Heh

The husband and I attended "Chemo Class" at the oncologist's office this morning. During class they give you the rundown on what will be happening to you during the treament, how you will feel afterwards and what the major side effects of chemo are. We toured the treatment room, we chatted about wearing jewelry during treatment (You shouldn't, just in case you're allergic to the chemo. They don't want to have to cut your rings off.), hair loss, skin and nail care, mouth care, infections, and, most importantly, nutrition. They then tell you that nutrition can be a major factor in how you feel, and that it can help control some of the adverse effects of chemo. The class was mainly a primer and they sent us home with a boatload of literature, neatly organized in its own expandable envelope. One little booklet from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute, titled, "Eating Hints for Cancer Patients: Before, During and After Treatment," has some wonderfully helpful tips I'm sure we'll be using during all of this.

What I found interesting were the tips they gave in case you should lose weight and need to get your calorie count back up. They're simple, helpful tips to boost your count without having to eat more food---which might be an issue as appetite loss can be a problem. The last thing you want to have to do when you have no appetite is eat more. They include things like:

• switching to whole milk
• making fortified milk with whole milk and powdered milk
• add sour cream to cream soups
• folding unsweetened whipped cream into mashed potatoes (ed. heavy whipping cream has six grams of fat per tablespoon. Don't ask I how know this.)
• make hot chocolate with cream and add marshmallows
• melt cheese on top of casseroles, potatoes and vegetables
• add cheese to omelets and sandwiches
• use melted butter or margarine as a dip for seafoods, such as lobster, crab, scallops and shrimp
• stir melted butter into cream soups, sauces and gravies

I could go on, but I think you get the gist. What the cardiologist loathes, the oncologist loves.

Heh.