Gaining and keeping the weight on

Source: Graphic Node, Unsplash

Rarely would one ever say the phrase, “one of the great things about this chemo…” but I find in this situation it’s worth saying. One of the great things about the current chemo I am on is I can taste food and have an appetite. Boy do I ever have an appetite too! I went from barely being able to consume a liquid nutrition shake to eating pretty much whatever I want to try as best as I can to put on weight.

I’ve read a lot about diet and cancer and it seems like everyone has an opinion about what I should or should not be eating. Personally, I don't really care. Having got down to 105 pounds I am doing everything I can to not only gain weight but keep the weight on given that cancer seems to have an insane metabolism of its own. So for me that’s been a lot of chicken, starch, dairy, and pretty much everything in between. Troy loves it too because he saw how hard it was during the last round of chemo for me to get in a shake, let alone sips of water at times, so when I go back for seconds I see a little twinkle of happiness in his eyes.

The ascites fluid has also made measuring an accurate weight a bit of a challenge. My oncologist called it my “wet weight vs dry weight” meaning, they have to count the weight from the fluid as part of my overall weight even though the reality is I am retaining most of it in my abdomen. Now that I have the PlureX drain and can manage this on a daily basis it’s becoming a lot easier for me to track progress and actually see that my relentless appetite and eating efforts have been paying off.

I am able to drain 1000 ml from my abdomen each morning. Until now I had no idea how much that weight until I lifted the PlureX and realized I was holding 2-3 pounds of fluid in my hand. My curiosity got the better of me and I weighed myself and came in at 110 pounds. While it’s certainly better than 105, my goal weight is 120 so I have some work to do. Not a bad problem to have considering that means I get to enjoy eating as much as I want for as long as it takes me to get there. For now I am basking in the pleasure of Greek salads and fries for lunch, chicken biryani dinners, caprese salad, BBQ, sushi galore and pretty much everything else I can get my hands on.

As I finish my rest week from chemo and head into my 4th round I am keeping my fingers crossed that my taste buds remain in tact. Tasting food again has been a really pleasant surprise and one I am really grateful for. Here’s to my continued enjoyment of food and to continuing to gain weight.

-Brynn