Do you know if Marinol can be prescribed in Alabama?

DrMary said:

First Things First
Dark amber urine means that he must must must get more fluids. Please talk to his doctor about IV fluids on an out-patient basis - this is very common and it makes a huge difference.

I don't think Marinol is prohibited anywhere. The problem is that it might help with nausea but does not have the appetite-stimulating effect that smoking pot does. We found it didn't really help.

Would he consider smoking pot? If so, I'd risk going to the local college campus and buying - practice your dumb look to tell the cops you thought it was legal for cancer patients and hope for the best. I would have done that in a second, but my husband refused (I still was very close to sitting on his chest and blowing second-hand weed in his face. . . but his nausea finally got better).

However, I'm still more concerned about fluids than I am about calories, from what you say. Dehydration makes everything sluggish - it causes constipation, which really cuts down on the appetite. Dehydration also makes it hard to clear out toxins and even can cause any medications he's on to work less well.

We were down to about 300 calories per day (on a good day) for a few weeks - it's scary, but I'm not sure it's all bad. You might need to try different things to eat - some things really didn't appeal to my husband, so I tried something else, and something else and something else. One thing that worked early on, because it was very simple and had few possibilities for allergic reactions or weird tastes: 1/2 cup Carbogain (maltodextrin - no flavors or additives), 1 scoop of Blue Bonnet Whey Isolate - original flavor (organic source - no sweeteners but a hint of natural vanilla) 1 cup of whole milk (or half-and-half if he can take the fat) and a spoon or two of Torani's vanilla (or French vanilla) syrup. Others have found this to work - it avoids problems with artificial colors and sweeteners (we had real problems with stevia, which is added to a lot of supplements) - it's best if you make it in a blender (both the whey and the carbogain clump). It's about 500 calories for a large glass.

This milkshake does not have the vitamins or minerals of the supplements, but lots of protein and carbs. After a few days of just that, my husband was able to get down some Boost Plus (all of those supplements taste like medicine. . .) so I didn't have to worry about deficiencies. He is still on Boost Plus and 2 milkshakes a day, even though he is eating normally again, as we are going for the gain.

When things were really bad, he was going in for IV fluids at least 3x per week - it really made a difference.

Barbara53 said:

not in alabama
My doctor nephew who works at UAB says no medical marijuana in Alabama. Like you, I looked at alternatives and there are some special peanut butter cookies in the bottom of Mom's freezer but we never used them.

I've long held the position that as along as she drinks, and drinks, I will not make her eat. She loves those fancy chocolate milks, like cookies and cream.

Mom is late stage ovarian cancer, 80 years old, and yesterday we learned of mets in lungs and other places. She has opted to do semi-chemo (an oral agent) to preserve quality of life yet still feel like she's doing something. It's not much more than placebo, but that's what seems best at this point.

dearfoam said:

15 oz
he's downed 15 oz in the past 5 hours, ate a 1/2 piece of bacon and a small serving of grits, and some pineapple (about 4 cubed pieces or 1/4 cup). And my FIL brought a 130 cal. mini moon pie that quickly vanished. So it isn't AS bad today, but I may be jinxing myself.

I switched from using the big mug to a small 8 oz glass. I think it's less daunting of a task to try and finish of a 8 oz of whatever every 2 hours he's awake.