Loss of appetite

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terri805
terri805 Member Posts: 122
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
I went to the radiologist yesterday for tattoos and breast cup sizing and I go for radiation simulation next friday and start rads on March 7th. I am dreading it so much because I am afraid of the side effects. The brochure they gave me said that some people loose their appetites. Has this happening to anyone here?

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  • Rague
    Rague Member Posts: 3,653 Member
    #2
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    I lost my appetite when I
    I lost my appetite when I started A/C back in Aug 09. It got worse on Taxol but is slowly getting better the longer I'm off the chemo and on rads. Taste is coming back and the exhaustion is almost gone - still occasionally get a little tired that a litle rest/nap takes care of as opposed to the complete utter exhaustion 4 -5 day a week on Taxol. The only rads SE I've had so far (started 4th week ago today) with rads is skin is definately getting red but not really sore. Rads nurse gave me some samples of cream that is working good.

    Good luck and remember that not everyone gets all the possible SE - some do, some don't.
  • Kylez
    Kylez Member Posts: 3,761 Member
    #3
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    Rague said:

    I lost my appetite when I
    I lost my appetite when I started A/C back in Aug 09. It got worse on Taxol but is slowly getting better the longer I'm off the chemo and on rads. Taste is coming back and the exhaustion is almost gone - still occasionally get a little tired that a litle rest/nap takes care of as opposed to the complete utter exhaustion 4 -5 day a week on Taxol. The only rads SE I've had so far (started 4th week ago today) with rads is skin is definately getting red but not really sore. Rads nurse gave me some samples of cream that is working good.

    Good luck and remember that not everyone gets all the possible SE - some do, some don't.

    I never lost my appetite
    I never lost my appetite during rads. They may be referring to loss of appetite if you have radiation to the stomach or throat area. I don't think that applies to breast cancer unless it is just because you are exhausted. Good luck!

    KYLEZ ♥
  • TraciInLA
    TraciInLA Member Posts: 1,994 Member
    #4
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    Kylez said:

    I never lost my appetite
    I never lost my appetite during rads. They may be referring to loss of appetite if you have radiation to the stomach or throat area. I don't think that applies to breast cancer unless it is just because you are exhausted. Good luck!

    KYLEZ ♥

    Agree with Kylez
    Terri, if the information you got from your rads center is anything like what I got, it's pretty general to radiation for all forms of cancer -- radiation is a pretty localized treatment that is designed to only affect the part of the body being radiated, so be careful about reading information that isn't specific to radiation to the breasts.

    My only side effects during rads were skin issues in the treatment field, and general fatigue. I had no problems whatsoever with appetite, digestion, etc.

    Hope that helps,

    Traci
  • jbug
    jbug Member Posts: 285
    #5
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    Terri
    I think Traci hit the nail on the head, loss of appetite from rads usually specific to a specific site...like abdomen or head and neck rads. You'll certainly have localized skin reaction, like a sun burn and later in your treatment fatigue will or may be a factor. Everyone's skin reacts differently and everyone seems to experience different levels of fatigue. I had 25 regular tx and 5 boosts, my boob was pretty burned, especially my nipple...my boosts were over the nipple as well, so it really got it at the end. Fatigue was a challenge, but I made it thru and I healed very quickly when it was over.

    Hopefully the rad nurses have given you cream, if not, ask for them. They use special creams designed to be used w/radiation treatments. Use your creams often, but not w/in 4 hrs of your rads.

    Good luck w/your simulation and rads...take it one day at a time. God Bless....
    Julie
  • aztec45
    aztec45 Member Posts: 757
    #6
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    Chemo
    Chemo made me lose my appetite. I had mouth sores, stomach issues, and things just didn't taste right. With RADS, my side effects were like the ladies have mentioned, skin burned and peeling and fatigue. You will do fine. Try not to worry. We are all here for you.

    P
  • Kat11
    Kat11 Member Posts: 1,931 Member
    #7
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    aztec45 said:

    Chemo
    Chemo made me lose my appetite. I had mouth sores, stomach issues, and things just didn't taste right. With RADS, my side effects were like the ladies have mentioned, skin burned and peeling and fatigue. You will do fine. Try not to worry. We are all here for you.

    P

    I have a dear friend with
    I have a dear friend with pancreatic cancer who lost her appetite with rads. Well it just made her very sick. I just finished rads and I never had a problem with appetite. Chemo I did.The side affects I had with rads was skin burn, and fatigue. There were others with BC with me durning my 7 weeks of rads and we all seem to have the same side affects, and there were some who had no affects at all. This is must easier than chemo. Good luck, hang in there.
  • terri805
    terri805 Member Posts: 122
    #8
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    Kat11 said:

    I have a dear friend with
    I have a dear friend with pancreatic cancer who lost her appetite with rads. Well it just made her very sick. I just finished rads and I never had a problem with appetite. Chemo I did.The side affects I had with rads was skin burn, and fatigue. There were others with BC with me durning my 7 weeks of rads and we all seem to have the same side affects, and there were some who had no affects at all. This is must easier than chemo. Good luck, hang in there.

    thanks
    thanks to all of you for sharing your info. I have learned so much here. It is great to be able to come here and ask whatever you want to any time day or night and know that someone will answer.thanks for your words of support. I am getting a little nervous as the time nears but I know I can do it. It's just the not knowing what will happen and how I will feel that is scary. It makes since now that I think about it,meaning the appetite loss. Thanks for explaining about the brochure covering the different areas being radiated as to the possible side effects.
  • sunny_girl
    sunny_girl Member Posts: 33
    #9
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    weight loss
    I started to lose weight very rapidly after a couple weeks of radiation, with no change to my diet. My radiation oncologist had no idea why. I normally eat really healthy stuff, but started eating a lot of ice cream, mac & cheese, and In-n-Out burgers, and maintained a stable weight after that. Still have no idea why it happened... I went back to normal shortly after the treatments were over.
  • divablu
    divablu Member Posts: 75
    #10
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    Rague said:

    I lost my appetite when I
    I lost my appetite when I started A/C back in Aug 09. It got worse on Taxol but is slowly getting better the longer I'm off the chemo and on rads. Taste is coming back and the exhaustion is almost gone - still occasionally get a little tired that a litle rest/nap takes care of as opposed to the complete utter exhaustion 4 -5 day a week on Taxol. The only rads SE I've had so far (started 4th week ago today) with rads is skin is definately getting red but not really sore. Rads nurse gave me some samples of cream that is working good.

    Good luck and remember that not everyone gets all the possible SE - some do, some don't.

    I had a mastectomy, followed
    I had a mastectomy, followed by chemothearpy and radition. The radiation was the easy part. Use lots of aloa vera on your skin ... try for organic pure aloe vera ... after your treatments. This helps the skin greatly. Ask TONS of questions. No such thing as a dumb question when dealing with breast cancer. I finished treatment in April 2009 and am still have tons of questions about how my body has responded. Keep asking and keep seeking new information.
  • ne_iron
    ne_iron Member Posts: 5
    edited November 2020 #11
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    My mother and her breast cancer

    HI there. I am a newbe to all this. My mother was diagnosed with triple negitive breast cancer. She has just complete chemo and radiation treatments and was scheduled for double mastectomy. She has been reel weak and she took a fall and broke 3 ribs. Now surgery has been postponed till she heals and get stronger. The problem she said food tastes bad and won't eat. When she does eat, she throws it up. I don't know how to help her, she is getting weaker. I live a state away and very scared. Is it common for the loss of appetite and get sick? Is this just temporary? How can I help?

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