..to ask you to make me eat

[Punkatheart]

I haven't really admitted this to anyone, but I not eating well at all. I take a chemo drug three times a week and this does dull my appetite, makes me tired and nauseous. But there is so much going on at the moment - my utterly horrible ex, mental health and npw drug problems with my teen...food has stopped being a pleasure. I go into shops and I come out with kitchen towel.

So unless you have a very good recipe for kitchen towel, please tempt me with some ideas for food. I eat fish but not meat.

My daughter is away and I am just not making the effort and if I am really really honest, I really don't care all that much. But I need to for my health and to look after my daughter.

Make me hungry, dear wise Mumsnetters.

My dad suffered badly when he has chemo - was really ill and his appetite took a battering.

He drank a lot of sweet Ribena which didn't really give him many calories but did give him a little bit of energy. He also ate ice cream. Not the really rich stuff like hagen daas but the lighter cheaper stuff as it wasn't too heavy but gave him some dense calories.

He also sucked on squares of Cadbury's caramel on occasion too and when his mouth wasn't sore enjoyed thick grilled pieces of freshly cut white bread with butter.

Unmumsnetty hugs OP - really hope you're appetite picks up soon. It does get better xx

If you're a bit low on energy, pick out your favourites from ideas above and do an on-line shop.

I have a sandwich toaster and could happily eat toasted sarnies every day. Buy a bag of grated cheese and a bag of pre chopped onion or add olives/tomatoes and have it on toast.

Pasta & pesto with a piece of salmon is ready in 10 min or a tuna stir fry

M&S fish pie is nice comfort food with some steamed broccoli.

Breakfast ideas:
Innocent smoothies, yoghurt granola and honey with some fruit salad,
Waitrose do really nice frozen pain au chocolate, cinnamon whirls and croissants in freezer bags and are lovely in a morning.

Wish you well, sorry you're having a rough time

Myself, I think the critical thing is virtually no time spent on either cooking or heating.

In these situations, you don't really want to eat - just feel you ought to. What you really want to do is go away and keep your fingers crossed that the nausea/stomach pains/lousy feeling (if any) will just go away. Which they don't because you end up just feeling worse.

Have stuff around that's high food value/calories and that you can just slide into your mouth with minimal fuss. It may not be the healthiest diet long term but ignore that for the time being. Just get something over those lips. (If you bring it back up again, just ignore that also - be sick and then have something else.) It will probably be a chore for several days but you just have to summon the willpower. Haute cuisine can wait until you can actually cook and eat something more substantial.

If you really, absolutely, can't eat anything, be sure to have some liquid by you - water or tea for example - and have frequent sips of that.

Best of luck.

M&S ready meals.
Birds Eye do fish or prawns in sauce, they are in a bag and it's cooked in the microwave for 3 minutes. There's two in a box and are lovely. I usually do M&S rice and veg bags with them. The rice is in the freezer section of Marks and there after 4 bags in a packet, they are microwave too. Quick and nutricious meals .

Best of luck with your treatment

When my brother was having chemo, he had a thing for mcdonalds, try something like that. Maybe a fillet of fish, it doesn't have to be healthy when times are rough.
Wishing you well op x

Could you almost tell yourself it's something you must do to get well even if you don't fancy it? Like taking medication.
You know you absolutely have to eat to be well.

Are you loosing weight? Perhaps a dietician referral from your GP?

As others have said rice pudding, ice cream, scrambled eggs etc are easy to eat.

Pharmacies sell complan a meal replacement if you really can't face food.

Take care of yourself

can I suggest my 10 minute fish and rice dish?

you will need: cheap and cheerful fish fillets without batter or any other coating (frozen ones work well, Tesco do them for not much), Thai fish sauce, rice, whatever veg you have. Defrost the fish if needed.

Get rice cooking. Chop up veg, stirfry in oil. Chuck in fish, stirfry for 2 mins. Add a big splash or two of the Thai sauce. Mix up. Drain the rice, put on the plate, put the stirfry on top.

These are all wonderful suggestions. Thank you again for your kindness. My chemo regime will unfortunately be long term, unless I have to trial another drug. My condition is incurable and the shots help to ward off the worst symptoms. Food used to be such a joy and it's a bit frustrating. But I know that I am not suffering as much as those poor souls I met linked up to drips in the hospital. I want to hug them all.

I have slept most of the afternoon - I am an exciting bird! But I have gone to the shop and bought a potato and some cut-price Greek salad. The Co-op is rubbish! I had a baked potato and the salad - which was OK.

A few months ago I managed a little bit of food reviewing for a magazine - I got to eat at some very posh places, which was a treat.

Onwards and upwards. I keep waiting for life to swerve into the realm of the corny chicklit novel but I am a literary writer, so my reward is misery and depth of problems.

I am too tired today, but tomorrow I will get some food. Proper food. Lovely food.

Sorry to hear you're having a bad time

The type of food I make just for me is:

Boiled egg + Vegemite soldiers
Avocado + cheese toast sandwich
Fried egg in a pitta
Crumpets with butter, Vegemite + melted cheese
Potato waffles + re-fried beans
Sardines on toast

Ultimate mouth watering treat is a takeaway vegetable dansak.