Weight loss....

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effit
effit Member Posts: 12
edited March 2014 in Ovarian Cancer #1
Just wondering what everybody does to combat the weight loss associated with chemo. My mom is 5'9" and usually a thin 130 pounds. She's down to 108 right now and it's still pouring off her. She just started taking decadron so I'm hoping that helps quickly. She has an appetite but gets full very fast. Plus usually throws up for a couple days after chemo. She also eats very well, and is super healthy so is trying to get used to all the butter, and fat, and protein shakes, and juice instead of water lol.
Any suggestions would be great.

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  • msfanciful
    msfanciful Member Posts: 559
    #2
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    Hi,
    I just read your post
    Hi,

    I just read your post and since it is still early yet and so soon after having had her surgery, this experience with her nausea will hopefully be it's worst through her journey. At least for me it was.

    She needs to be careful about eating foods with high fat content at this time; her system just will not be able to handle it right and will make her sick. Also foods that emit smells (i.e. garlicky or onions based soups or just anything warm and with an aroma)made me gag everytime.

    Cold foods worked for me. Boost type drinks were tolerable and great for putting weight on and giving the body its' much needed nutrients. I was also able to tolerate gatorade-type drinks and jello gelatin.

    I know this has thrown your mother's and your life for an unbelieveble turn, put from this point on try to be patient; but it will get better.

    Sharon
  • lindaprocopio
    lindaprocopio Member Posts: 1,980
    #3
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    msfanciful said:

    Hi,
    I just read your post
    Hi,

    I just read your post and since it is still early yet and so soon after having had her surgery, this experience with her nausea will hopefully be it's worst through her journey. At least for me it was.

    She needs to be careful about eating foods with high fat content at this time; her system just will not be able to handle it right and will make her sick. Also foods that emit smells (i.e. garlicky or onions based soups or just anything warm and with an aroma)made me gag everytime.

    Cold foods worked for me. Boost type drinks were tolerable and great for putting weight on and giving the body its' much needed nutrients. I was also able to tolerate gatorade-type drinks and jello gelatin.

    I know this has thrown your mother's and your life for an unbelieveble turn, put from this point on try to be patient; but it will get better.

    Sharon

    My saving grace was Carnation Instant Breakfast.
    I had 28 rounds of pelvic radiation that caused me a lot of 'non-absorption' digestive issues. I saw a nutritionist that put me on the BRAT diet (Bananas, Rice, Applesuace, Toast) until my bowels settled down. The thing she really recommended that helped tremendously was her advice that I have at least 2 envelopes of Carnation Instant Breakfast (CIB) daily. I would mix 1 envelope with a container of vanilla yogurt and it had a cheesecake like taste that was yummy and a treat. At night I would warm a cup of milk in the microwave and stir in a packet of the chocolate flavor CIB, and it tasted just like a cup of rich hot chocolate and even helped me sleep. There's LOTs of calories in CIB and lots of protein. Now that my weight is back up to normal, I miss my CIB, but it's too calorie-dense for me now.

    My other suggestion is to ask your oncologist about Megace. It is a hormone-inhibitor pill that may actually help knock back her cancer a bit, but is also given to anorexics to increase appetite. Appetite-increase is about Megace's only side effect and is considered a low-risk treatment option. If I were dropping weight, I would ask for Megace and maybe get a dual-benefit.
  • LPack
    LPack Member Posts: 645
    #4
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    Weight
    My fatherinlaw went down to 103 pounds while on chemo and radiation.

    Carnation Instant Breakfast with ensure and ice cream would give him those needed calories and seemed to stay in him the best.

    For me, I lost weight too but have had a good appetite and still consider myself healthy! I was on decadron and continue to be with this trial. I too threw up after my 3rd regime of chemo and would just have popsicles and 7up until I could handle more substance. Almost like the diarrhea diet, until my system could handle more solids.

    Hope this helps!

    Living for Eternity,
    Libby

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