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@jk77

@kslayer, ncteacher's response reminds me that I asked my med. onc.'s office for additional IV fluids a few weeks after surgery bc my general queasiness put me off not only food but beverages; I think I should have had more than one appt. for IV fluids, bc my recovery from surgery has been a little slow. Pls keep IV fluids in mind as an option for your relative, bc being dehydrated increases fatigue and general malaise. (I don't know whether your relative automatically receives additional IV fluids during FOLFIRINOX infusions.)

And, adding to ncteacher's thoughts on food when one is queasy / has no appetite: low-sodium sliced turkey and plain chicken were / are helpful for me, as were / are instant mashed potatoes (I have no energy to cook), corn flakes, and unsweetened applesauce. Very diluted apple juice is sometimes more palatable to me than water, meaning that I drink more, as is undiluted ginger ale.

Also, I also recommend Bolthouse Farms protein shakes, diluted with lots of dairy milk or soy milk (to reduce the amount of sugar, which I can't tolerate these days). I prefer Bolthouse to Ensure bc the former have fewer lab chemicals and less sugar.

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Replies to "@kslayer, ncteacher's response reminds me that I asked my med. onc.'s office for additional IV fluids..."

Just FYI: Our observation in my Bride’s 5th cycle of Folfirinox was that extra Infusion Hydration has made a huge reduction in side effects. My Bride drinks as much 50/50 Water-Gatorade Zero as she can throughout the day but can’t apparently get the internal hydration state which she gets from the infusions (via a Bard port). We have worked out in a 14 day running cycle of chemo, where she gets the extra hydrations on Days 3, 8, & 13. The nurses have all said anecdotally that many cancer patients seem to benefit from the extra hydration. It took us a couple of cycles to figure this out for her and we had to sort of pull it out of the oncology team. We created a daily Chemo Misery Index chart for them which showed the effects. Hoping this experience might help someone else on their journey!