Mar 26, 2016 6:57 pm

Ann Clare,
I tend to have my normal breakfast the morning of, whether cereal, toast, oatmeal.
I do suggest you bring snacks with you to the infusion room. I tend to prefer snacks like animal crackers, dry cereal, Stella Dora breakfast treats, hard candies, etc. I also bring a variety of drinks, never knowing what I will be in the mood for - Orange juice, Vitamin Water, water, iced tea.
Good luck. Remember to report side effects to your doc so he/she can modify meds.
Stage 3 cc - dx Jan '14 age 53, cea 2.9
t2n2m0, KRAS mutant, MSS
Folfox Feb - Aug '14
Nov '14 cea 27.7 -2 liver masses
Dec '14 left lobectomy and HAI
Jan '15 FUDR and FOLFIRI
Aug '15 fudr done, liver clear, add avastin for lungs. Cea 4.3
Feb '16 CEA rising
May '16 2 wk break then drop Iri for 6 weeks.
Jul '16 cancer grew, constricted main bile duct. Stent inserted. On break till jaundice clears. CEA climbing. Doing reduced Folfox. Allergic to Oxali.
Sep'16 chemo failed. Trial or hospice?

CrossfitChick1980
Posts: 54
Joined: Wed Nov 25, 2015 9:40 pm

Re: Preparing for 1st FOLFOX infusion on Monday - what to eat?

Postby CrossfitChick1980 » Sat Mar 26, 2016 7:30 pm

When my husband was on FOLFOX, he would eat a rather large breakfast before infusion because his appetite was low until he had his pump removed. Eating a big meal led to lessee nausea during infusion. Also, he would drink a huge drink with ice in it. He could not stand the fact that he couldn't have anything cold with the Oxaliplatin.
Caregiver to DH dx with Adenocarcinoma of Small Intestine
Mar14- Small Bowel Resection (dx @31)
May14-Oct14: Folfox
Apr15- Liver mets
Jun15- Xeloda/Oxalyplatin
Oct15- Folfiri/Avastin
Dec15- Liver Mets, lymph nodes shrinking.
Apr16- Liver mets gone! lymph nodes stable
Jun16- Avastin/Xeloda (MSS, KRAS)
Jul16- Maintenance Chemo
Jun18- Cancer is back in liver
Sep18- Lonsurf
Oct18- Therasphere txment (failed)
Dec18- Folfiri/Avastin
Dec 22 2018- He is no longer suffering- My Love is sleeping in Peace

Nik Colon

Re: Preparing for 1st FOLFOX infusion on Monday - what to eat?

Postby Nik Colon » Sat Mar 26, 2016 8:45 pm

They should have snacks and drinks at the infusion place also.

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BeansMama
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Location: North Carolina

Re: Preparing for 1st FOLFOX infusion on Monday - what to eat?

Postby BeansMama » Sat Mar 26, 2016 8:51 pm

I second the Greek yogurt, it seems to really help reduce the nausea. Other than that I usually bring Gatorade, bottled water, vitamin water, granola bars, muffins, half a sandwich. A variety of small stuff in the event I feel like eating. I am usually ok on infusion day, I have more nausea when I am wearing the pump and for a few days after.

I also continue the yogurt at least once a day for a week after my tx, I got thrush once and don't want it again, I found the yogurt helps keep it at bay.
41 yrs old
Tumor found 9/2015
Surgery 1 - 11/2015 LAR and colostomy
Surgery 2 - 11/2015 wound vac
Surgery 3 - 12/2015 revise resection, move colostomy
Mets to liver - tumor inoperable - one add'l met destroyed
Stage IVa (T3 N2a M1a)
Primary tumor 9 cm x 7.5 cm x 2 cm
Beginning Folfox 1/2016 - Failed
Beginning Folfiri and vectibix 8/2016 — Failed
Beginning Folfirinox + Avastin 11/2016 - Failed
Beginning Keytruda 1/2017
CEA drop from 345 to 7.3 after starting immunotherapy
Lynch positive 3/2016

Soccermom2boys
Posts: 222
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Re: Preparing for 1st FOLFOX infusion on Monday - what to eat?

