Chemo and Colitis - quick answers

[kgargr]

There is so much good information on this board, but it takes a fair amount of time to wade through it. Some of you read my prior post about my Mom. She has now had her first chemo (for ovarian cancer) and has both had constipation from the chemo, and violent bouts of diarrhea from the colitis. (she is having 3 rounds of chemo prior to surgery)

I am trying to get her to follow the bland diet suggested by many of you (chicken, broth, cooked vegetable, rice) .. but she continues to try other things ..

Can you comment quickly on:
1. ?should she have a good yogurt
2. ?she is drinking juice, is this a good idea
3. ?coconut water, ?coconut milk
4. I would like to convince her to get some of the Enterolab tests .. so that we can be more precise about her diet. I don't know if she will agree, but if so, which are the best tests to get .. it is kind of confusing to wade through all of their information
5. Tex recently discussed all the crap in drinks such as Ensure .. ?does anyone know of something similar that is more healthy? This would come in handy when she is exhausted but hungry
6. ?milk shakes, smoothies ( yogurt),

she is also type 2 diabetic

Thanks so much for any quick advice .. I will continue to read the board as well.

Karen

[tex]

1. ?should she have a good yogurt

Roughly 85 to 90% of us are sensitive to casein, and yogurt is loaded with that. Almond yogurt is a possibility. Soy yogurt is available, but at least half of us are sensitive to soy.

2. ?she is drinking juice, is this a good idea

Apple or pear juice is the safest. Many/most of us react to citrus juice until after we are in remission and our gut has healed.

3. ?coconut water, ?coconut milk

Most of us, (though not everyone), can handle coconut milk OK. It's safest if it doesn't contain any xanthan gum or carageenan, because some of us react to those two ingredients. Almond milk is safe for most of us, even for many of us who react to whole almonds. Many of us can tolerate Rice Milk also, and Hemp Milk.

4. I would like to convince her to get some of the Enterolab tests .. so that we can be more precise about her diet. I don't know if she will agree, but if so, which are the best tests to get .. it is kind of confusing to wade through all of their information

Panel A or B offers the best number of important tests for the least amount of money. Panel B includes the genetic test; Panel A does not. Panel C will add information about 11 additional foods, if you can justify the added cost.

5. Tex recently discussed all the crap in drinks such as Ensure .. ?does anyone know of something similar that is more healthy? This would come in handy when she is exhausted but hungry

There are some protein powders that you mix yourself, that may be safe, but I'm not familiar with them. Maybe someone else can offer some insight on some options there. When I need a quick snack or energy pick-me-up I eat a bowl of Chex Honey Nut cereal with Silk Almond Milk.

6. ?milk shakes, smoothies ( yogurt),

Milk shakes would need to be non-dairy. If you make them using ice cream made with coconut milk, rice milk, almond milk, or hemp milk, they should be safe. Don't use any malt, though, because malt is loaded with gluten.

Many of us can tolerate smoothies made with apple cider or coconut milk, ice, berries such as blueberries, strawberries, etc., and fruit such as bananas, mangoes, etc. Citrus fruits and citrus juice tend to cause problems for many of us.

she is also type 2 diabetic

Low carb is the way to go when treating diabetes, but others here should be able to give you much better specific advice about diets with diabetes in mind.

Tex