weight loss

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rankind
rankind Member Posts: 36
edited March 2014 in Caregivers #1
My brother is losing so much weight it is scary. He was diagnosed in August with Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer with a grim prognosis. He just had his second round of chemo on Thursday and they drained 10 liters of fluid off of his stomach Friday. The pain is so bad and I can already tell that the fluid is coming back. He is eating like a cup of soup a day and is only drinking about 40 ounces of fluid. My family has never been through anything like this before and we really do not know what to expect. Any help would be much appreciated.

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  • Noellesmom
    Noellesmom Member Posts: 1,859 Member
    #2
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    difficult
    This is the hardest part, watching and not being sure what you can do to help.

    That you are there for your brother is a blessing to him.

    Please talk to the doctors/nurses and ask for their advice. You say his prognosis is grim: have you contacted hospice? Please remember they are there not just for the last few weeks but are also available once a person has a terminal diagnosis. While you don't say that your brother has that, I am guessing it from your comments.

    You and your family, as well as your brother, will be in my prayers.

    Please let us here how things progress, Rankind.

    Hugs to you.
  • rankind
    rankind Member Posts: 36
    #3
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    Noellesmom said:

    difficult
    This is the hardest part, watching and not being sure what you can do to help.

    That you are there for your brother is a blessing to him.

    Please talk to the doctors/nurses and ask for their advice. You say his prognosis is grim: have you contacted hospice? Please remember they are there not just for the last few weeks but are also available once a person has a terminal diagnosis. While you don't say that your brother has that, I am guessing it from your comments.

    You and your family, as well as your brother, will be in my prayers.

    Please let us here how things progress, Rankind.

    Hugs to you.

    Appreciation
    Thank you so much for your words of advise. Just talking to someone helps and yes the doctors give my brother an outside chance at 11 months. We are in the second so we are praying for a miracle. I wonder how many miracles God allows on one brother. He was electrocuted 28 years ago and was the first man to survive that much electricity so I am praying that God will allow more than one miracle for one dear brother.
  • nyogus1
    nyogus1 Member Posts: 30
    #4
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    Prayers
    I still feel new enough to this cancer world that it's hard to give advice. I seem to need to take it more than able to give. But my thoughts and prayers are with you.
    God bless and know that other's are sending their positive thoughts.

    Nancy
  • 3Mana
    3Mana Member Posts: 811
    #5
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    rankind said:

    Appreciation
    Thank you so much for your words of advise. Just talking to someone helps and yes the doctors give my brother an outside chance at 11 months. We are in the second so we are praying for a miracle. I wonder how many miracles God allows on one brother. He was electrocuted 28 years ago and was the first man to survive that much electricity so I am praying that God will allow more than one miracle for one dear brother.

    Stay hopeful
    Rankind,
    My husband's niece was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer 14 months ago. She's had a few problems and has lost alot of weight even though she was thin to begin with. That's just what happens with this darn disease. Does your brother drink Ensure? They have different kinds but it has alot of calories. My husband passed away in March from lung cancer. Actually it was a RARE complication from one of the chemos. He also lost weight and it hurt me so much to see that cause he always had a nice build.
    Good luck with your brother! Hang in there & just be there to support him. "Carole"
  • grandmafay
    grandmafay Member Posts: 1,633 Member
    #6
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    Miracles Happen
    Miracles do happen. Just remember that sometimes the answers to our prayers are not the ones we want. My husband was not cured, but he was healed. Also, keep in mind that the dr doesn't know how long your brother has anymore than you do. He is guessing or giving you a number based on his past experiences. Everyone is different, and new treatments are being found all the time.

    As for eating, I know it can be really frustrating to try to get someone to eat more especially when you see them wasting away. My husband liked milkshakes made from ensure. That added a few more calories. I don't think it will do much good to badger him about eating. Eating when he doesn't want to may just make him feel sicker. Blessings and prayers, Fay
  • ruthelizabeth
    ruthelizabeth Member Posts: 138
    #7
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    grandmafay said:

    Miracles Happen
    Miracles do happen. Just remember that sometimes the answers to our prayers are not the ones we want. My husband was not cured, but he was healed. Also, keep in mind that the dr doesn't know how long your brother has anymore than you do. He is guessing or giving you a number based on his past experiences. Everyone is different, and new treatments are being found all the time.

    As for eating, I know it can be really frustrating to try to get someone to eat more especially when you see them wasting away. My husband liked milkshakes made from ensure. That added a few more calories. I don't think it will do much good to badger him about eating. Eating when he doesn't want to may just make him feel sicker. Blessings and prayers, Fay

    Food ideas
    In addition to ensure, offer a lot of choices and be prepared for changing tastes. Your brother may love something one day and find it doesn't appeal or taste good the next.

    Check in the library for cookbooks that incorporate vegetables, etc. in things like brownies, etc. That may help with nutrition.

    Can your dr. point you to a dietitian? Ours never did, but I think if you talked to one, they might have suggestions that would help.
  • Luv2lunch
    Luv2lunch Member Posts: 270
    #8
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    I'm sorry about your
    I'm sorry about your brother. Like you, my family has never experienced any kind of serious illness. It has been a really hard year for us. When Mom was on the 6th week of 24 hour a day chemo, she was done. She had no desire to eat. There was nothing anyone could say or do to make her eat. She had already lost 35 pounds since the treatment started. I was really scared. I tried to make anything that I thought she might like. She said she just couldn't do it. She did end up in the hospital for IV fluids and after that, she bounced back.
    I'm not sure what to say about your brother. Try the shakes with Ensure or Boost. I did this for Mom and added some chocolate syrup and ice cream to increase the calories.
    Also check with his doctors.
    You and your family will be in our thoughts and prayers.
    God Bless,
    Linda and Ellie

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