Support for caregivers: I feel helpless not being able to fix things

Welcome, @ttcilia. Has your husband completed chemo? What type or flavor of smoothies does he like best?

My wife the patient. PADC, Stage 4, Tail. Now 4 months Folfirinox chemo.
Let the doctors and the chemo do their thing. Focus on nutrition
Get Books for nutrition for cancer. Mainstream oncology doesn’t spend a lot of time helping with nutrition, so you have to learn your way.
Agree, pancreatic enzymes a game changer.
Quality protein , good fats, and stay away from any processed foods and sugars.
Buy Organic whatever wherever possible. READ labels.
Libre Freestyle sugar monitoring a blessing, as was getting an endicrinologist on our team to help with the inevitable problems PADC creates in managing diabetes, and blood enzymes.
We found Glucerna protein drinks a great help in the first stages of chemo. But it’s dairy based, and as chemo started to ravage the immune system and Biome world, Glucerna wasn’t good for the diarrhea, so she moved to a vegan alternative called Kate Farms. Much more expensive but more acceptable to the stomach.
You’re the patience anchor. Remember when things get dark, to put aside your frustration and unhappiness , as it pales in comparison to what they are going through… They need your strength, your hope and your love….

Genome testing of the cancer , requiring a biopsy, will give the doctors a possible path forward for post chemo immunological treatment that targets the gene. And your family will appreciate knowing if the cancer may have a possible genetic base that they need to know . Or was it just a non genetic mutation.

Exercise, keep up strength, maintain muscle (hence protein/complex carbs). Games, targets, # of steps , minutes, whatever goals short and long term the patient can agree to.

Thank you. This is a very lonely journey. Have u had any luck with trials? I am hoping he will start feeling better on every other week of gem abrasive. 2x in a row was just too much. Only time will tell. Sending Gods blessings to you and your loved one. Ditto...reach out anytime.

Boost or Ensure with ice cream taste really good. You can also add some flavored or unflavored protein powder. Powdered milk in creamy soups, pudding, tapioca, etc. will add protein and creaminess. I also add tofu to my dishes for additional protein, and add salad dressing to chicken, beef and fish for extra flavor and moisture. Hope this helped in some small way!

Since my husband (the Ca pt) hates the taste of Boost and any other prepared Protein drink, (and trust me we have tried everything we can find) I did find that the Can of Boost Powder does not leave the after taste of chalk in any way. So I put that in smoothies, in puddings in anything I dare and he is willing to take that. Means he gets high calorie, Hi Carb,, Hi protein in low volume and it is working so far. Boost Powder , is a large can available on Amazon and in Walmart , I havent seen it anywhere else, Im told it was orginally Carnation Instant Breakfast and has been bought and rebranded as Boost,

Sounds like a great find. Surely this will help others reading your post. Best wishes.

Premier protein powder available at Walmart is what I use in 2% milk every evening & it tastes very good without any aftertaste. I use the chocolate flavor. Been using since June 2022 when I was told my pancreatic (tail) cancer was stage 4, inoperable & I had 11 months with treatment! Still here & fortunately no real issues with nausea or vomiting. On Gemcitabine & Abraxane every other week.

@199 you are amazing! I was reading through your threads to recall some info about you because you are definitely what I would call a “case study”. If I understand correctly, you are 75, you started out at Mayo, and then continued care with a hospital in your area that was a “Center of Excellence”? Exactly how many sessions of gem- abraxane have you had? You have neuropathy, but even after these many sessions your level of neuropathy is tolerable and hasn’t affected your activities of daily living significantly? Are you still getting the dexatron prior to the abraxane? You receive acupuncture to help lessen the neuropathy? Your mutations are KRAS12D and TP53(which I think is the aggressive one since it has no cure). Did you have any other of the pancreatic CA mutations where there was a base substitution of “unknown significance”? I recall you believe in prayer. I must share your info with my oncologist as I’m a bit annoyed that he keeps repeating “you’ve gone longer than most on the chemo regimen you’re on”. I was diagnosed Sept 2022 as stage 2 and got surgery (distal). I got 5FU chemo 12 sessions in 2023. Cancer came back after 4 months. I got about 24 sessions of gem-abraxane in 2024, but then neuropathy in driving foot started to get pretty bad. I got SBRT in October 2024 with good results that lasted until April 2025. Was on only gemzar from Jan 2025 to present. Gemzar by itself has not been effective for me. I want to say a “new” liver lesion appeared, but my guess is that it’s really the lesion that was identified in December 2023 that shrank with chemo to a size no longer seen on scans and no longer “shedding”, but not decimated. I think it’s the same because it’s in the same segment 5/6 of liver. Anyways, you are a nurse as my mom was (practical nurse, though) and I pray and hope continued good health for you!!

I’m sorry about you husband; he will be ok. As a cancer survivor myself I would recommend him to drink a lot of fluids, bananas were my best allies since I had nausea and lost my appetite they gave me energy and helped with the upset stomach; also short walks will help him a lot. Wishing you beloved husband a speedy and total recovery!