PLEASE DON'T LET ANYONE STARVE

[kimblanchard]

A dear friend/angel asked that I re-post the following, and I am humbled by her hope that it might be of help here.

===== PLEASE DON"T LET ANYONE STARVE!=====

An inherent issue within the reality of having cancer that somehow is lost, unknown, or rarely explained or discussed is the significant anti-appetite efffect caused by both the effects of treatment AND the metabolic by-products of tumors.

Literally, as the tumor is feeding itself from your blood supply, it is also secreting waste materials that create a POWERFUL anorexic effect.

You do not WANT food/nourishment...you do not FEEL hungry...the very SMELL of food can make you feel nauseous...foods taste HORRIBLE...you take some sips of "something" just to pacify those who are trying to get you to eat something/anything. (My caretakers were OVERJOYED if I took 2-3 sips or bites of anything in an entire day!) This ongoing scenario literally took me to within days of DEATH BY STARVATION...not by my cancer...BY STARVATION.

Families unaware of these toxic tumor secretions & their effects often become frustrated/hurt/upset & even angry at their loved one, mistakenly thinking they're being difficult and non-cooperative...and/or have given up. Worse yet, familes can fatalistically believe NOTHING can be done, and then the needed actions are NEVER done.

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If you DON'T have cancer, try this:

Have 1/10th your normal food/fluid intake for just 3 days...72 hours...and do not leave the bed. Then, please post how you're feeling & how much you are capable of doing. See what starvation and weakness do to your overall outlook on life in general.

Remember I said "healthy-person"---"3 days". Multiply this 10 times, and you may have a greater consciousness of the cancer-patient-experience in some small way.

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Then add on the ADDITIONAL & predictable effects on appetite from chemo, rads, pain meds, anxiety, fatigue, exogenous depression, etcetera...and the person-battling-cancer is NOT getting adequate nutrition & fluids just when they are NEEDED the MOST.

This "starvation-syndrome" is an preventable/addressable crisis/oftimes tragedy. Temporary PRN usage of a G-Tube can overcome these issues, with nutritional and fluid needs being readily/reliably met, without creating discomfort, frustration and aggravation at meal times. With the G-tube in, I was able to endure treatment, recover, and survive.

If the person-battling-cancer in your life is CONSISTENTLY getting 8-10 glasses of water/fluids a day, & 1800-2200 balanced calories/nutrients per day, please disregard the above info on the G-tube. (Also, do not confuse a G-tube with the NG-tube, which enters through the nose.)

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One prepackaged nutritional supplement of definite and known value is ENSURE.

They have a NEW specialized, targeted product out now, PROSURE. Formulated for the nutritional needs of people-battling-cancer, recent hopeful research indicate PROSURE has some effect on solid tumors, slowing/halting additional growth. The Veterans Hospital system has recently circulated these clinical findings and are currently giving extensive Inservice Education on the overlooked/critical need of providing adequate nutrition to its Oncology patients, specifically discussing usage of PROSURE.

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This info should not be misinterpreted as an "advertisement" for any product. All of the above is part of the readily available public domain, and not "opinion".

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My honest heartfelt plea is:

Let's try to MORE completely understand & CORRECTLY deal with the loss of appetite in a person-battling-cancer.

Let's not blame them, or assume they've given up.

Get them the nutritional assistance they require IMMEDIATELY.

Don't WAIT or DELAY until you're days from death, like we did.

PLEASE...Don't stand helplessly by, watching them needlessly starve.

Take our prayers for fortitude, and GET BUSY!!

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Love, Strength, Faith, Peace, & Unity!!

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Carpe Diem & Noche

(NSCLC:1999)

[Guest Michael]

I read an article by the nutritionist Patrick Quillin that 40% of all cancer patients die of malnutrition. In the cancer establishment you fight cancer with surgery, chemo therapy, radiation therapy and drugs. Very little emphasis on nutriton. Look at what patients in cancer hospitals eat which proves they place little emphasis on nutrition. Quillin and other nutritionists strongly believe that sugar feeds cancer yet doctors won't tell you this or what your diet should be because they have little expertise in this area and they would be venturing outside the arena of conventional medicine. Placing complete trust and confidence in doctors is a mistake. I'm a caregiver to someone with lung cancer (73 years old female) and our approach is nutritional therapy (plant based diet) with very good results.

[Fay A.]

The idea that someone would allow a cancer patient to starve in order to avoid "prolonging the inevitable" is anathema to me. I made the decision a long time ago that if I reached the point where I could no longer eat or drink I would insist on a g tube (not the nasal tube), because I am not going to starve to death. I've told my family and friends that this is what I want, and that it could mean the difference between life and death. They know that they may have to insist on my wishes being followed, because there have been several instances during my cancer journey when what I needed and asked for wasn't provided unless someone else stepped in and said "better do what she wants".

If you need nutritional assistance insist on receiving it. No one should have to starve to death.