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Mom diagnosed with Lung Cancer. Need advice on helping her to eat
Lung Cancer | Last Active: Jul 27, 2020 | Replies (74)Comment receiving replies
@becsbuddy, HI, thank you for your suggestions. we actually have a call scheduled with a nutritionist this afternoon from the cancer center. she was drinking Ensure or boost and then she said she didn't like the taste! I like the idea of freezing it like ice cream though, that might work.
do you think she knows what she's doing? i'm not sure, I know she is not ready to give up, but if left on her own, she wouldn't eat at all! she has gotten to the point that she is week and one of her recent blood tests revealed she was a little malnurished!
I"m also working on setting up a call with mom's PCP to see what she thinks - thought sometimes she can be more negative than not. the ONcologist thought the megace or some appetite stimulant is okay to take and would be helpful. I didn't know that about megace, is that a bad thing?
Replies to "@becsbuddy, HI, thank you for your suggestions. we actually have a call scheduled with a nutritionist..."
@kj9. I found this article that might be helpful. It’s on nutrition during cancer care.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cancer/in-depth/cancer/art-20045046
Also the American Cancer Society has very good information
https://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatments-and-side-effects/physical-side-effects/eating-problems/poor-appetite.html
If you try making the drinks into “ice cream “, topping with a small amount of her favorite sundae toppings might help the cause.
So sorry your Mom is having a difficult time. Last year I was experiencing loss of appetite due to major surgery and lost a lot of weight. I should mention I didn’t have cancer but spent 7 months in the hospital, 4 of those in ICU and for 6 months I was not able to eat any food but given all my nutrition through a feeding tube. I still had a feeding tube when I came home but was slowly introduced to food, I was working with a dietician and the goal was to get my caloric intake up to 1200 calories a day before they would remove the feeding tube. That was a great incentive but I was very nauseated. At that time my family doctor suggested I try Nabilone which is medical marijuana. It is a product we have in Canada, and is suggested after chemo to enhance appetite and help with nausea. It worked very quickly and I take a low dose. Last month I decided to stop taking it because I have gained weight and feel good. After a week the nausea was back and I lost almost 5 lbs., I had to force myself to eat even a piece of toast. Yesterday I started taking it again and I was able to eat last night. I hope your family is able to find a solution. Don’t give up, as you know it’s not just about the patient but it affects the whole family.
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@kj9. No, megace is not a bad thing . We used it frequently in the hospital