5002dblane - help with gaining weight after Ivor Lewis

JReed
JReed Member Posts: 428
in Esophageal Cancer #1
Below is the post which was tucked away under another thread - requesting help with ideas to gain weight:

July 10, 2012 - 2:59pm
Ivor Lewis Feb 23, 2012
new
Helloe there! My husband has Ivor Lewis in Fef 23, 2012. This week is his 5th month from surgery. He was diagnosed Stage 2, of the 13 lympnodes removed 1 was affected. Tim is recovering well- no dumping problem no swallowing problem. The only thing that worries me is that he has not gained weight since. He was 185 lbs down to 156-157 which is his optimun weight for his 5'11 height .On his 3-month anniversary, his oncologist deemed him not strong enough for chemo treatment so we are on OBSERVATION mode. Two previous chest X-rays are clean, CT scan is scheduled in Aug 15th. Inasmuch as you went thru Ivor Lewis, how long did it take you to get back to your pre op strength? Tim still gets easily out of breath but he is back to work full day , 3x a week, mows the tard, works on the boat and other light chores. I do eveything to get him fatter but he can only eat so little so we end up just eating frequent meals. Pls help. Any advise is appreciated.

5002dblane

Comments

  • GerryS
    GerryS Member Posts: 227 Member
    #2
    it takes time........
    I lost 70# following my IL surgery and post op chemo. I thought I would never eat a full meal again. That was 2 years ago. Gradually, I gained back 25#. I hope I never get back to my pre op weight of 250. I do eat full meals now. Keep eating small amounts several times a day. It gets better. Stay away from drinking alot of fluids before or at eating time. It just takes up space. I stayed away for lettuce and other filling foods and chose protein and carbs. I now can eat lettuce as my stomach has stretched and can eat regular meals, just not large portions. Try a snack 3 times a day. encourages appetite. Good luck...

    Gerry

    I just had my first sweet corn of the season, it was great!
  • 5002dblane
    5002dblane Member Posts: 7
    #3
    GerryS said:

    it takes time........
    I lost 70# following my IL surgery and post op chemo. I thought I would never eat a full meal again. That was 2 years ago. Gradually, I gained back 25#. I hope I never get back to my pre op weight of 250. I do eat full meals now. Keep eating small amounts several times a day. It gets better. Stay away from drinking alot of fluids before or at eating time. It just takes up space. I stayed away for lettuce and other filling foods and chose protein and carbs. I now can eat lettuce as my stomach has stretched and can eat regular meals, just not large portions. Try a snack 3 times a day. encourages appetite. Good luck...

    Gerry

    I just had my first sweet corn of the season, it was great!

    Thank you
    Thank you so much for responding. It has been 20 weeks since Tim's IL surgery. We were told several times that it does take time to gain weight or get back to pre-op strength. I guess we just have to be patient and be positive.
  • sandy1943
    sandy1943 Member Posts: 824
    #4
    5002dblane said:

    Thank you
    Thank you so much for responding. It has been 20 weeks since Tim's IL surgery. We were told several times that it does take time to gain weight or get back to pre-op strength. I guess we just have to be patient and be positive.

    Hi, I lost 99 pds after my
    Hi, I lost 99 pds after my Ivor lewis in may 2008. Even after I was eating well, I kept losing. I have gained back 12 pounds. I am healthy and eating regular meals , plus snacks.

    It took me several months to regain strength. It was a slow process. I started going to the gym, and it helped me more than anything to start feeling completely normal, Physically and mentally.

    Glad you have joined us,
    Sandra

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