Weight Gain

JanJan63
JanJan63 Member Posts: 2,478 Member
in Colorectal Cancer #1

So last year while I was in the hospital for the PE I lost about 35 pounds. My family thought I looked sick and my doctor was always encouraging me to gain weight and eat more. He said I was malnourished. I did eventually start eating again but never did get back into as much as I used to eat, which wasn't that much anyway. I've never been an overeater but have never been as low of a weight as I'd think I would be for what and how I eat. So I've been putting on weight. Now I'm up to the size I was before and don't seem to be stopping. I've been having a lot of trouble with fluid retention as well, they say due to damage in the veins from the chemo.

Has anyone else gained weight for no reason like this? I've tried cutting back on what I eat but the weight gain seems to actually be increasing. I'm still not well enough to go for more than walks of less than a kilometer. And doing exercises is still really hard, I have a lot of trouble just getting up from the floor. I'd like to go to a gym but I'd like to have a coach that is familiar with people with my issues.

This is really upsetting and I feel helpless. And I'm angry because I feel like after all the crap I went through at least I was slim. Now even that's been taken away. Sometimes my legs swell up so badly I have to wear a bigger size of shoes and pants. Then my legs look like sausages but the pants are almost falling off of my butt. Any suggestions or ideas as to what's going on?

Anyways, I'm fed up but still having a good day because I had my scope this afternoon and it looked good and I'm up to going 6 months between. My surgeon says I graduated. Yay!

Jan

Comments

  • Lovekitties
    Lovekitties Member Posts: 3,364 Member
    #2
    Hi Jan

    Glad to hear about your "graduation"!  Little steps but good ones.

    Has your doctor made any suggestions regarding the fluit retention?  Any prescriptions for either diuretics or compression stockings?  Propping up your legs when sitting may help some, also elevating your legs while you sleep.

    Have you considered going to a cardio/vascular doctor to see if there is anything to be done for the condition?  My son has problems with his leg veins (not related to cancer) and has had a procedure to study the veins to see which are working and which aren't.  He then had a procedure where they took out the blocked veins and that will cause the body to build an alternate network to better veins.  Just because your doc says it is related to chemo, doesn't mean there isn't something to be done for it.

    Salt is also a contributor to some swelling of the legs.  While you may not use much or any salt from the shaker, it amazing how much salt is in the foods we eat.  Read the labels on any packaged or pre-made foods and avoid the ones high in sodium.

    Wishing you a solution to help you feel better soonest,

    Marie who loves kitties

  • lizard44
    lizard44 Member Posts: 409 Member
    #3
    Sorry you're having those problems, Jan

    I don't have any answers for the weight gain and swelling, but  Marie is right about the salt- there's an awful lot of salt in most packaged food, sometimes in products where you wouldn't expect it to be. The only time I had the swelling was when I was pregnant; the doc put me on a salt free diet,  It really did help.

    As for the execise/gym, have you looked into chair yoga? The class I take  is a mixed class, many of the participants have various health problems  or are recovering from surgeries, etc.  We have several cancer survivors, too. Most of the class members use the mat, but there are three or four of us who do chair yoga and  only use the mat for  positions  we do standing up like the mountain, tree and warrior poses.  It still does the job, you might even be able to find some YouTube videos to get you started and see if you like it or feel it might do some good.

    I hope you can get a handle on the problems, I know it must be  frustrating for you.

    Grace/lizard44

  • JanJan63
    JanJan63 Member Posts: 2,478 Member
    #4
    I should have mentioned that

    I should have mentioned that I wear compression stockings every day. It's one of the things I'm concerned about. I only started having this issue later last summer but it's getting worse now that we're getting warmer weather again and I don't want the only option in the hot weather to be either wearing them or walking around in shorts and tree stumps for legs. It was shocking how much my feet and legs swelled up. Uncomfortable, too.

    My family doctor said that pills for water retention only work for a while and then stop working. So he didn't want to prescribe any. 

    Chair yoga, very interesting. We have yoga here in a few places but I don't think they have that. I'll check into it, though.

    Thanks for the ideas!

    Jan

  • Trubrit
    Trubrit Member Posts: 5,804 Member
    #5
    JanJan63 said:

    I should have mentioned that

    I should have mentioned that I wear compression stockings every day. It's one of the things I'm concerned about. I only started having this issue later last summer but it's getting worse now that we're getting warmer weather again and I don't want the only option in the hot weather to be either wearing them or walking around in shorts and tree stumps for legs. It was shocking how much my feet and legs swelled up. Uncomfortable, too.

    My family doctor said that pills for water retention only work for a while and then stop working. So he didn't want to prescribe any. 

    Chair yoga, very interesting. We have yoga here in a few places but I don't think they have that. I'll check into it, though.

    Thanks for the ideas!

    Jan

    DVDs

    I have a couple of Yoga DVD's especially for Cancer recovery. I think they are proabably aimed at Breast Cancer, because of the restrictions of arm lifting, but they are gentle and very good. 

    I am terribly sorry you are struggling, especially with the water retention. 

    Sue

  • phuckcancer
    phuckcancer Member Posts: 63 Member
    #6
    I don't have any info on the

    I don't have any info on the weight issue but wanted to say "yayyyyyyy" for the graduation :)

  • JanJan63
    JanJan63 Member Posts: 2,478 Member
    #7
    Trubrit said:

    DVDs

    I have a couple of Yoga DVD's especially for Cancer recovery. I think they are proabably aimed at Breast Cancer, because of the restrictions of arm lifting, but they are gentle and very good. 

    I am terribly sorry you are struggling, especially with the water retention. 

    Sue

    Sue, I'm not sure they'd help

    Sue, I'm not sure they'd help but thanks for the suggestion. My physical issues are from the blood clot and coma rather than the cancer. What I'm finding is that the things a person doesn't do often but is able to do are what I still can't. Such as getting up from the floor or reaching a certain way. I'm often surprised when I go to do something and am not able.

    Jan   

  • JanJan63
    JanJan63 Member Posts: 2,478 Member
    #8
    phuckcancer said:

    I don't have any info on the

    I don't have any info on the weight issue but wanted to say "yayyyyyyy" for the graduation :)

    Thanks! I was diagnosed Dec

    Thanks! I was diagnosed Dec 31, 3013 so it's been just over two years since then and coming up on two years since the surgery. It was the surgeon that removed the tumour that I saw the other day.

    Jan

  • GSP2
    GSP2 Member Posts: 103 Member
    #9
    JanJan63 said:

    Thanks! I was diagnosed Dec

    Thanks! I was diagnosed Dec 31, 3013 so it's been just over two years since then and coming up on two years since the surgery. It was the surgeon that removed the tumour that I saw the other day.

    Jan

    Jan

    i think Marie is referring to a echocardiogram to assess your hearts strength and any valve issues or other abnormalities and what is sometimes called Elvis mapping that looks for incompetent veins. it can help

    determine if radio ablation of veins might be helpful.

  • JanJan63
    JanJan63 Member Posts: 2,478 Member
    #10
    GSP2 said:

    Jan

    i think Marie is referring to a echocardiogram to assess your hearts strength and any valve issues or other abnormalities and what is sometimes called Elvis mapping that looks for incompetent veins. it can help

    determine if radio ablation of veins might be helpful.

    Oh! Okay, thnak you for

    Oh! Okay, thnak you for clarifying!

    Jan

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