My husband was recently DX with Lung CA with bone Mets...

bingles
bingles Member Posts: 120 Member
edited March 2014 in Lung Cancer #1
Hello I am a 58 yr old woman living in NJ....about 2 weeks ago my husband of 32 yrs was dx'ed with Lung CA with bone mets.
I am a nurse by profession and thought that I could handle what the future held...sadly I have found out that I cannot.
The changes in him have been profound....pain management has been horrible for him...but thats getting better.
I know I will have a million other questions as I we move along in the process.....but right now the most pressing one is the loss of appetite.....he has zero desire to eat...he was never a big eater but now wouldn't eat from one day to the next if I did not push him and pushing him makes me feel that I am stressing him out more...which is something that is killing me....I want to be nothing but totally supportive and not a nagging spouse during this time when he is so tormented by this disease.
We go to our first Oncology appointment this Wednesday....hoping for answers there...but any hints would be greatly appreciated.
As I said I will be asking my questions down the road...like what am I to do with my anger at the fact that this horrific disease is taking my best friend away....but right now the appetite is my major issue.
Thank-you in advance.
Pat

Comments

  • dixiegirl
    dixiegirl Member Posts: 1,043 Member
    #2
    Anger
    Welcome Pat,

    I am sorry you have to be here, but please know you CAN do this. There is a world of support in the CSN chat room. Everything you described is normal honey and we've all been there.

    Don't know what I can tell you about increasing appetite, but just try to remind him that his body needs nourishment in order to fight this disease. Try fixing things that he's liked in the past and just fix him a plate and if you need to, reduce the portion size for a bit. Maybe it'll help.

    Take care, and don't forget to come to the chat rooms. For some reason it's not working, but it's usually something temporary and minor.

    Take Care,
    Beth
  • rocket baby
    rocket baby Member Posts: 22
    #3
    Lung CA with bone mets.
    My husband was diagnosed in September of 2007. Almost immediately after the diagnosis he began to lose his appetite. He couldn't stand certain smells and food smells made him sick to his stomach. He went for several weeks eating pretty much nothing....just drinking ensure and milk. Try giving him bland food like rice or mashed potatoes or yogurt and have him eat with a plastic fork. The metal in silverware reacts badly in cancer patients and makes food taste bad. My husband seemed to do well with cream of wheat. In fact, that is all that he ate for about three weeks until I got him to eat scrambled eggs. Don't force feed him. He's probably as frustrated as you are that he doesn't want to eat. If you want to e-mail me directly my email is bobmichelemo@aol.com. I'm here for you Pat.....Michele
  • UNBEARABLE
    UNBEARABLE Member Posts: 23
    #4
    in the same boat
    Bingles,
    My husband is actually eating now. He has lost almost 20 lbs in a week though before. But, when our pain was the most unmanageable, it seemed appetite was at its worse. So, besides meds are you doing anything else to manage the pain? Cold packs help, icy hot sticks, Vicks mentholatum also helps. The pain of this is one of the worst parts...you are not alone...and this horrific disease changes our life.

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