Stage 4 Lung Cancer

Thrush
I had Stage III colon cancer - but Thrush yes - I have had it a number of times. A results of chemo, radiation, etc. Nystatin is the drug of choice, my form was liquid - depending on how far the Thrush has spread - you either swish and spit, or swish and swallow.

Tastes icky, but works in a day or two. It might be worth asking about.

cher8871 said:

did they give him something
did they give him something for thrush? my dad has this also and they gave him some sort of meds he has to let disolve under his tongue....he says nothing tastes right but he sure shovels the sweets in....i also read that cancer thrives on sweets....sorry, my dad was dx in april with NSCLC with mets to the brain.

"Cancer thrives on sweets"
This is one of the most common things I hear people say. I am NOT a doctor, but I think think the cancer sugar relationship is misunderstood.

ALL of the tissues in the body feed off of glucose (essentially sugar). This does not mean we should eat candy bars to supply our GOOD cells with the sugar it needs. So why do people continually assume that eating candy bars will feed the BAD cells?

Cancer is highly metabolic. That just means it uses a lot of energy. We would expect that. Cancer is after all fast growing, and not very efficient with energy. It's kind of like my wife is with money. SHe can spend a LOT and get the same results at the grocery store as I can with coupons and shopping sales. I am much more efficient with money. Cancer is that way. It blows through energy. It gets the energy from glucose. Remember, glucose is produced/converted by the body. It uses the foods we eat (this includes the sugar(carbohydrates) protein and fats), the fat we store etc. Except for diabetic, for the most part our body regulates the glucose in the blood stream. Again, this glucose DOES NOT come directly from eating candy bars nor is it increased by eating candy bars.

All this does not mean I am not advocating a healthy diet. Sugar, over time can wreak havoc on the body and a well balanced diet is the way to go. But that is not the same thing as thinking that a cancer patient who is not hungry for much is making their cancer worse by drinking a malt. They're not.

thrush & stage IV
My dad was diagnosed in Nov'09,w/stage IV adenocarcinoma and died Oct 5th. He was 70. He was originally told he would have about 1 1/2yrs. We were only blessed with 10 mths. He was diagnosed on 10/1 with thrush & some neuropathy in hands & feet, all attributed Taxotere. He was given a prescription for Nystatin which he only took one dose as he was tired of taking soooo many meds for every different side effect, pain or anxiety/depression. It is true that cancer cells love sugar as you can see on PET scans. It is almost a cruel joke that with thrush you can taste sweet things.

On Monday 10/4 he decided to give chemo a break . He was getting so weak & was having a hard time getting up to the bathroom. That Monday he was in no pain, had bareley any trouble breathing & was actually very calm. He spoke to some friends on the phone, which he was too depressed to do before and seemed to be resigned to maybe trying hospice while on his chemo break. He was at PEACE for a change. Dad collapsed in the bathroom at 5:30 am Tuesday & died in the hospital @7:39am. We now know that Monday was his last good bye.

All my prayers to your dad & your family. Enjoy every moment with your dad as if it was the last.