Need nutrition advice for my Mom

[ibjoyful]

My mom (79 years old) starts chemo tomorrow after undergoing surgery 4 weeks ago.  She is Stage IIIC.  Currently she does not have much of an appetite and is malnourished.  What suggestions do you have of foods/drinks to give her to help increase her intake and appetite.  Your help is greatly appreciated.  

[vegas2cr]

I found that the only thing I could tolerate under chemo were carbohydrates..  Pasta, Pizza, bread, I was told to eat what ever I could stand.. I had a tough time with protein.  I did drink 7 up with ice cream in it.. Pineapple malts... egg sandwiches were as close to protein as I got.. Meat chicken fish all during chemo for me persoanlly I could not stand even the smell... Make her fruit malts... I hope she gets good anti naseau and anti vomiting meds so that won't be a problem.. Just make sure she drinks plenty.... even flavored club soda...
I am stage IV and 10 months out of chemo.. my appetite has just come back... best of luck to you and your Mom... Ronni

[dian07]

This is something Alan can definately help with.....if he doesn't post you need to review his posts from the past year or so....
I can't imagine Alan won't be around to give you some sound advice as he was once in your position......he is definately your best bet....
Peace.
dian

[marie3B]

Breads were the easiest for me too.  I found I could nibble on zuchinni bread, banana bread, cinnamon toast, even garlic bread!  Those things were easy to swallow.  I also could eat cream of wheat.  I ate scrambled eggs with McDonalds hash browns crumbled in them. That always made me feel good.  Drinking alot of cranberry juice helped me keep hydrated. I had to drink HUGE amounts of fluid or I dehydrated really badly even though I wasn't throwing up. If the anti nausea meds are not enough call the doc.  Some meds are better than others.  I got alot of relief from Emend. Good luck.  I hope she does well. Marie

[alanpvegas]

Hi!  You are right to be concerned, nutrition is the #1 key to beating the disease...and staying healthy.

Well, there are a few things you can do (also check out the NCI website as they have free advice, and books, on nutrition for cancer patients which is EXCELLENT).

- Juven drink:  tastes good and contains glutamine and other stuff to help during and after treatment...it is, in-fact, made for cancer and aids patients.

- MegaceES.  Write down this one and not the 'old' version.  This one requires less drinking of it and I think can be flavored too.  The other one tastes nasty.  It's goal is to increase appetite.  In-fact, it's used primarily for aids and cancer patients for this purpose.

- PICC line / TPN:  I can't forsee the physician allowing this to continue, and the goal may be to get a PICC (intravenous) line put in her so TPN (intravenous feeding) can commence.  My mom was on this pretty much for 80% of the time since diagnosis.  At home, you can get portable pumps and everything.  While it sounds complicated to do and such, the home care pharmacy will mix it all and you just need to add some ingredients with syringes.  I was very worried at first that I couldn't do it, but after a few days I was like an ER doctor mixing it up and stuff.  This will get her nutrition to keep her alive.

From here, she should try to get anything she can in her...mymom's gyn/onc always pushed chocolate, which I didn't think was right with cancer but whatever, to get calories in her.  Nutrition is very very very important in fighting cancer and being strong enough for chemo.  It's almost like a double edged sword that food and chemo are both necessary but both contradict and interefere with the other.

If you can't get the Juven drink, try mising some L-Glutamine (it's unflavored so it can go with any drink) to help with the intestines.  Another thing to try, but it may be too much for her, is some 'mass' builder shakes form places like GNC.  I got my mom the 'MASS XXX' shake there...it had low sugar content with high calories and protien and branched chain amino acides.  

Good luck, I understand how hard it is when they cannot eat  :(

[Knotmeg]

http://culinarynovice.blogspot.com/2008/04/blueberry-power-smoothie.html

[ibjoyful]

Thank you SO very much for your responses.  I will get to work and start trying your suggestions.  Again, thank you and God Bless.  

[msjazz]

I can tolerate dry cake doughnuts, about 1/2 at a time, cinnaman rolls that you bake but without the icing, lite toast and scramble egg with a little milk added to scramble, and the lite blue frost gatorade, creamed or baked potatoes, oatmeal.  It takes about a week after chemo for me to move to more nutritious veggies amd baked chicken. The Juven is advertised in some of the cancer magazines at my clinic, but I have not tried it. I have used ensure some.  Best wishes.

[slee56]

There are many ood boks about nutrition and cancer most of them stress an akaline diet vegatarian, no red meat, lots of cold water fish, green tea good quality vitimines. Eating smaller meals and nothing with sugar as sugar turns to acid in your system...
Also avoid stress as that will turn your system acid too...
Drink lots of lemon water and waterrmellon as these help your system turn akaline.... take care