Eating on Chemo and Session 4 completed.

Well, I don’t have much to report, what I do have to report is positive and I was feeling creative.

Today marks Chemo session 4 + 2 days and I feel…

Okay, I’m actually feeling okay. It’s nice and again, something feels like it’s working.

I managed a 2(ish) mile walk with Kerry and the wolf this afternoon and we went climbing for a couple of hours this morning and we even succeeded in doing the entire Tesco ‘big’ shop without arguing too (Effing unheard of!)

As we had been shopping, it got me to thinking, have I had any repeated questions I could blog about so it did get me going with…

‘What’s it like eating on chemotherapy? I did say I would use the blog for this so here goes:-

Eating on Chemo

• On side you have the taste of nothing, everything tastes of metal, clinical. Like you’re on medication, like when you’ve had a cold for so long you you’ve forgotten taste.
• On the other hand tolerance to chilli and Sichuan peppercorn is completely shot.
• Negatives – Something that is super strong in flavour can actually be super off-putting.
• SUPER Negative – Smells that just make me insta-sick.
• The odd saviour – Cannabis Oil

This is in my experience and taking 5FU chemotherapy, once every 14 days for 6 months in total.

Cam Mortimer, 2019

On the day that you get connected to Chemotherapy and every time you get connected to chemo, you can taste food, but it will be a while before you do again. You get a canny lunch from the NHS, soup if you want it. Loads of sandwich selection, yoghurts and deserts, fruit.
My recommendation is, if you are hungry, eat. Don’t force it. However you do remember this is going to be either the last meal you’re having for a while. Or…
you are in no-flavourtown!

The Legend that is my mother, Mrs Linda Mortimer, utterly destroyed the taste buds of at least 2 out of 4 of the kids, I don’t mean this in any kind of mean way. I just mean that my mum and dad passed their love of the chilli onto us.

I would order the vindaloo or the chilli prawns, through eating with David, Chris and Danny over the years, I have a healthy relationship with naga, ghost and Carolina reaper chilies. Not always by my own choice I may add.

Since chemotherapy. Feck that! I’m good with chilli oil and tobasco but aye. Leave it out.
I wouldn’t even entertain a madras! I was eating some Tofu chilli noodles the other week Kerry had made, it had one red chilli in the recipe and I had complained it blew my face off!

Well, yeah that’s it, but then you get further and further from Chemo and things start to return. Tolerances increase, but by how much?

It makes eating out a fun experience; I am the eternal experimenter. I will order the spicy dish and it may be too hot but I will eat it still because that’s how we Mortimer’s roll.

Something super-strong in flavour can be off-putting.
Well I can tell you that I tried to eat a smint mint in the car a couple of weeks ago right during chemotherapy. I spat it out as the flavour overload just pure sensory overload was too much to handle. I have to assume that super lemon or from fizzy sweets would give a similar reaction. However due to the near constant seasickness feeling of chemotherapy don’t do anything that will make you heave!

Super Negative

Smells I cannot abide since chemotherapy. Hot coconut oil when used for cooking. This absolutely sucks for Kerry as it’s one of the things she can use to make super clean pancakes which I know she likes. She can absolutely have them. However I would need to leave the house. She would have to leave all of the windows and door open. Days…. so bad!

I used to love the smell, now I can’t go near it. I still can’t eat it yet but I feel after chemo it’s gonna leave a mark you know?

Cannabis Oil

Listen, I ain’t here to preach, however I will say this.

It. Fucking. Helps!

Without cannabis oil. I have little to no appetite.

None! food sucks.

With Cannabis oil, taken from a little syringe, under the tongue, once a day… size of a grain of rice. Harmless farmed and crushed plant. Nothing added or subtracted.

Success… I can eat.

It’s as simple as that.

I can’t tell you how it gets rid of the sea sickness right away or how that smell over there although currently unpleasant to me. However, I can ‘deal’ with it.
Nor can I tell you about actually having an appetite whilst being on chemotherapy.
Why? because drugs are bad mmm kay?

I still feeling like something is working but I still notice a small increase in pain downstairs. Something to continue to monitor. Nothing huge, my usual 2/10 pain is 3/10.
Not going too graphic but I’ve passed a lot recently, could be that. Not sure. As I say, I will keep a spy eye and see if anything develops.

My oncologist Mr Hashme (NHS) wants to see me in about a month for an update. I want to discuss markers with him and obviously, we want to see progress in their X-ray form.

I am treating myself to a ‘fish finger sammich’ tonight for my evening meal. I even made myself a gourmet remoulade to go on the top of Cap’in Birdseye best.
Hey if it’s what you fancy its what you fancy!

Mood: Okay and up beat. Living the life
Pain: 3/10 monitoring
Appetite: Yeah good, eating (Daft foods)
Weight: 192 lbs 87 KG 13.6 St