Tag Archives: Diet

FODMAP Diet-Apples are bad

February 9, 2017 kymbalk 4 Comments

Apples are bad.

Excuse me? Apples are good for you! An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Well, not for you….along with a million other things you think are healthy.

People with trouble digesting fructose in the large intestine must several limit all FODMAPS (short chain carbohydrates). FODMAP -had you even heard of this? Plus, it’s not just the food, but the volume of food. A bite of apple, some Falafel, and buttered mashed potatoes all together…not good. I can attest to that!

screen-shot-2017-02-09-at-5-58-23-am — You can purchase this at Amazon

That’s the story so far. Causes? Radiation side effects, scar tissue, or IBS. Those are the three they are throwing around. I guess it doesn’t matter which it is because the results is the same. Lower left quadrant pain, bloating, constipation and diarrhea…Oh My! You pick. They are all junk. I have always known certain foods bothered me, so maybe it’s been there forever. After consulting with the experts-my oncologist, the gastroenterologist, the nutritionist, my husband, my sister, my co-worker, my walking partner, my mother and mother-in-law, I have decided to move forward with this diet in hopes that my symptoms will abate.

Back to Tripler hospital…

Tripler stairwell…original 1920 banisters

Game day for me starts today with a colonoscopy and then the FODMAP elimination diet. One aside on the colonoscopy….it’s somehow possible to gain weight during the colon prep. I can only assume it’s from the salts in the OSMOPREP Phosphate pills. But seriously? Ridiculous. I thought evacuating the colon was good for at least 5 pounds. Someone lied to me. Have you had a colonoscopy yet? What prep did you use?

The FODMAP Elimination Phase-eat nothing….Just kidding! There is lots to eat, kind of.

Allowed: banana, rice, corn chips!, carrots, fish, beer, wine, cheddar cheese, strawberries, blueberries, zucchini, creamy peanut butter to name a few. Oh, wait…pickles and olives

Not Allowed: bread, pasta, flour tortillas, milk, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, beans, yogurt, onions, garlic, and more!

Two weeks on this and then the Challenge Phase…to be continued.

Tell me about your special diets!!

Still alive and kicking!

Atkins, health, ovarian cancer, ovarian cancer blog, Uncategorized

Pet Scan Prep (24-hour Countdown) Plan your diet and wardrobe now!

December 12, 2016 kymbalk 4 Comments

Preparing for Christmas in Hawaii is fun!

Decorate your tree and sit back and relax…..and wait for your medical appointment!

Preparing for a PET scan can be just as painless. Future you will be happy if you’ve planned ahead. Plus, if you don’t prepare properly, there is a possibility they will reschedule the scan! As usual, all my advice comes with the warning to check with your own doctor!

Let’s talk about preparing for a PET (Positron Emission Tomography) It starts 24-48 hours before the scan. The actual scan calls for injecting a radioactive tracer into your bloodstream and waiting to see where there might be areas of unusual metabolic activity (like Cancer) The PET takes place in Nuclear Imaging rather than Radiology. (I have addressed the day of PET in a previous post, but I’d like to focus on the 24 hours prior to Pet in this post.)

PET machine at Tripler Army Medical Center

The PET starts 24 hours before the actual scan with a sugar free diet (as much as possible) to starve all the body’s cells of sugar. For me, it’s like the Atkins diet for Pescetarians. Cancer cells love sugar! Well….all cells need sugar!

Here is your twenty-four our hour count-down for diet and wardrobe:

T-24 Breakfast– scrambled eggs and coffee (enjoy that coffee because you don’t get it on the day-of treatment. No OJ either!)

T-21 Morning snack-hummus and veggies (no fruits–way too much sugar)

Prepping snacks (and lunch)! Hummus and veggies

T-20 Lunch-spinach salad with the lowest sugar dressing you can find (Blue Cheese or Caesar) and hard boiled egg and cucumber.

T-16 Snacks! Lightly Salted Almonds!

Resealable Blue Diamond lightly Salted Almonds

T-13 No workout today-you don’t want to strain any muscles before the scan and accidentally cause a false positive. Some websites suggest not to exercise 48 hours before scan. Check with your physician.

