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← Return to Eating during cancer care
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Cancer: Managing Symptoms | Last Active: Jul 28, 2023 | Replies (48)
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He just won't eat. Has tried a few times to eat a burger or piece of pizza but throws it out. As for what the doctors say, he doesn't tell us much of anything about appointments, if any with doctors and his "regular" is a Physician assistant that doesn't have a very good reputation and I don't believe he has seen her in probably 3 years! He is single and lives alone, sleeps most all day doesn't want anyone to visit. He applied, on his own for SSD and was denied and refuses to hire an attorney to file for him. Our hands are tied because he is an adult, 50+ years old. He is our only "child."
Thank you for sharing and caring. I will try to talk to him about what you have shared. A hug to you.
baz10
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This sounds like depression has really gotten its grips into your son. His life must have changed drastically over the course of his treatment and recovery. You’re really in between a rock and a hard spot if he isn’t willing to make any changes in his life to try to eat or get some emotional help.
I really don’t know what you can do to encourage him to open his doors to friends, to try different ‘liquid’ foods that might entice him to actually eat solids again or to even get some professional help with his depression. Without being able to eat, isolating himself from family and friends, sleeping most of the day away…he has very little quality of life. As a parent this is gut wrenching when you can see solutions in front of you but he’s not willing to make changes.
At 50+ my guess is that you’re not going to change him. Think about how difficult it is for us to make changes in our own personality…it’s almost Herculean to do it with someone else.
I’m sure you’ve attempted several approaches to this. Let me guess, as an adult he gets more belligerent the more you try. ☺️ Buy a couple of tasty looking baby food purées and give him a gift bag and leave it on his table…he can make the decision. Don’t even try to talk to him about it! The consistency isn’t much different than drinking a can of Boost!! He might like it.