Ensure or Boost

Ensure
Been living nicely off them since March

I USED BOTH
I used both Ensure and Boost and found they both tasted the same as I could not taste much when I was drinking them. Even the extra calorie shakes were not enough for me to maintain much less gain weight. I incorporated a shake product that I purchased from the gym I go to that when mixed to specs. gave me a 900 calorie drink. I did two of them a day along with Boost and or Ensure and finally started to gain some weight. I am now 9 months post treatment, and find that if I exceed 1200-1500 calories per day, I will gain weight. It used to be 3500 calories per day or no weight gain.

It will get better, but you may have to try some different combinations of nutrition to find one that will cause weight gain. I was a 240 lb power lifter that dropped to 172 lbs and am now back up to 193. I have no intention of going past 200 as I feel great, and the high BP and Cholesterol is gone and so are the meds to treat them.

Wow, something good came from my cancer.

Hang in there.

Mike

Strawberry Ensure Plus
Was my main source of calories for nearly seven weeks......

I did try the Chocolate, Vanilla and Butterscotch, and even though I couldn't really taste anyting (even water tasted like sweat). I could tell the differecne between the flavors and could actually taste the strawberry a little...the only thing I could taste.

Best,
John

stegavhagky said:

Sweetblood22- they removed
Sweetblood22- they removed the feeding tube and told him he could have very soft foods. Actually mostly liquid and some soft foods. The swelling from the flap inside I suppose is just so much that when he tries to chew, he is chewing on that which they don't want him to do. I have a call into the doc's office as we speak because he has a temp and that flap is looking different today. Almost has a couple places that look like could have puss in them. I don't think they realize yet how much of a challange it is for him to try to eat but we will discuss that today.

Seems like they should have
Seems like they should have made sure that he could do soft foods before actually removing it. That's great that they said he could have them, but making sure he could do it before yanking would have been nice. :-/

I would definitely get that flap checked out, and discuss.

Kent Cass said:

Ensure
Hmmmm. It was Jevity 2.0 for me, with an occasional 1.5, for the last 7 weeks of treatment. What replaced the Jevity was Strawberry Ensure back in April 09, and I am still drinking that, or Vanilla or Butter Pecan Ensure, every morning for breakfast, without exception. That's over 24 months of Ensure, and I got no problems with the taste. To be honest, I don't really notice the taste so much, as it doesn't really register as much as the cold of the drink does- and it is very agreeable.

Of note, I did try the Dark Chocolate once, and didn't care for. Never even tried the regular Chocolate. My Cousin took a liking to Chocolate Boost early in his treatment, and became like Sweet- couldn't even stand the smell of it. So, mabe try different flavors to see what your husband can tolerate, or even find very acceptable. The important thing is- get the calories/nutrition.

kcass

Butter Pecan Ensure
Yup, I mentioned Butterscotch, but it was Butter Pecan....

Agree with you on the calories.....at 350/can, it packs a lot of calories compared to what I could have even attempted in eating.

Like you Kent, though not as regular, I too have one for breakfast occasionally.

Best to you brother,
John

sweetblood22 said:

Well, don't forget too, that
Well, don't forget too, that I was so sick and and unable to keep anything down, so once you wretch on something for months, that's it. Your body doesn't even want to smell it. For quite a while, before I got my pump, and the liquid food wasn't sealed in the bag, and I was syringing it in, I had to fake myself out by putting pungent aromatics under my nose, just to get through a feeding. Like stuff I loved. Almond extract, Ginger, oranges. I was always very sensitive to smells and tastes. Just the smell of it now, will literally make me ill.

James Taylor
He had a new CD out that I used during my rads.....I haven't listened to that CD since...would probably make me hurl.

JG

DrMary said:

Try the pudding, also
Doug preferred Boost Plus over Ensure, but they both taste and smell equally evil to me. We also tried the Boost pudding (butterscotch) which tastes pretty good, but Doug was doing OK with Boost Plus and homemade supplements, and he was afraid he'd come to associate butterscotch with illness and never want to eat it again.

Check out your husband's blood work - if his cholesterol levels are OK, consider giving him Carnation Instant Breakfast made with whole milk (or even whole milk with some cream thrown in) to also help get enough calories in. The fat can also make it easier to swallow. I tried blending "healthy" fats in (like olive or canola oil) but those didn't go down well. (I did use organic cream, but that's just me). It can also help to use a blender to make it up (you can also start throwing in fruit, Carbogain, whey, etc. to boost nutrition and calories).

Orgain and green goodness!!!!

I found these after but would have been a better option during treatment!!!!

http://bolthouse.com/our-products/beverages/smoothies/green-goodness/detail

http://drinkorgain.com/

sweetblood22 said:

I am surprised he can taste.
Seriously, there is no way that any of us can say what might taste better to him. I drank Ensure Plus for a long time, I preferred it over Boost. Now, I cannot get either past my nose, just the smell makes me gag. I even tried Carnation Instant Breakfast, I thought that tasted the absolute worst. I cannot even enjoy the BoltHouse Farms protein drinks I used to drink everyday anymore. I guess when you have to live on something when you are so ill your body gets to the point where it says, "That's enough of that!"

Can I ask why they removed the feed tube if he is still having problems with swelling and chewing?

Bolthouse Farms
ooh, I love Bolthouse Farms Chai Tea. Funny it was one of the last things I could taste before it ALL went away. It was the nutmeg for some reason.

Love the photo, btw...

Skiffin16 said:

Strawberry Ensure Plus
Was my main source of calories for nearly seven weeks......

I did try the Chocolate, Vanilla and Butterscotch, and even though I couldn't really taste anyting (even water tasted like sweat). I could tell the differecne between the flavors and could actually taste the strawberry a little...the only thing I could taste.

Best,
John

Strawberry
I find the Strawberry Ensure goes down easier than the others - why? I don't know but it works for me. My wife makes me a Carnation Instant breakfast with protein shake every morning and I like the strawberry best

I'm 8 days out since my last treatment and have only lost 18 pounds of the 217 I started at.

Good luck
Ed