My doctor strongly urged me to say away from unpeeled fruits because of the bacteria associated with them could cause me to get sick during chemo. I’m not quite sure I understand this philosophy. Can anyone reiterate this?
When your white counts are low, your immune system is weak and not able to handle bacteria as well as when you are healthy. Chemo doesn't kill cancer cells only. It kills your immune cells as well. There is a period of approximately one week following chemo when you white counts will go very low (in other words, most of your bacteria-fighting soldiers will be dead). During this period, you should cook thoroughly everything you eat. Fresh fruits and vegetables may carry bacteria as well as uncooked meat. After chemo ends, you will get a neupogen or neulasta shot to help regenerate your white cells. It takes a few days for the white counts to go back to normal. When your counts are normal, you can resume eating fresh fruits and vegetables.