Need some nutrition advice

NikiMo

Hi folks,

Need some ideas here, husband jus completed week 4 of chemo. Up to last Thursday he was feeling fine, zofran and compozene were keeping nausea in check and he was getting 2300-2600 calories a day. On Thursday he started lose his appetite, Friday he was back to normal and then Saturday and today no appetite. Yesterday was the first day he came home early from work since this started. I know chemo and rads is cumulative and knew eventually he would start feeling not well. So I need your help. He does not have a feeding tube so it is imperative that he get those calories, but NOTHING is appealing to him. Any suggestions for food supplements that aren't too sweet. He doesn't like ensure or boost, he can stomach muscle milk. I am wondering if there is a whey protein that isn't flavored, maybe something I could mix into soups to see if he can get some calories that way?

I know there was a post earlier about feeding tubes. Jeff had minimal problem swallowing so the oncologists said that we didn't need one. I know they have tricks up their sleeves if we need nutrients, but I would like to see if I can't help him through this.

Any and all suggestions are welcome and needed.

Thanks. Niki

Daisylin

Hi Niki
Well, the one thing Lee has found appetizing is a cereal called Vector. It's loaded with good stuff, and it's marketed as a "meal replacement" I would assume it's available in the states. (We're in Canada) He's also eating other cereals, but this one seems pretty healthy, and has over 200 calories per serving, plus the milk.

I know you said nothing too sweet, but I've been making him smoothies with vanilla Carnation instant breakfast, vanilla whey, benefiber, milk, ice cream and a frozen banana. We have a magic bullet blender, and it makes wonderful smoothies and shakes, easy and no mess.
It's great for making soups as well. Unfortunately with the heat, soup is not too appealing to him right now, but he's loving the smoothies.

I have no idea if they make unflavoured whey, where we went to get it, they only had chocolate, vanilla and berry kinds. Most likely you could find it somewhere though.

Sorry I could not be of more help, I know how frustrating it can be, you both know that he needs to eat, but his body is telling him otherwise. I posted the same question a few months ago, Lee's eating has been mostly great, but with a few bad days here and there. On the good days, have him eat like a horse!

Chantal

paul61

Here are some supplement ideas
Niki,

Here are some calorie supplements along with recipes that Jeff may find helpful. The first is a calorie supplement called BeneCalorie. It is available at Walmart or most drug stores.
A web site reference with recipes is:

http://www.nestlenutritionstore.com/cancer-nutrition/cancer-recipes.asp

A second idea is BeneProtien. This is a high protein supplement that can be added to various foods. The web site is:

http://www.nestlenutritionstore.com/resource-beneprotein.asp

You will also find this site helpful for menu ideas in general while undergoing chemotherapy.

Hope this helps.


Best Regards,

Paul Adams
McCormick, South Carolina

DX 10/22/2009 T2N1M0 Stage IIB
12/03/2009 Ivor Lewis
2/8 through 6/14/2010 Adjuvant Chemo Cisplatin, Epirubicin, 5 FU
6/21/2010 CT Scan NED
3/14/2011 CT Scan NED

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance!

mruble

paul61 said:

Here are some supplement ideas
Niki,

Here are some calorie supplements along with recipes that Jeff may find helpful. The first is a calorie supplement called BeneCalorie. It is available at Walmart or most drug stores.
A web site reference with recipes is:

http://www.nestlenutritionstore.com/cancer-nutrition/cancer-recipes.asp

A second idea is BeneProtien. This is a high protein supplement that can be added to various foods. The web site is:

http://www.nestlenutritionstore.com/resource-beneprotein.asp

You will also find this site helpful for menu ideas in general while undergoing chemotherapy.

Hope this helps.


Best Regards,

Paul Adams
McCormick, South Carolina

DX 10/22/2009 T2N1M0 Stage IIB
12/03/2009 Ivor Lewis
2/8 through 6/14/2010 Adjuvant Chemo Cisplatin, Epirubicin, 5 FU
6/21/2010 CT Scan NED
3/14/2011 CT Scan NED

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance!

I second the Benecalorie and
I second the Benecalorie and Beneprotien. My husband wouldn't touch Boost or Ensure after he started chemo the first time. When he had a recurrence in December and had chemo and radiation on his neck, he really struggled to get things down. The Bene products were a lifesaver! Check with the nutritionist at your cancer center -- it's likely he/she has samples so you can see how it works for your husband before you buy it.

Best of luck!