T-11 Pack a small bag for the scan room. Usually chilly, I bring a sweater that I can wear in the scan and warm socks. No Metal anywhere though! Women, I wear a tank top under my clothes so I can wear my own clothes rather than a hospital gown. Bring something to read or your Bullet Journal for planning or a book (The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman will transport you from whatever you are doing!) . I usually don’t bring an iPad. I don’t like to leave it in a locker and the hospital is not responsible for your valuables. Leave all jewelry at home!

T-10 Dinner-Salmon plus stir-fry mushrooms, zucchini, red pepper-Dessert is fresh watermelon. Did you want wine with dinner? NO-cannot-no alcohol!

T-8-Sleepy-time! Get plenty of rest the night before. No time for insomnia…(we’ll do that in another post!)

T-4 Sorry, no breakfast today. No Coffee either! Get over it! It’s for a greater good. Drink plenty of watery water this morning. You’ll want to wash that radioactive tracer out and dehydration is no fun. Wear comfortable clothing today! Today, it’s okay to wear yoga pants or leggings and a t-shirt or sweater. Steer clear of zippers and metal attachments. They cannot enter the machine and then you’re back to wearing a hospital gown.

T-2 Blood test to see if your blood sugar is in an acceptable range. This is like the lie detector test to see if you consumed too much sugar in the day prior. Safe range is 80-150 mg/dL

T-1 Injection time-the tracer will need 45 minutes to circulate through your body. Some doctors allow reading and/or listening to music, but the policy at our hospital is do nothing. I usually fall asleep in the comfy chair while waiting

Finally!-Scan time…Relax as they roll you into the tube. The tech will position you and ask if you’re claustrophobic (little late, right? I would ask your doctor for meds prior, if this is something that bothers you.) I work on meditation skills while I’m in the tube.

Then, done! Time to go out for a meal! Results are not immediately available.

What is your favorite book to make long waits short?

cancer, Diet, health, ovarian cancer blog, PET scan, radiation

PET SCAN-I’m Ready!

July 9, 2015 kymbalk 5 Comments

Do you remember in the early 90’s when “Take Your Daughter to Work Day” became a thing?

Today, you (and the kids) get to come with me to my PET scan and see what it’s all about! First, get to the hospital early and look for parking! (Create a parking spot in the grass on the hill.)

Rush to get to the Nuclear Medicine Clinic-then wait!

FullSizeRender-4 — Nuclear Medicine Clinic at TAMC

and wait…

FullSizeRender-4 copy 2 — Waiting room fun with the kids

The day prior to the scan: Prep instructions for PET scans. Basically, no carbs, no exercise, no alcohol, no nothing. In my house, we call that a “potato” day because we just sit around and do nothing.

The morning of the PET scan. Nothing but water. Drink it from a fun mug though!

Fill out all the paperwork!

Check blood sugar! They ask if you’ve been fasting and this will prove it. Numbers must be between 80-200 to proceed. Whew, I passed! (No food or caffeine after midnight!)

Next up! Radioactive dye injection. The radioactive sugar solution will migrate to the areas of “hyper-metabolic” activity (in other words, seeing something light up is bad!)

Dyejpg — Glucose Solution of Radioactive Dye (note the nice carrying case)

I’ve already been to the chemo room to get my port accessed! I’m Ready!

FullSizeRender-4 copy 3 — Port accessed and ready to go! “I’m ready.”

After the radioactive dye…more waiting…45 minutes for the dye to circulate throughout your system. (My 45 minutes turned into an hour.)

Finally!

The whole process takes about 3 hours. The actual scan only takes about 25 minutes! Then, off to lunch!

…and wait for results!

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cancer, Diet, health

Side Effects

March 5, 2015 kymbalk 4 Comments

In 2013, my son and I went to see a Steven Sodergergh movie, Side Effects-a cautionary tale on the effects of an experimental drug that hit close to home for me (not the crazy wife part…but the using of new-to-market drugs and seeing what they do part). I won’t spoil it if you haven’t seen it yet, but I would definitely recommend. I think I’ll add it back to the Netflix queue for a another look see. Of course, anything with Jude Law in it can’t be half bad. In the continuing beat-down of cancer cells, my doctor and I are always in quest of the perfect medicines with minimal side effects.

