What if your food relationship?
I lost my appetite during the COVID lockdown after getting sick, and at first I thought it was from COVID. My doctors later said it was probably the tumor the whole time. It ended up being 15 pounds when they removed it along with my uterus and other reproductive organs. It was pressing against my stomach and may have also contributed to a hernia that causes painful hiccups.
Before surgery and treatment, my appetite was almost nonexistent. Food tasted horrible to me, almost like sand no matter what it was. I lost around 60 pounds and honestly thought it was great until I learned that losing weight without trying that hard can actually be a warning sign.
Then after chemo and dexamethasone, my appetite came back HARD. I felt hungry constantly and gained about 40 pounds back.
Now I’m doing much better and waiting to hopefully be told I’m officially cancer free soon. My appetite feels more normal again, but now I’m scared of swinging too far the other direction and overeating or continuing to gain weight.
For anyone else who’s gone through cancer treatment or major appetite changes, how did you rebuild a healthy relationship with food? How do you stay in the middle between under-eating and overeating?