Post Transplant Meals

[Kari M]

Hello Everyone,

I have been viewing these forums for almost a year now, but this is my first post. There is such a wealth of information here that I never needed to ask any questions...it seemed they had all been asked and answered! However, now I need a little help/advice.

My mom has been ill for exactly a year this week. It took a while to get an exact diagnoses and treatment plan. Several things were tried and nothing worked. So, tomorrow she will be admitted to begin the stem cell transplant process. My question pertains to post transplant meals.

My parents live a few hours away from her transplant hospital, so they will need to stay in a hotel for about a month after the transplant. To make their lives easier (and to ensure that my mom is following the neutropenic diet rules and eating healthy meals) I would like to prepare foods in single serving sizes to freeze, so she can safely thaw and reheat them.

I realize that she won't have much of an appetite and most things will not taste good to her for a while. We went through that for a while when she had serum sickness from the ATG. I am looking for any suggestions. Things that you or your loved ones could stomach and maybe even enjoy. Things that should be avoided. Is it okay to heat things in the microwave or do they need to be heated on the stove? I read bananas and oranges are okay...is this true?

Also, any other advice on to make living in a hotel more convenient for them would be greatly appreciated! Sorry about the length of this post...thank you to anyone who took the time to read it all!

~Kari

[Cam]

One thing that kept me off the nutrient drip when I was in the hospital was Ben and Jerry Ice cream. The cold did not agravate my mouth and throat when I had sores in both places. Plus it was high in calories which helped too. Also cheese grits worked too... Biggest thing is you have to eat because they do not like you loosing weight..

[Kari M]

Thank you for your response!

My mom LOVES ice cream! That is one reason I was wondering if bananas were okay. She loves ice cream with bananas on top! She also loves cereal with bananas on top. These were two things she could always stomach during the times she had no appetite/sense of taste.

Is it okay to have fruit flavored ice creams? Does this meet the neutropenic diet standards?

[Marlene]

Do not use the microwave to reheat anything. It does not heat evenly enough to ensure that it's safe. Use the stove or oven. Bring all stews and soups to boil for a while.

Make sure to wash the bananas before you peel them. Use paper towels to dry them.

[Neil Cuadra]

Canned food, including canned fruits and vegetables, is one of the safest choices. That's one way to avoid concerns about how to prepare fresh food safely, and recent news articles have reported that some canned food is surprisingly nutritious, close to that of fresh food, because of its consistency.

[Dick S]

Interesting, I was doing some of the right things all along and didn't realize it. Thanks