Postby Soccermom2boys » Sat Mar 26, 2016 9:09 pm

It's funny because from what I have read and what I have experienced (have done four of eight rounds of FOLFOX so far), no two people react quite the same. I am so fortunate to have no nausea or diarrhea issues, but I definitely have constipated movements in my colostomy, nothing that hurts just that it is definitely not typical of my non treatment time. I just know that my tongue and mouth have become kind of desensitized or something, I am forever searching for a taste and suck on hard candies a lot during treatment weeks. I don't eat anything necessarily different, but I do find sometimes that something doesn't appeal to me, but wouldn't say I feel sick to my stomach. Just go with what you feel like each time, your body will tell you over time what it wants/can handle. Keep in mind the cold sensitivity, should be on milder side the first round, but I would say do not bring ice cold drink with you to the treatment because you will feel the pain in your throat if you gulp down a cold beverage. Soup is a win-win in that it can be nourishing and provides you with liquids and even better, it is warm and won't hurt going down.

I have many on the small scale of side effects, but will wait to share them unless you specifically want to hear them for future reference. Everyone is just so different so who knows what you may or may not encounter. I will say it is somewhat annoying when medical people who have not physically had these drugs coursing through their veins try and tell us it won't be so bad, like they personally know. It has messed with me a little mentally dealing with the side effects because it's just not normal to my body so to have to deal with them over and over and cumulatively getting more intense it can play with your mind for sure. And friends and family are obviously well intended but the continual asking how you are feeling gets annoying as it progressively gets harder and the last thing I want to explain to normal people is how crappy and not normal I am feeling. I just say all of this to you so that if/when you feel this way, know that you are not alone. So in the big scheme, yes, chemo is doable.
8/3/15 Went in with a hemorrhoid, came out with a tumor
8/12/15 Biopsy from colonoscopy confirms RC (45 yrs old--zero family history!)
9/21 - 10/29/15 chemorad 28 tx (with Xeloda)
12/17/15 APR with perm colostomy
Pathology report stages me as IIIA (T2N1M0)--1/15 LN detects cancer
2/3/16 chemo port inserted
2/8-6/2/16 8 rounds of Folfox

hawkowl
Posts: 132
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Location: MN/FL

Re: Preparing for 1st FOLFOX infusion on Monday - what to eat?

Postby hawkowl » Sat Mar 26, 2016 11:32 pm

I kept it simple for my first few cycles (scrambled eggs, applesauce) but never experienced bad nausea. I did feel better with food in my stomach so snacked frequently. After a few cycles my sense of taste diminished and I started to crave Thai and Indian curry! The only thing that actually made me gag and heave were kale chips, but I would probably have had the same reaction even without the FOLFOX. Good luck...you can do this!!
Dx 12/2014 T3N2MX (distant LPLN) low rectal
12/2014-4/2015: FOLFOX (8 cycles)
4/2015-6/2015: 28 cycles of chemoradiation with xeloda, SBRT
8/2015: Robotic APR with iliac node dissection; path showed ypT0,ypN0 (complete pathological response).
11/2015 scans clear, CEA 2.1
11/2015 parastomal hernia repair
3/2016 CEA 1.7, scans stable...
6/2020 5 years of normal CEA and stable scans
Now dealing with pyoderma gangrenosum.
Totally disabled due to oxaliplatin induced neuropathy and dysautonomia

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ANDRETEXAS
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Location: Austin, Texas (University of Tennessee alumnus)

Re: Preparing for 1st FOLFOX infusion on Monday - what to eat?

Postby ANDRETEXAS » Sun Mar 27, 2016 2:08 am

I agree that it's good to eat before and during your infusions. I had moo-shu pork during my first infusion and fortunately didn't have any nausea on FOLFOX. The sensitivity to cold liquids at the end of the second infusion was my worst side effect. I drank plenty of Pellegrino as I hated the tasted of regular water during FOLFOX, and I wanted to stay hydrated. I also carrried my pump around on my daily three-mile walk if you enjoy walking presently. Best of luck to you. Andre
2/10/14 - Colon resect
2/13 - DX- Stage IIIb
6 of 18 lymph nodes cancerous
3/7 - Port placed
3/11 - FOLFOX (12 rds w/full oxi)
8/14 - Chemo finish
8/25 - CT- Inc
9/5 - clean PET
12/10- clean CT

3/2/15 - Clean colonoscopy & port removed
3/4 - clean CT
9/21- clean CT

3/23/16 - clean CT

2/22/17- clean CT

3/21/18 - clean CT
4/1 - clean colonoscopy

3/11/19 - clean CT
9/23 - Five-year release - Annual visits now !

4/13/23 - clean colonoscopy

ONE DAY AT A TIME !

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Mastan
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Re: Preparing for 1st FOLFOX infusion on Monday - what to eat?

