Well, we didn't eat everything. Weren't we hungry?
One of the things that worries doctors most when treating this type of disease is that the medication can cause a loss of appetite (nausea, mouth inflammation, constipation, etc.) and weight loss. This is because weight loss means muscle loss, which in turn leads to weakness.
So we regularly get questions and advices about what we eat, whether we eat, what we should eat, etc. So far, so good, but... then comes mealtime at the hospital. And despite undeniable progress over the last fifteen years (which is about how long it's been since I last set foot in a hospital), it's not always very appealing, especially when you're there for more than five days and see the same items on the menu combined in different ways. It's supposed to give us a sense of variety, but... cauliflower will always be cauliflower, even in a salad, unripe pears will remain hard even when sprinkled with almonds, and chicory will never taste like coffee. What's more, the only two times I ate the fish on Fridays, I felt a bit sick, but let's blame that on the medication.
So that leaves home, and I must admit that since I started cooking during lockdown, I've really enjoyed it, without it being a real passion. Having few or no problems caused by chemo, I kept cooking and eating so much that I even gained two or three pounds. Try to understand...
After the fourth round of chemotherapy, I started experiencing something strange with smells. It wasn't a matter of whether they were good or bad—imagine instead that suddenly everything smells two or three times stronger. Any strong smell becomes unbearable and can ruin your appetite for the day or upset your stomach. There's no warning, and of course you have no control over the smells you'll encounter during the day. It's really distressing.
Say goodbye to fish, mushrooms, and a few other things, but strangely enough, not cheese. You can't mess with cheese.
