Reflection 21: Part 2 -- Nutrition during Radiation Therapy

 In Part 1, I wrote about Radiation Therapy and my experience of going through its introduction to me. I still have a few more scheduled sessions, so the conclusion of that protocol will be looked at in a subsequence Reflection. 

 In this Reflection I will be writing about Nutrition and the absolute key role it plays along with the Radiation Therapy. Dear Reader, as I stated in Part 1 and other Reflections, my understanding of such things is short on scientific knowledge and long on personal feelings and emotions.

 I am a Type II diabetic and have been for many years. My doctor at the time mentioned something to me that I thought was profound and I remember it to this day. "You must look after your diabetes, Wukong, or it will look after you." That could be a mantra. It became a basic belief of mine.

 Eating well is a big part of "looking after your diabetes." Very seldom do I eat big meals. Not only do they take a long time for the tummy to process, but they are darn uncomfortable while that is going on. No, I eat five small meals a day. Also, I try not to eat after 8 p.m. This routine has become second nature to me. I retire early because I like to rise early. (You would not be surprised to learn how many people are not standing at the ATM awaiting their turn at 5:30 a.m. on a Saturday or Sunday.)

 Much if not all of the 'best evidence' on eating well for a diabetic holds true for cancer patients (or anyone else for that matter), especially when going through Radiation Therapy. So I thought I had the nutrition angle covered. That was until I set foot into the Nutrition Services suite of offices and spoke to one of the Registered Dieticians on staff. I am glad I did. 

 There are many well written booklets available from the Resource Centre on nutrition published by Health Canada and the Canadian Cancer Society. I am thinking of Canada's Food Guide 2017 or Eating Well When You Have Cancer, for example. So I am not going to regurgitate the contents. That is not the point of my blog. Rather, I will write about a couple of topics within the nutrition umbrella that struck me as important to me and maybe to you. I want to spend this Reflection looking at protein, dry mouth and taste changes. 

 Prior to meeting with the Registered Dietitian, I did not realize how important protein really is when it comes to Radiation Therapy and recovery. But it is. Protein is key. As it was explained to me, (and remember that I am not writing from a scientific background) when radiation is applied, it kills both cancer and non-cancer cells. It does not discriminate. The human body is smart enough to realize that it is deficient a number of cells and goes about replacing them, building new healthy cells. This takes a lot of energy and that is why I am tired during the day. But it also takes a huge amount of protein. It takes a lot more protein than I am used to eating on any one day. My dietitian told me that I must consume almost 100 grams each day. That is a considerable amount of protein! (One packet of sugar or 'pretend sugar' that you see in any coffee shop is one gram.)

 Since my meeting with the dietitian I have found myself reading labels on food a lot more, seeking out foods high in protein. Most breakfast cereals you find on the shelf of your local grocery store, for example, have only 3 to 5 grams of protein. A goodly amount is found in meat, fish (tuna, haddock, halibut etc.) milk and milk products such as yogurt (particularly the Greek style), all cheeses, eggs, beans and mixed nuts to name a few foods. I am not particular on meat because I am fearful of the steroids and hormones the animals are fed. Man messes with the natural order of things too much to my way of thinking. Have you tried to buy watermelons with seeds? Virtually impossible! So I shy away from meat. I don't eat a lot of cheese because of their content -- particularly salt and fat. I have always had a passion for fish and mixed nuts, even as a kid. So with a little work and some ingenuity, I am able to reach my protein quota each day...I think. But I don't go about measuring things out. To me that sounds too much like work. A good booklet published by Nutrition Services is called Tips to Increase Protein. It helps me.

 Dry mouth. I am including dry mouth in this Reflection because I have it. I did not acquire it just from Radiation Therapy, although that probably exacerbated it. The surgeon was required to remove one of four salivary glands because cancer had invaded it. With only three glands left, I ended up with dry mouth. The Radiation Therapy makes the dry mouth even more noticeable. 

 Saliva in my mouth has been significantly reduced. It is needed to moisten food. Moist food is essential for taste, swallowing and having the food not stick to your teeth and gums. Yuk. Now try to remove that gooey mess gracefully. 

 I am quite surprised how essential saliva really is. I have taken to using commercial products to keep my mouth moist. They are readily available in most drug stores. I use a spray (that I carry in my backpack), a moisturizing toothpaste and non-alcoholic mouth wash. Alcohol dries the mouth. Water alone is also a great equalizer. So I ensure that I carry water when I am out-and-about. I don't necessarily chew gum, but that stimulates the release of saliva. Sugarless candy does the same thing.

 One of the biggest challenges is to find foods to moisten what I want to eat. As a novice at this, I am continually surprised how dry some food really is. For example, toast and breakfast cereals. One would think that cereals you eat at breakfast would be moist since you put milk on it. Well it probably would be except for all of the chemicals (names you cannot pronounce) some bright bulb applied in manufacturing to make the cereal crunchy. "Potato believe it or not is the worst thing!" to quote an individual I was in conversation with about this particular subject. I have resorted to trying different food combinations in an attempt to moisten my food. For example, hot dogs go better without the bun. But I like my hot dog with a bun! So I put butter (not margarine because it is not natural and I need lots of protein), and lots of lots of condiments like ketchup and relish. Potatoes? I have found that salsas works great at moisten them and the taste is believe it or not, acceptable. Hey, whatever works! Right?

 Taste changes. I must admit that eating now is not enjoyable. My foods taste different. The CancerCare Manitoba booklet Coping with Taste Changes states that while undergoing Radiation Therapy a patient's taste changes. For me that is true. There is also the fact that I do not have the normal complement of salivary glands that are needed to both moisten foods and wash over the taste buds. Without saliva taste buds don't taste. I never knew that before my cancer. As a matter of fact I didn't pay all that much attention to my taste buds. You don't really miss something until you don't have it. Life is ironic that way. 

 All foods that I am use to eating do not taste the same anymore. Most have the consistency of what I image eating cardboard would be like. So for me, understanding what is really happening in my body and finding workarounds is a work-in-progress. That's okay. At the moment experimentation is the name of the game. It can be seen as a conundrum. I don't want to eat because it is essentially tasteless and I just go through the motions. There is no enjoyment. But I need the protein and essential vitamins, minerals and trace minerals in order to build health cells, replacing those that radiation destroyed or wounded. 

 I must admit that I still have a few hurdles when it comes to nutrition and eating. I continually remind myself to look down the correct end of the telescope. The big picture. The proper perspective. Those are the loops to grab as I ride life's merry-go-round. Both are essential when it comes to cancer. I'll get there. There is no question about that.