Appetite question

[brsarah]

My mother presently has difficulty with lack of appetite. Is this a side effect? Have others experienced this? Are there some solutions. My mother is on her second round of chemo 2.5 weeks apart. She was just told a brain lesion was found but not to worry about it. Should she? Thank you, Sarah

[Ry]

Sorry about your mom--loss of appetite is pretty common. The best thing to do is try to supplement when she can't eat by using either Ensure, Boost, or Carnation instant Breakfast. Make sure she drinks plenty of fluids-- you don't want her dehydrated.

[dadstimeon]

Here is a site that might help your mom.

http://chemocare.com

[Judy-OK]

Hi sorry about your mom. As far as appetite goes the first thing my oncologist told me was to eat anything and everything I could. I started out at 101 pounds and topped out around 118 at the end of my treatment sessions. I ate a lot of small meals. I did use the Ensure and Boost but could not stand them just by themselves. So here is what I did. I would use a half a can of Ensure, a couple of scoops or vanilla bean ice cream, vanilla flavoring, malt powder and chocolate syrup. Whip it all up in a blender and viola' a chocolate malt. I would do this a couple of times a day in addition to anything I could force myself to consume. Things did tend to have a kind of metallic taste but keeping up her strength and keep hydrated is of utmost importance. Hope this helps.

Judy

[EastCoastLadi]

Sarah,

loss of appetite is very common, if she can eat small amounts of food thats' ok, definitely the boost or ensure does help, also if she likes shakes those are good too.

in terms of the brain lesion, just ask the dr. why, it could be for a number of reasons. With my husbands' sclc, they can do PCI ( profilatic cranial irradiation ), I don't know what type of cancer your mom has...but don't be hesistant to ask any and all questions to your moms dr.

Grace

[Don Wood]

Hi, Sarah. Yes, loss of appetite is normal with chemo. The patient is often nauseous and the food doesn't taste right to them. It is important that your mom drink plenty of fluids to keep from being dehydrated, and eats enough to get good nutrition and be able to fight the beast.

We found that eating snall snacks every 2-3 hours does better than the normal 3 squares. This keeps the nausea down and also gives the nourishment needed. Things like Ensure, Boost, Frosties, Smoothies can help. Keep us posted. Don

[marym]

Hi,

Although it is not a problem for me - loss of apetite is frequently a result of chemo. I was told if there was a problem to just eat smaill meals, frequently. And lots of fluids.

As far as the brain lesion, while it might not be something to "worry" about, I would want it removed. I had radio surgery. It's painless and I was out doing normal things the next day.

Mary

[ernrol]

I did not have a problem with appetite, but it is common. I think also being depressed will hurt the appetite. Your mom needs to know that she can beat the cancer and eating is one of the ways to fight. Like others have said plenty of water and small amounts of food are great. I try to drink a glass of water for every hour I am awake. One of my favorite foods for adding weight was Organic Almond Butter on a toasted English muffin. Have your mom eat her favorite foods. I also took a lot of supplements that may have helped.

Stay positive,

Ernie