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Loss of appetite after radiation

karacahm
karacahm CSN Member Posts: 5
edited March 2014 in Lung Cancer #1
My father was diagnosed with NSCLC 3b in January. He got 6 rounds of chemo and after that 33 fractions of radiation. Now, it is more than 1 month since radiation finished but he still has loss of appetite. He does not want to eat some special food at all, especially. Do you think this is because of radiation or his disease? Many thanks for your help.
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  • Plymouthean
    Plymouthean CSN Member Posts: 262 Member
    #2
    Hi. I'm a six year survivor of NSCLC, 3b. I had three rounds of chemo, and fifty five radiation treatments. I suffered loss of appetite, also. That situation is usually due to both chemo and radiation.
    Most foods that I absolutely loved, normally, turned my stomach at the sight of them. For about six weeks, I lived on liquid supplements, such as Boost, Ensure, etc., which are not very pleasant tasting (to me, anyway). I found that Carnation Instant Breakfast is much more pleasant and easy to take. Eventually, my appetite came back to normal. I was hospitalized for three weeks, due to dehydration and malnutrition, and part of the deal was that if I ate the meals that were given me, I could go home. Nothing like a little incentive!
    My best advice is to keep trying to find something that he will eat. My experience was that fruit juices and hot cereal (Cream of Wheat, etc., made very soupy), and puddings were easy to handle, in addition to the Instant Breakfast.Be patient, he really is turned off to most foods at this point. Also, many small bites/meals throughout the day are much less overwhelming than three big meals. Whatever you offer him to eat, - serve it on bread and butter plates. That way it doesn't look overwhelming to him.
    Be patient, but persistent. This situation can be very discouraging and frustrating, but it WILL pass
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