Mary

NikiMo

paul61 said:

Here are some supplement ideas
Niki,

Here are some calorie supplements along with recipes that Jeff may find helpful. The first is a calorie supplement called BeneCalorie. It is available at Walmart or most drug stores.
A web site reference with recipes is:

http://www.nestlenutritionstore.com/cancer-nutrition/cancer-recipes.asp

A second idea is BeneProtien. This is a high protein supplement that can be added to various foods. The web site is:

http://www.nestlenutritionstore.com/resource-beneprotein.asp

You will also find this site helpful for menu ideas in general while undergoing chemotherapy.

Hope this helps.


Best Regards,

Paul Adams
McCormick, South Carolina

DX 10/22/2009 T2N1M0 Stage IIB
12/03/2009 Ivor Lewis
2/8 through 6/14/2010 Adjuvant Chemo Cisplatin, Epirubicin, 5 FU
6/21/2010 CT Scan NED
3/14/2011 CT Scan NED

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance!

Thanks knew someone would have ideas!
Thanks Paul, I am going to pick some up tomorrow. I looked online and this is exactly what he needs. The only thing that he is really interested in is apple juice, looks like I could add it to his juice. Also just to update he ate a chicken sandwich and potato soup for dinner, although it did take awhile for him to get through it. Must be feeling a little better, but it seems like if I can up his calories on the things he is ok to eat or drink he will fair much better.

Hope you had a wonderful weekend

Niki

NikiMo

mruble said:

I second the Benecalorie and
I second the Benecalorie and Beneprotien. My husband wouldn't touch Boost or Ensure after he started chemo the first time. When he had a recurrence in December and had chemo and radiation on his neck, he really struggled to get things down. The Bene products were a lifesaver! Check with the nutritionist at your cancer center -- it's likely he/she has samples so you can see how it works for your husband before you buy it.

Best of luck!

Mary

Muscle milk
The only drink supplement that Jeff can stomach is muscle milk, but he is turning his nose up to that now too. He says the sugar just makes the drink even worse, he said he would rather they not sweeten it so much. Hopefully the Benecalorie and Beneprotein will work, it sounds just like what we need. Jeff is ok with certain foods and apple juice is still ok, so I will just slip it in there. Good suggestion about getting in touch with the nutritionist, I will call to make an appointment with them.

Thanks for the tips!

NikiMo

Daisylin said:

Hi Niki
Well, the one thing Lee has found appetizing is a cereal called Vector. It's loaded with good stuff, and it's marketed as a "meal replacement" I would assume it's available in the states. (We're in Canada) He's also eating other cereals, but this one seems pretty healthy, and has over 200 calories per serving, plus the milk.

I know you said nothing too sweet, but I've been making him smoothies with vanilla Carnation instant breakfast, vanilla whey, benefiber, milk, ice cream and a frozen banana. We have a magic bullet blender, and it makes wonderful smoothies and shakes, easy and no mess.
It's great for making soups as well. Unfortunately with the heat, soup is not too appealing to him right now, but he's loving the smoothies.

I have no idea if they make unflavoured whey, where we went to get it, they only had chocolate, vanilla and berry kinds. Most likely you could find it somewhere though.

Sorry I could not be of more help, I know how frustrating it can be, you both know that he needs to eat, but his body is telling him otherwise. I posted the same question a few months ago, Lee's eating has been mostly great, but with a few bad days here and there. On the good days, have him eat like a horse!

Chantal

Hi Chantal
Thanks for the suggestions, I will need to look up Vector and see if we can get it down here. Jeff is on oxiliplatin which means cold foods are out, so smoothies and milkshakes are out too. It has been very challenging to figure out the cold liquids thing, which sounds silly but harder than you might think. He also can't do anything with citric acid in it, and since that is used as a preservative in many fruit juices my options are narrowing. I just pray that he doesn't get a lactose intolerance, he has been good about drinking carnation instant breakfast mixed with whole milk and microwaved for a few seconds. I am complaining when I should be looking at the positives, he is able to swallow and until just very recently his appetite was good.

Thanks again for the suggestions. Niki

Daisylin

NikiMo said:

Hi Chantal
Thanks for the suggestions, I will need to look up Vector and see if we can get it down here. Jeff is on oxiliplatin which means cold foods are out, so smoothies and milkshakes are out too. It has been very challenging to figure out the cold liquids thing, which sounds silly but harder than you might think. He also can't do anything with citric acid in it, and since that is used as a preservative in many fruit juices my options are narrowing. I just pray that he doesn't get a lactose intolerance, he has been good about drinking carnation instant breakfast mixed with whole milk and microwaved for a few seconds. I am complaining when I should be looking at the positives, he is able to swallow and until just very recently his appetite was good.

