Guest barbm Posted August 25, 2006 Share Posted August 25, 2006 Hi - My father (age 80) was diagnosed with early stage lung cancer (he also has lymphoma which has been treated and controlled for 6 years). He had surgery on July 28th and is doing fairly well except that he has been losing weight. He doesn't have much of an appetite but seems to be eating enough to maintain his weight but is still losing. Does anyone know if losing weight after lung surgery is normal? Thanks so much for any help or advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MsC1210 Posted August 25, 2006 Share Posted August 25, 2006 Hello Barb I am sorry to hear about your father, but glad you have posted and introduced yourself. I do not have answers for your questions, but I suspect that someone will be along in short order with some great advice. It may help us to know a little more about your father, such as what meds and treatments he is on? You can add all of that to your signature/profile by clicking the link at the top right corner of the page, MY PROFILE. In the meantime, please keep us posted and let us know how we can help. This is a wonderful site for support and answers..... Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jendew Posted August 26, 2006 Share Posted August 26, 2006 Weight loss is one of the symptoms of lung cancer. Unfortunately it just goes with the territory. My father, too, lost about 20 lbs. after surgery. At the end, he was losing very quickly. Hopefully the weight loss will subside for your father. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welthy Posted August 26, 2006 Share Posted August 26, 2006 Yes, weight loss can be one of the things that goes along with lung cancer. My husband lost 18 pounds before he was diagnosed. It's been a constant battle for him -- a lot of ups and downs depending on where he is in treatment, surgery, etc. Best of luck to your Dad. Try milkshakes. We pump as much stuff into Tony as we can to keep his weight from crashing. Welthy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dchurchi Posted August 26, 2006 Share Posted August 26, 2006 Weight is one of the biggest battles I have with my husband. He has small cell lung cancer, so he did not have surgery, but went from 218 down to 155 in 4 months. A year later he finally hit 170 Sorry you are going through this our prayers are with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest barbm Posted August 26, 2006 Share Posted August 26, 2006 Thanks so much for your responses. It's so great to be able to talk to people who are going thru the same thing. In my Dad's case, they found a small nodule in his lung during a routine cat scan to check his lymphoma, did a biopsy and determined it was lung cancer but surrounding lymph nodes seemed clear. He then had the surgery to remove the nodule but is not having chemo or radiation. The dr says he got all the cancer but couldn't take as much healthy tissue as he would have liked because the lymphoma was in the way. He's not having any radiation or chemo mainly because of his age and they think the radiation would damage his lungs more than it would be worth. So we just have to hope that the lung cancer is gone and doesn't come back. Back to the weight loss - is it just having the cancer that causes the weight loss even if he's eating or is it that he must not be eating enough? The milkshake idea is great - he loves milkshakes. Again - I really appreciate everyones help and good wishes. Barbara Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Lamb Posted August 26, 2006 Share Posted August 26, 2006 My weight remained steady after surgery but I gained over 20 lbs. after chemo and radiation(went from 220 solid to 240 soft).Now after over 3 years I am back to 214 and and an attractive and somewhat sexy BEER GUT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda661 Posted August 26, 2006 Share Posted August 26, 2006 Barbm: Losing weight after any major surgery is to be expected -- the body burns lots of fuel to heal itself. Cancer also can cause weight loss in and of itself -- those cells are greedy little suckers that rob the body of nutrition and fuel so they can grow. Is a good idea to discuss too much/fast weight loss with the doctor as well. Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blaze100 Posted August 26, 2006 Share Posted August 26, 2006 Well I wish I had weight loss after surgery. Your dad is 80, and so I think it would be expected. My dad is 89 and these guys just don't seem to eat like they should especially if they are living alone. Surgery followed by chemo and radiation did not set my body back more than a pound or two. Barb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shineladysue Posted August 27, 2006 Share Posted August 27, 2006 Barbara, When my husband originally had his lung removed, the nutritionist advised him to eat high carb foods for energy and weight gain for about 6 months after. Sometimes, it's hard to get them to eat right after surgery due to pain meds and or other meds they may be on. My husband was on antibiotics which took his appetite away. Hope he will soon gain his appetite. Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don M Posted August 27, 2006 Share Posted August 27, 2006 Barbara: I did not lose weight after my lobectomy, but I did after my completion pneumonectomy. I lost about 15 pounds. I was overweight anyway, and was rather pleased about my weight loss. I slowly gained most of it back, but managed to hold off the last 5 pounds or so. I am sure that my weight loss was entirely due to recovering from surgery. don m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4mylou Posted February 7, 2019 Share Posted February 7, 2019 Hello I hope some of you can tell me if this is normal. My husband had nsclc and had the bottom of his R lung removed. He started putting back on all the weight he lost. He got to 178 and was looking great. We are now at 1 year and 2 months . About 4 to 6 months ago he started loosing weight again. He is now 154. His scans show small spots in his left lung, to small to get tested, and several small spots on his liver. His potassium has been high also. I am sure thinking omg its back is normal. But is it normal to be loosing weight like this? I feel like I should be screaming at the doctors to look at him because I know something is wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LexieCat Posted February 7, 2019 Share Posted February 7, 2019 Hi there, and welcome. No, it's not normal. He's recovered from surgery, so it's not related to that. The liver spots are worrisome. What are the doctors saying about the weight loss and spots on the liver? Sounds like it might be time to consult another doctor. There are a lot of other conditions that can cause weight loss, too, aside from cancer, but something abnormal seems to be going on and it needs to be figured out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Galli Posted February 7, 2019 Share Posted February 7, 2019 4mylou, Lexie's spot on! Unexplained weight loss combined with his history deserves a serious medical evaluation. Keep pressing. Stay the course. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BridgetO Posted February 7, 2019 Share Posted February 7, 2019 I agree with Tom and Lexie-- push the doctors for an explanation! What kind of doctors has he seen recently-- his primary? an oncologist? pulmonologist? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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