Can't get a handle on diet...

Welcome to the forum

I am sorry that you have to be here, in behalf of your husband, but glad that you have found us, as it is a good place and we are good people. 

And I just have to say that I LOVE your aatar. I feel like that when I eat broccli (OK, I don't eat broccli).

I have been keeping a food diary to track my symptoms, so of which aren't constant and I feel are down to foods. So far bread and sugar is on the list. SYou may already be keeping a diary, but I thought I would throw it out. 

Others will be along soon. Welcome again. 

Sue

Welcome

I think your diet approach should include fighting a recurrence as well as digestive issues. With that in mind there are plenty of books that tout a cancer fighting diet. Most suggest a largely vegetarian diet, no red meat, no sugar, turmeric etc. I would find in that group of foods things he can tolerate. The priority is keeping him alive first! 

That being said, my integrative oncologist who's also trained in aryuvedic medicine gave me Amalaki, an Indian herb to aid in digestion. He also suggested drinking lots of warm water with every meal.

Good luck!

Easyflip/Richard

Get help from doctor

Your oncologist should have given you a hotline number to call whenever any symptom arises.  They need to know and should be prepared to advise you.  

As for diet, in general I agree with Richard's comments - heavy on quality plant foods.  There some evidence that the insulin/IGF-1 pathway as well as elevated glucose levels are implicated in accelerating tumor growth.  So keep the simple carbs low to non-existent and keep protein modest (reference the work of Drs Longo, Seyfried, and Fine) in order to keep glucose and insulin levels from spiking to high levels after each meal.  There are clinical trials underway now to build on the work of Drs Longo and Seyfried.  There is work by Dr Aggerwal of MD Anderson in Texas which supports the potential use of curcumin (in tumeric) as an anti-cancer agent. 

Normally, when someone has gastric upset due to bacterial or viral infection they should be on clear liquids for a day or so, and then transition to bland foods.  But again, if your doctor is doing his job he or someone on his staff should be in the loop and advising you. 

 

 

 

         

 

 

Ii have a bag but my doctor

I have a bag and am now NED and had a very similar path that your husband had but in my case my doctor said that I had to just let go of the idea of serious fiber-filled nutrition until my body finds a new normal and eat what works.  For a good two years now, I had to eleminate most fruit and veggies.  It seems counterproductive but the fiber was killer and it was a necessity for living without pain.  Originally, I ate minimal of both with all meals just for nutrition, stuck to chicken or tuna fish as it's the only fish I eat and kept this rare because it made me queesy, no red meat (I did here and there but not anymore, it was so heavy to digest and just isn't worth it) and some bread (doctor told me stick to white) or rice.  For rice I went with Basmati or Jasmine as this has more nutritional value than long grain.  No oatmeal, no bran.  I did drink almond milk in small doses or whipped this up with a banana for a shake, eventually my shakes expanded to include more fruit, almond and coconut milk.  I drank coconut water which I hate but drowned myself daily for hydration for awhile.  Hydration was always an issue.  I was able to eat bananas with no problem so I chose that as my constant fruit and sometimes I'd make banana bread.  Strawberries, grapes and cherries, I could eat two or three a day of any one and that's it. Thankfully I can eat almonds and sun flower seeds with no problems so that's my snack of choice but the sunflower seeds cause loose stools so I stick more to almonds.   Two years out of eating like this and it seems like I have stabilized.  I have a really bad spell of painful diahrrea every 3 months but I've learned to just chant through it and let each second pass.   I don't know why it happens, it seems to be my body just purging and then restabilizing.   I am able to eat a half a cup of veggies with my meals now, a few pieces of fruit a day, I even recently ate an apple without acid issues. Oh how I missed apples!  I won't do this too often because I'd just be asking for it.  I am not sure if it is just a matter of giving the digestive system a complete break to heal or what. If it's not something obvious like a physical imbalance that can be diagnosed, just keep it very bland and low fiber for a long while and then work things back in in slightly larger doses to see what happens but do talk to a nutritionist.  I take supplements every day like clockwork, if I don't I feel lousy.  I will never be able to eat the way I used to, my oncologist has told me that but little by little I am getting back to a "healthy" diet.  Dairy will never be a yes again and yet I can eat yogurt and small amounts of cheese, straight milk though is out completely.  No orange juice ever, no pineapple.  I can eat two slivers of an orange and be okay as long as I eat some bread.  I can even eat whole grain bread again.   It's a matter of playing around with what works and still finding nutrition.  I ate some oatmeal raisin cookies during Christmas, what a dummy, that was bad, I paid a serious price, oatmeal is oatmeal.