Food advice.....

Steroids make you eat...... lots!! BUT they also mess with your blood sugars so you have to be really careful. Plus if you're going for further treatment then it's important to eat the right stuff (I've been advised to eat protein and brightly coloured veg if I'm havin radiotherapy). You shouldn't take all those meds on an empty stomach anyway. Your tummy will be unhappy enough...... my day looks like this, food wise;

7am (sevensies) - tea and brown toast with jam. Check blood sugars and give a wee boost with a glucose sweet and/or Ribena if needed.

12noon - lunch. Usually a nice salad (there's a lovely M&S one with avocado that I'm very partial to) or I've had some great homemade soups given to me that have been great.

5pm - Dinner. Again, loads of generous people gave left round healthy homemade goodies. I insist on salad or veg with everything. So a lovely spaghetti with nice salad is a winner. Or chicken and salads or nice veg.

9pm (ninesies) - Very important before bed to stop blood sugars falling overnight. Cut of tea with cheese on brown toast. Sometimes I really don't want it but I make myself eat it because I know how important it is. Slow release carbohydrates. Excellent for keeping sugars steady overnight. I'll still often wake between midnight and 3am thinking my blood sugars have dropped and I'm going to go into a coma...... nonsense! When I do get up and check them they're always fine. I only had that one incident but it's haunted me a bit........ maybe it's the cheese before bed?!!  Or just that I'm still a bit traumatised by everything that's happened. Probably fair! I always check blood sugars again before I settle down (usually around 10pm now - it was a lot later before). Truthfully I'd check them 10times a day but that's a bit stupid...... and completely unnecessary. Sometimes I do it anyway just to reassure myself. Other times I tell myself to wise up and resist doing it. Fin stopped me the other day...... completely put his foot down with me! "Mum, you checked them 5 mins ago. You're not doing it again. There's no need. It was 5 mins." I had no idea when I'd last done it. I know he wouldn't lie to me so I didn't do it again. I'm going to leave my fingers like pin cushions. At least they'll match my arms I guess - I think I bruise easily..... Even my stomach still has the bruises from the anti clot stomach injections...... which my Wardmates told me to get! You won't want more jags, but getting a clot from lying in a hospital bed all day is really the last thing you need! The nurses were very efficient at giving them anyway. A tiny scratch. No big deal. 

When you're in hospital of course your food is delivered regularly. I ate the rarest mix. Everything had to include veg and often mashed potato. One meal was sweet and sour with mashed potato, carrot and parsnip, broccoli and gravy..... bleaugh!! The domestic laughed but then told me I was the third patient to order it. Your body knows....... if you're on steroids then think slow release carbohydrates....... plus lot of veg and fruit. I'm still obsessed with the pink lady apple. No idea why. They just taste good. Plus my jaw is a bit sore from the surgery, so eating an apple can feel like s good exercise (not that I don't still talk all day!!)  when you get home you'll need help with food - I'm tired by the time it gets to ninesies and could miss it if hubby didn't bring it to me. I know from my sugars disaster that I need someone to do that! Sevensies are the same. You're only awake, but you need to get your sugars up again. Hubby gets up every day at 06.30am, whether he's working or not, to feed the wee gremlin! I'd be lost without someone doing that and not questioning the importance of it!!