Healthy Diet and Conscious Snacking After Cancer
- Comedian Kathy Griffin, 61, recently shared on Instagram a healthy snack packed for her by her husband. Griffin survived lung cancer and she’s eating healthy and also swatting back on online trolls; we love to see her thriving!
- Griffin, a non-smoker, was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2021 and has been public about her diagnosis and cancer battle. She was diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer.
- Eating a healthy and balanced diet contributes positively to overall health.
Read MoreThis domestic terrorist was in Pelosi's office squealing with delight like the pig he is. When was that, you ask? On Jan 6. Claims he's a "journalist".
Referring to my 2nd COVID booster, y'know cause I had lung cancer, so he's got jokes. 👇 https://t.co/Zn493CPh4B— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) March 30, 2022
Agree and ðŸ™â¤ï¸ðŸ™ https://t.co/JBs9Lc4sce
— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) March 30, 2022
Griffin is also embracing a healthy diet and healthy snacking after beating lung cancer! The 61-year-old comedian recently shared a picture of a snack packed for her by her husband, Randy Bick, 43. The pair share a beachside home together in Malibu, and Griffin has spoken about the healing effects of the ocean on her overall health through her cancer journey.
She writes of her food choice and diet, while in remission from cancer, “The husband put this in my purse in case I get weak at any time.”
View this post on Instagram
Kathy’s Lung Cancer Journey
Kathy Griffin was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2021 and has been very public about her diagnosis and cancer battle. She's a non-smoker and was diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer. A stage 1 lung cancer diagnosis indicates that the cancer hasn't spread to the lymph nodes or other organs in the body.
Symptoms of lung cancer typically include:
- Sudden and unexplained weight loss
- Constant coughing that becomes painful over time
- Shortness of breath
- Changes in voice or difficulty speaking without getting winded
- Pain in the torso, mid- and upper-back, and shoulders
- Discoloration or a sudden change in color of mucus and saliva
Griffin had surgery to treat her disease, which, as she shares, impacted her voice and her vocal chords. Lung cancer surgery impacts the body in various ways. It may cause fatigue, leaving the patient feeling weak and tired. There's also the risk of infection after surgery. Signs of infection after lung cancer surgery can include: shivering, feeling nauseous, swelling or redness around the surgical wound, and fluctuating temperature. Speak with your doctor if you experience any of these things.
Breathlessness is also normal after lung cancer surgery. Long-term pain can present as well. A study published by the European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery examined the risk factors of vocal cord dysfunction (VCD) following lung cancer surgery in patients. The study found that 86100% of patients reported hoarseness after surgery following RLN paralysis (a nerve injury that has the potential to occur after surgery for lung cancer). And in 45% of the patients studied, hoarseness was the only symptom of VCD after lung surgery.
What Happens When You've Been Newly Diagnosed With Lung Cancer
A Healthy Diet as Key to Health
Dr. William Li is a pioneering physician, a Harvard-trained cancer doctor, and author of the groundbreaking New York Times bestseller Eat to Beat Disease. He, along with others, sees "food as medicine," and he's not the only one.
Marisa Gholson, a Physicians Assistant at Compass Oncology says in an earlier interview with SurvivorNet, "We get questions all the time about whether they should cut out dairy or sugar or soy. And basically what I tell patients is that you should eat a well-balanced diet."
Gholson says, "There's not great evidence that cutting out sugar or dairy or soy is going to slow down or reverse the growth of your cancer. So I think just making sure that you're getting the nutrition that you need."
She says that due to some cancer treatments, like chemo, some people may lose their appetite during their cancer journey. "One of the side effects of chemo can be a loss of appetite," Gholson explains. "You can also taste changes. So when those side effects occur, I tell patients just to try and eat whatever tastes good and to supplement with nutritional shakes like Ensure or Boost, just to make sure that they're getting the nutrition that they need to make it through treatment."
"Everything in moderation," she says.
A Healthy Diet During Ovarian Cancer
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.