In addition to being the Professional Vomit Queen, another issue I am fighting is increasingly high blood pressure. My oncologist says that the numbers are pre-hypertensive (at 140/90) so not yet treatable with medication, but a bit concerning. He is “not worried yet.” I want to avoid yet another medication to treat the side effects of the medications I am taking… So, in the words of Tobias Funke…”Let the great experiment begin“…

I am making the decision to cut back on salt. If you know me at all, you know that I love salt! Have you watched any episodes of Chopped? One of the primary reasons chefs get “chopped” is chronically under-seasoned food. (The “spa” chefs invariably go home in the appetizer round.) The translation-more salt! I know Amanda Freitag would be disappointed to hear that I will be using less salt instead of more. I’m so sorry, Amanda. It’s probably not permanent, but it’s in my best interest.

Screen Shot 2015-03-04 at 8.27.23 PM — Food Network’s Chopped with host Ted Allen

Nothing tastes better than a boiled egg rolled in salt. I could actually eat this every single day. Well…there are things that taste a little better, but not a lot. (Buttered popcorn with salt…) We even have a container of table salt in the teacher workroom that often finds its way to my desk. (I really consider it my salt.)

Salt intake is something I can control. In the oncology world, so much is out of my control. We’ll just assume that my starting blood pressure is mediocre at best and go from there. Next Wednesday, I’ll have my next check-up and Friday the 13th (that doesn’t even sound good), my next treatment of Avastin and a PET scan. Double whammy!

Starting now….I will ~~try~~ cut out table salt and soy sauce (How is that even possible in Hawaii?). This will be step one.

Sound off! Have you tried to cut back salt in your diet? Tips? Thoughts? How much of an effect will this really have? Let’s see.

cancer, Diet, health, ovarian cancer blog

Maintaining (Cancer Free)!

November 3, 2014 kymbalk 4 Comments

You go on a diet…you lose that elusive 10 to 15 pounds ~~20 pounds,more?~~ You counted “points” ~~ate Gluten free,~~ ~~ate low carb, ate Paleo~~ and now you are a newly transformed person with ultimate will-power, making excellent choices in all your eating and exercising 3-5 days a week at 70 percent of your heart capacity. (That’s the dream of all dieters, right?) Then what? The hard work of maintenance dieting begins. The process of keeping all the work you’ve done, frozen in time, is the goal of both maintaining your weight and maintaining the results of cancer treatments. The rush of eliminating the unwanted pounds is gone, compliments on your dedication tapers, and friends just expect that you’ll keep that weight off and continue your journey successfully. You hope that you won’t backslide like so many dieters do and become just another statistic.

Happy Valentine's Day — Happy Valentine’s Day

On Valentine’s Day, 2014, my doctor called to say those dreaded words, “I’m worried” about your CA (the cancer marker found in blood) levels. Shortly thereafter followed surgery, radiation, and 5 months of chemotherapy. Now, we maintain the results with an every-three-week ~~it was “sold” to me as “monthly”~~ treatment of Avastin. Avastin is a fancy ~~expensive~~ drug that has been part of my regimen since May 22nd. Essentially it is an infusion that keeps the cancer cells starved of blood so that they don’t develop into tumors. Side effects for me are primarily headaches, which I am learning how to fend off more effectively. ~~Why didn’t I get the ‘loss-of-appetite” side effect?~~

How long do you have to keep your maintenance diet going? Weight loss professionals say that maintenance should really become a lifestyle change and it should go on indefinitely ~~What, no more sugar forever? I don’t think so.~~ My doctor called last week and started talking about how my maintenance treatments will continue for a year….wait for it….or forever. Forever? Seriously, Forever. Evidently doctors aren’t unanimous in exactly how long this treatment should be continued or how long it will stay effective.

So that’s where we are. In the dreaded “maintaining” portion of our cancer diet. Time to focus on the basics of good nutrition ~~except for cupcakes,~~ getting the energy to walk up the hills in my neighborhood, and sleeping for more than 5 hours uninterrupted (maybe that part won’t ever happen). I’m actually happy to have the opportunity to normalize my life and not think about life and death on a daily basis. Time to kick back and enjoy the maintaining!

How do you maintain the positive changes in your life-whether diet or exercise or something else? Is a struggle or a piece of cake? I’m Curious.