what is causing the weight loss?

jessjakem
jessjakem Member Posts: 18
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
My dad was diagnosed w/ reccurant colon cancer 3 wks ago (mets to lungs, abdomen, and lymph nodes). He was admitted to the hospital b/c of kidney failure then a bowel obstruction. They fixed the obstruction w/ an ileostomy. He has been home for about a week and a half. The drs say he needs to gain weight to start chemo in two weeks. He is eating throughout the day but is still losing weight (from 136 to 132). We are worried that it is the cancer spreading. Could it also be the ileostomy? He once lost 3 pounds after emptying his bag.
Thank you for your advice.

Jessie

Comments

  • Monicaemilia
    Monicaemilia Member Posts: 455
    #2
    I also have an iliestomy and it took me weeks to start gaining weight. Try with several small meals rather than big meals, and have him drink lots of water. We lose a lot of water with an iliestomy. I'm not sure if it would be the cancer causing him to lose weight, but getting an iliestomy is a big change to his body. And watch out for anything with high fibre the first few weeks, or anything that can cause blockage, ie anything with a casing (green peas, beans, oranges, grapes). As time goes by, his body will adjust. My prayers are with you both. Monica
  • 3greatkids
    3greatkids Member Posts: 45
    #3
    Hi Jessie,
    My husband had a temporary iliostomy for 9 months that was just reversed in July. Throughout the nine months his output from the iliostomy was extremly high (having to empty it most days 7 or 8 times), and he never gained weight through the whole time he had it. He is small to begin with...went in weighing 145 and with the iliostomy he never went above 132, however now with the reversal he has put the weight back on. If your dads output is high this will cause him to loose weight, the drs. put hubby on immodium and this helped quite a bit to "thicken" his output. From our experience with the iliostomy it was very hard to gain weight, so I would be willing to bet that is the case with your dad. If you havn't done so already, talk with a dietician about which foods will help your dad at least keep weight on (and not cause blockage...). Best of luck with everything.
    Sylvia
  • jessjakem
    jessjakem Member Posts: 18
    #4
    3greatkids said:

    Hi Jessie,
    My husband had a temporary iliostomy for 9 months that was just reversed in July. Throughout the nine months his output from the iliostomy was extremly high (having to empty it most days 7 or 8 times), and he never gained weight through the whole time he had it. He is small to begin with...went in weighing 145 and with the iliostomy he never went above 132, however now with the reversal he has put the weight back on. If your dads output is high this will cause him to loose weight, the drs. put hubby on immodium and this helped quite a bit to "thicken" his output. From our experience with the iliostomy it was very hard to gain weight, so I would be willing to bet that is the case with your dad. If you havn't done so already, talk with a dietician about which foods will help your dad at least keep weight on (and not cause blockage...). Best of luck with everything.
    Sylvia

    Thank you so much for the help!

    Jessie

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