Too skinny for more chemo?

musiclover
musiclover Member Posts: 242
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
My friend Mark will be starting a very aggressive regimen of chemo soon. He has rectal cancer that has spread to the liver. Since his rectal surgery one month ago he's barely gained any weight (123 lbs. now. Weighed 133 before surgery, 155 before diagnosis). I'm concerned how more chemo will affect his already frail state. Any comments from those out there who have experienced this are so welcome. Thanks!
Kathryn

Comments

  • kangatoo
    kangatoo Member Posts: 2,105 Member
    I would be very surprised Kathryn if there were many here who have had both surgery and chemo relatively close to each other that did not lose weight.I lost weight progressively prior to my first initial dx(for a possible tumour) and then rapidly while enduring ongoing intensive testing until the tumour was confirmed(by that time I was bleeding excessively and had a 2/3 bowel blockage). Weight loss continued after surgery and during the chemo that followed.
    I was a very active and fit person at 167lb and dropped to 132lb. So that is comparable..around 32-35lb between myself and Mark. Although I had a different chemo to what Mark will probably have I am fairly certain others here will agree that surgery takes its tol, as will chemo but nonetheless his oncologist/doctors etrc. will monitor his situation carefull, as mine did to ensure that his physical state is not compramised by the effects of ongoing treatment.(I did 6 months 5FU/Leucovorin)I am fortunate to be NED now but it took quite some time for me to build up my strength and body weight after both surgery and chemo. I am now back to around 165lb. Obviously what I tell you here is not necessarily the way everyone will react but it will at least give you an insight into the effects on weight that treatments/surgery can have.
  • nanuk
    nanuk Member Posts: 1,358 Member
    One thin that is fairly common during chemo is a
    lack of appetite; foods taste diffeently, or not at all, and we don't eat. It's also difficult to get the right nurishment. Anyway, he may have to force himself to eat. One way to fool the taste buds is to have a smoothie with lots of protein and supplements in it. water at least 64 oz a day is imperative to heep hydratedandfunctioning properly. There will be comfort foods that he will like-with me it was fruit popsicles. see if
    your doctor is associated with a dietitician (sp)
    and word search chemo diet, etc on this site. there are a lot of informative posts out there.

    Here's one example: CAMaura
    02-03-2006
    02:16 PM EST Re: Finishing chemo need nutrition advic... [reply]
    Hi Nunkie -

    Well, I applaud all of your efforts....two rounds of chemo is probably much more than I could handle. There are a few on the site who are considered nutritional gurus, but I'll tell you what I did after chemo and where my thoughts came from.

    The first thing I wanted to do was to start cleaning the chemo drugs out of my liver. I researched a bit and changed waters to reverse osmosis (a really good filtering process - sold in bulk at places like Whole Foods); I started some supplements which are targeted for the liver - Alpha Lipoic Acid and Milk Thistle - along with something I think is just plain super-healthy,Chlorella (you can do a google or yahoo search on any of these and find some info); it has really helped build my system back, including creating an environment where the natural flora in our intestines can live again (many take probiotics for this and chemo kills all of our good flora).

    I found a great site called theliverdoctor.com (Dr. Cabot) which is logical and has great info. I also started back on my regular supplements of antioxidants, Folate or Folic Acid (now well known for preventing colon cancer) which I was asked not to take during chemo, and I bumped my diet up a notch. It had been good and all organic, but I went off just about all refined white flour and sugar. So, all whole grains and sprouted grain breads, no red meat at all, very little dairy (except for yogurt and goat cheese) and boosted my soy to include unsweetened soy milk and added soybeans in for protein (and more walnuts and almonds). I made sure that fresh, raw fruits and vegetables were a huge part of my day and I started juicing at least three times per week with a mixture which I found to work for me - red del apple, beet, red cabbage and carrot; it tastes great, and is known for cleansing the liver as well as this type of apple targeting the lung-cells. I started what is known as an Alkaline diet (again easy to Google or to ask about at a good health food store) which is just understanding how foods break down and affect our body ph....cancer loves an acidic body - something which works hand in hand with a junkie diet. Anyway, this may seem like a crazy or a simplistic explanation, but you can find out so much about diet and really have an effect on how you recover from chemo as well as cancer.

    I hope this has been a start....I know that many will chime in as well. All the best to you and feel free to e-mail my box here if you need any help - Maura (and don't beat yourself up for going away from info about cancer for a while.....we all deal with things in our own time and with differing emotions; now you have the mental strength to rebuild your body!)

    The book by Patrick QUILLIN, Beating Cancer with Nutrition is considered by many to be the best printed resource for nutritional info.




    Bud
  • RunnerZ
    RunnerZ Member Posts: 185
    I weighed 164 lbs. at diagnosis and dropped to 130 at my lowest (I am 6 feet tall). However, I actually gained wieght over the course of chemotherapy (a not uncommon side-effect as you often eat to attempt to resolve mild nsusea). I weighed 180 lbs. 6 months later and my oncologist laughed at me because I actually had a stomach hanging out a little bit! Your frined will do fine with the proper nutrition!
  • lfondots63
    lfondots63 Member Posts: 818 Member
    Hi Kathryn,

    Like the other said, try to get him to eat. I am going through chemo now and I am also diabetic so I need to eat. It is hard when he is feeling sick but certain foods will sound good to him. Try to keep those foods in the house when he is feeling not so nauceous. Bland foods are good too like pretzels, bread, pasta. These won't upset his stomach more and some things with salt will taste good. I know the onc is watching my weight at every treatment to make sure I am not loosing a lot at once. Good luck and Good vibes to you and Mark.

    Lisa
  • JADot
    JADot Member Posts: 709 Member
    Hi Kathryn:

    Stepping onto my soap box I'm here to say again that nothing is more important than eating and eating protein when one is on chemo. Our bodies cannot heal without proper nutrition. I tell myself that my doctors are responsible for killing the cancer cells, I am responsible for nurturing the healthy cells. I got my will to eat after reading Patrick Quillin's book "Fighting Cancer with Nutrition". Please get this book and make a beliver out of Mark. He has to believe enough to be able to push food down when nothing tastes right. The book also talks a lot of supplements, other things to help him stay strong and be able to take the chemo.

    Best of luck to Mark and you!

    JADot
  • taraHK
    taraHK Member Posts: 1,952 Member
    This seems something you'd need to discuss with his doctors. If it's any consolation, I didn't loose any weight while I was on chemo (6+ months). But, that took some "work" on my part! I'd loose about 4 lbs each cycle, then "work" to put it on before the next cycle (2 weeks later).
    Tara