In an earlier post in November, I mentioned that I started seeing a nutritionist for high cholesterol back in early October but after my cancer diagnosis the focus turned toward how to stay healthy during cancer. And this nutritionist has a background in nutrition aimed toward Triple Negative Breast Cancer (my specific diagnosis). Click here to read that earlier post.
Today I met with the nutritionist for the 5th time. Every visit with her has been very helpful. Since eating has been a struggle every step of the journey through chemo, I've needed all the advice I could get along the way to help me get food into my body. Every time it felt hopeless in my own eyes, the nutritionist would suggest something to try and it would help me get by until the next side effect knocked me down again. There was nothing she suggested that I didn't try at least once. Not all of the suggestions worked for me but many of them did.
Two suggestions stood out to me along the way: 1. Put a drop or two of bitter tonic (herbal medicine) on my tongue a half hour before I ate a meal to stimulate the appetite. It sounded crazy and it tasted terrible, but it worked 2. Try a protein powder (collagen peptide) that had no taste or texture to it and dissolved clear when stirred into liquid. Many people had suggested protein powder to me before that but every one I found was flavored and I couldn't get it down. Her suggestion worked for me and got me through a couple rough months as one of my main protein sources.
This time when I met with the nutritionist, she gave me suggestions for how to get more protein and more calories into my body, so I can start gaining back muscle and strength I've lost along the way.
She has been as crucial a part of my treatment process throughout this whole experience as the oncology team has been.
I thank God for putting this nutritionist in my path and allowing her to be part of my story. I am amazed at His provision.
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