Postby Mastan » Sun Mar 27, 2016 10:00 am

Looks like most of the responses are concerned with nausea. However diarrhea is a very common side effect. Generally one is given atropine to deal with that side effect. I prefer not to eat prior to the infusion to avoid diarrhea. I have had many cycles of FOFLFOX and found that food in my stomach prior results in diarrhea. I never had any issue with nausea. As someone said earlier in this post everyone responds differently to poison in their system. I will also point out that often one's response to the infusion is not the same each time.
Dx 6/2010 rectal CA

AnnClare
Posts: 241
Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2015 3:31 pm

Re: Preparing for 1st FOLFOX infusion on Monday - what to eat?

Postby AnnClare » Sun Mar 27, 2016 2:31 pm

Thanks for all the replies, folks - I really appreciate it.

I understand that everyone's experience is different, but I also wanted to know what the majority of folks do and eat and in general, what works and helps.

I've got a Sancuso patch to put on tonight (because yes, I'm more concerned with nausea than diarrhea, although I understand that can be problematic, too). I have an ileostomy pouch and will keep it throughout my treatment, with a reversal planned about a month after Tx is over (sometime in the fall, assuming all goes well). I mention that because it can present its own challenges and special dietary requirements & restrictions (although luckily so far, I've been managing quite well. At this point, it's more of an emotional hurdle than a physical / practical one.)

I'll continue to read and post here since this board is incredibly helpful. As soccermom pointed out, it can be frustrating when people who have not personally gone through treatment tell you it's no big deal. (My WOC nurse has that attitude about the ileostomy pouch. I felt like telling her, "Yeah, well let's see how damn chipper you are when you have a poopie pouch attached to YOUR abdomen!") Sorry - still coping with all of this and my anger tends to surface now and then. :oops:
42 yr. old female
Rectal cancer Stage 3C T3 N1 M0 - Sept 2015
28 rounds radiation w/Xeloda - Nov - Dec 2015
2/17/16 - Surgery to remove rectal tumor, lymph nodes (2/20+), ovaries & fallopian tubes, temp. ileostomy
3/28/16 - 9/26/16 -12 rounds FOLFOX w/full oxi
Ileo reversal 10/27/16; Port removed 12/1/16
Lung mets confirmed 2/6/17
March-May 2017 - brain mets; brain rad. 5/9-5/29/17

Steph20021
Posts: 553
Joined: Sat Dec 27, 2014 4:58 pm
Location: Ontario, Canada

Re: Preparing for 1st FOLFOX infusion on Monday - what to eat?

Postby Steph20021 » Sun Mar 27, 2016 5:13 pm

AnnClare, good luck tomorrow. I hope your first dose goes smoothly without any hiccups.
DX 1/31/14 @ 33- SPS-T4a(invades visceral peri), N2a(6/106 LN), M1a(ovary) (Stage 4a) MSS; BRAF V600E
2/1/14-subtotal col, lost R ovary, temp ileo
3/14-9/14- folfox; sepsis
11/14-CT/PET: L ovary met, pelvic met, (?)ghost liver met(?)
12/14-folfiri -13 rds kept me stable from 3/15-6/15
8/15-HIPEC, NED
09/15- cea 0.9
05/16- recurrence in abdo wall and lymph nodes
01/17- pulmonary embolism
02/17- 1 wk radiation to abdo wall
08/16- on folfiri
01/18-folfox
11/18- Beacon trial-encorafenib & cetuximab

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Cowgirl918
Posts: 326
Joined: Sun Jan 17, 2016 12:55 am
Location: Indiana

Re: Preparing for 1st FOLFOX infusion on Monday - what to eat?

Postby Cowgirl918 » Sun Mar 27, 2016 8:31 pm

Good luck tomorrow. Keep us posted. Sounds like you are ready. The first one is the biggest mental challenge I think. Getting it behind you (pun intended) is a big step.
HX Colon Polyps Villious and Tubillovillous
12/29/15 Colonoscopy/Endoscopy - Ascending Colon Mass- Hemicolectomy Scheduled
1/17/2016 Right Hemicolectomy Cancelled
1/25/2016 CT No evidence of other disease
2/12/2016 EMR-ascending colon mass 80%
8/12/2016 EMR #2 ascending colon mass curative
8/13/16 NED
7/26/2023 Neuroendocrine mass small bowel, two mesenteric lymph nodes
9/1/2023 Small bowel resection jejunum and lymph nodes removed mesentery


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