how long........

seanslove
seanslove Member Posts: 70
edited March 2014 in Lung Cancer #1
Can anyone one on Folfox 6,during their first round,tell me what is the average amount of time to go without being able to eat? My husband still after DC on Thuresday si not able to eat more than a bite or two of food a day.

Comments

  • stayingcalm
    stayingcalm Member Posts: 650 Member
    #2
    Let me qualify this...
    Hi, Seanslove,

    Let me qualify this by saying I hadn't even heard of Folfox until I looked around the web, but the first thing I noted is that it's recommended that it is preceded by antiemetics - is your husband getting those? Maybe he needs a stronger anti-nausea drug? Why don't you give the oncologist a call and see if he can prescribe something that will work better?
  • seanslove
    seanslove Member Posts: 70
    #3
    stayingcalm said:

    Let me qualify this...
    Hi, Seanslove,

    Let me qualify this by saying I hadn't even heard of Folfox until I looked around the web, but the first thing I noted is that it's recommended that it is preceded by antiemetics - is your husband getting those? Maybe he needs a stronger anti-nausea drug? Why don't you give the oncologist a call and see if he can prescribe something that will work better?

    calling..........
    Thanks for the advise. I did call them and they gave uss zolpran to replace the promethizine. However,that just made him sicker and we went back to the promethizine as we knew it worked some what,but did not make him worse as the other drug did. What a crazy game all of this is,I am so tired of the trail and error and this is only round one,not sure if he can take much more or will be willing to take much more. We see Onoc on Wed.we'll see from there.
  • looch969
    looch969 Member Posts: 27
    #4
    seanslove said:

    calling..........
    Thanks for the advise. I did call them and they gave uss zolpran to replace the promethizine. However,that just made him sicker and we went back to the promethizine as we knew it worked some what,but did not make him worse as the other drug did. What a crazy game all of this is,I am so tired of the trail and error and this is only round one,not sure if he can take much more or will be willing to take much more. We see Onoc on Wed.we'll see from there.

    What works for me
    When the nausea is really bad the only thing that works for me is KYTRIL (its expensive but it works for me) I also eat 4 or 5 Ginger Snap Cookies first thing in the morning.

    Hope he feeling better soon. I'll keep him in myn prayers!

    Tamie
  • cabbott
    cabbott Member Posts: 1,039 Member
    #5
    Call the doctor!
    I would not wait till later in the week. Call the doctor sooner not later.Like right now! Not eating is not good. Not drinking is even worse. They may have something else they can suggest to get him eating. But if he is seriously dehydrated, they may want to get him on an IV right away.

    There are many cookbooks on getting folks on chemo to eat. One thing they state over and over again is to make little servings (like a custard cup size) of fairly bland foods several times a day rather than big plates of food, or even normal plates of food, three times a day. Milk shakes, Boost with or without a dip of ice cream, Egg Nogs made with sterilized eggs, puddings, mashed potatoes, rice pudding, custards, soufflees, a ice cream bar, are all calories that might go down better than a standard square meal. Some kinds of chemo make meat have a metallic taste that you may have to avoid. Sometimes the meds they give you make smells very upsetting. I love my mom's cooking and a busy kitchen is usually my favorite place in the world. But after lung surgery I couldn't tolerate cooking smells for several days. The nurse said it was the meds. Mom, who prides herself on her cooking, got a pre-cooked chicken from the store, microwaved beans from a can, and poured a glass of milk for all so I wouldn't be ill. It worked! I managed a small plate and went back to bed. Some folks can only tolerate microwave macaroni and cheese. If so, stick with that. After chemo is completed you can go back to a normal diet. Right now, see the doctor about getting him back to eating and stick to a plan where calorie intake is your chief goal, no matter how nutritionally balanced it is or isn't.

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