Thanks again for the suggestions. Niki

hi again
I totally understand....
Lee went through the same type of thing, first he'd only drink room temperature drinks, then he'd only drink sweetened iced tea. Now he's on an orange juice kick.
He has been reading all the postings here, and read yours, and said to mention that he tried visualizing what he thought he'd be able to eat. Every day, for every meal, he has to sit and think about different foods that might appeal. It usually works, although we've had many a wasted meal. It also means frequent trips to the grocery store, but it's worth it. We've also had many meals of bizarre foods, and not so healthy foods, for example, he seems to like 'crunchy' things like tacos, nachos etc. Also pasta with tomato sauce seems to work.
I think trying the bene calorie and protein would be a great idea, we do the bene fibre (for constipation issues) and whey powder. He also is mostly able to swallow, but has been avoiding breads and things like french fries, which seem to get 'stuck' a lot.
good luck my friend,
Chantal

jojoshort

NikiMo said:

Thanks knew someone would have ideas!
Thanks Paul, I am going to pick some up tomorrow. I looked online and this is exactly what he needs. The only thing that he is really interested in is apple juice, looks like I could add it to his juice. Also just to update he ate a chicken sandwich and potato soup for dinner, although it did take awhile for him to get through it. Must be feeling a little better, but it seems like if I can up his calories on the things he is ok to eat or drink he will fair much better.

Hope you had a wonderful weekend

Niki

Calories
Steve liked creamed soups. He also had oxaliplatin and his appetite tumbled with the treatments. One of the tricks I heard was that he needs to think of food as medicine, and eat something, anything, every hour. Hope this helps.
Jo-Ann

cher76

I know exactly how you feel,
I know exactly how you feel, as Rickie did not get a feeding tube until May, so I have struggled to find things he can or will eat. He has never been a "fruity" kind of guy, so smoothies, yogurt, and that kind of stuff do not appeal to him. I talked to the nutritionists several times at MDAnderson, but I was already doing the things they suggested. I purchased some whey protein either at The Vitamin Shopp or GNC called Any Whey. It is suppose to be virtually tasteless, optimized for cooking, and can be put into foods and beverages. I added it to pancakes and scrambled eggs. I also did smoothies with chocolate flavored whey powder, peanut butter, chocolate syrup and milk. A good way to add calories is to add powdered milk to regular whole milk. For every 1 cup of milk add 2-4 tbls. powdered milk, this adds 66 to 132 calories and 6 to 12 grams of protein. I would mix it up in a pitcher and keep it in the fridge. Then when he eats cereal or drinks a protein shake, he is getting extra calories. You can also use it in your cooking or to make pudding with. Rickie also likes the power bars that are made by Supreme Protein and the flavor is Peanut Butter Pretzel Twist. I guess they have a salty/sweet taste. I use all butter in my cooking, heavy cream or half and half, and lots of olive oil as well. When you make soups, the Italian way of cooking is to drizzle olive oil on top before serving. That's a calorie adder there! Avocados are in season here in south Texas, and they are also loaded with calories and good fats. Mash them up with some of that olive oil and add salt and pepper and they are great. We like to eat them just like that. My daughter came home for a weekend and made some black bean soup that was wonderful and so easy. She just sauteed some chopped onion (in olive oil of course!), then added a big can of black beans,and a little canned salsa and cooked till hot. The she pureed it adding chicken broth to help thin it out. Added sour cream and avocado on top and it was yummy. Good served hot or cold. Lots of protein and fiber. Actually Rickie has been on a bean and cornbread kick for about a month now. As he was having more trouble getting things down he found that pinto beans slow cooked in the crockpot and served over cornbread would go down easily for him. There were a few weeks there that seems like all we ate. Took me back 35 years to our "early marriage" days! He also has found that he can eat a baked potato with chopped beef BBQ on it if the meat is chopped up fine and he adds extra BBQ sauce. Believe it or not Pork tenderloin was something he could get down until just recently, but meatloaf would get stuck. It amazes me what will and wont go down. Hope these suggestions help. Sometimes we just need some new ideas.
Cheryl

sammy123

Hi Niki-
You sound like you
Hi Niki-

You sound like you are going through the same things that (we) my husband went through. There is a song "I wish I knew now what I didn't know then", and it would be get a J-tube ASAP. Dehydration can set in so fast that it will make your head spin. It is a downward spiral fast. We were chugging along beautifully and then everything in a wall about a week after radiation/chemo. At least approach the possibility with M.D. It is a good approach to get the nutritional status balanced, prevent dehydration (we were hospitalized twice for it) and to prepare the body for the surgery. We are up in Pittsburgh awaiting the MIE with Dr. Luketich. I tell everyone in the world that will listen that there is nothing more tormenting than to see the person that you love so much not eat. J-tube placement was the answer to our prayers. God Bless.