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Mom not eating after radiation

Captain_Red
  • By Captain_Red
  • Posted August 3, 2009 at 6:36 pm · 8 replies
  • In Nutrition
  • Shared with the public
  • Edited August 3, 2009 at 6:37 pm
0 Recommendations

My mom finished her radiation last Tuesday. But she still isn't eating, and has lost a lot of weight. Does this sound normal? I thought she would be healed up by now. She almost finished an entire bottle of BML in 3 days, and takes Loritabs.

She is also very tired, and I'm not sure what I should do. She doesn't want to call the hospital b/c she thinks they'll want to admit her. She was eating milkshakes, but being lactose intolerant and getting sick, I stopped getting them for her. So now she is eating fruit smoothies. She gets tired just sitting up, I feel like I have my hands tied.

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Cancer Lung cancer

8 replies

cards7up

Hi, she really needs the fluids more than food. Can she drink warm ginger ale, ginger tea? She needs to keep her strength up. If she can't eat or drink (at least 3 qts. daily), she needs to to back to the doctor before she dehydrates. This can be serious for someone in her condition. Hope this helps, good luck and take care, JC

sheryl54

is she not eating because of her throat? Because if it is then yes that is normal...and she will be extremly tired for a while...they told me 3 weeks...i am still weak and walking a little everyday to get stronger and my radiation has been over for a couple of months now..try silk for her drink...add some instant breakfast to it...i lost 40 lbs...i have put 5 back on...but my appitite is good now...what is BML? everyone is different when it comes to recouperating...but i know it takes a few weeks...radiation is powerful stuff....

sheryl54

how many treatments did she have..and what was she diagnosed with? i went into read the history but it was blank..sometimes it helps if we all know what she is going through, because some of us are more helpful if we know...that might not make any sense..sorry

kitkat4ever

Call her doctor NOW and tell them what is going on.

Yes, fluids are critical for kidney function....also there are appectite stimulants a doc can write a Rx for. Megace or marinol.

Call now

kat

Captain_Red

She's drinking plenty of water, about a gallon a day. And she is drinking fruit/yogurt smoothies w/ protein powder. She's also drinking a little soy chocolate milk. She just hasn't eaten any real food, and she lost 12 lbs. last week.

I'm glad to hear that it can be normal. I just thought her throat would immediately start healing up.

Her diagnoses was small cell cancer. A dime size mass was found in her left lung, and she had some cancer cells found in a couple of her lymphnodes. She started Chemo in May, and finished up 2 wks. ago. And she had 4-6 wks of radiation. Sorry, it was all a blur for me. I've been taking care of her, my kids, going to school, and have a part-time job. My mind is a mess.

sheryl54

sounds like your mom is doing well...i was diagnosed in october...same thing..4 rounds of chemo and 3 weeks of radiation...i'm in remission ...have been for 5 months now...but i'm still really tired..it took me a good 3 weeks for my throat to feel better..mine felt like a razor blade going down...but it will get better..my tumor was the size of a grapefruit and limited..also in the lympnodes...i had ct last week and my lympnodes were significanly improved...(they shrunk). also my tumor is shrunk and NED...Watch out for depression..in you and her...i didn't want to get out of bed at all ...i lost my job, my hair, my strenth, and they put me on an antidepresant...and it helps...don't be afraid to ask the drs. for anything....sheryl

blujonny

I think the best thing is to buy her a plastic bottle that she can keep refilling. Then I would brew some green tea, add honey to it, let it cool and then keep filling the bottle once a day so she can keep fluids consistently going through her body. Green tea is a great drink because it's light, cheap and goes down quite easily. I wouldn't go overboard on the soy milk as it can cause stomach cramps in large amounts. Pomegranate juice and cloudy apple juice are great juices to drink. Rice milk is quite light and is tasty.

LTLCS

Sounds normal to me. I agree with all above, that she needs fluids, and lots of them. Maybe jello's, puddings, soft foods to start off with. If her throat is sore, she's not going to want to eat much and that is normal. But, soft foods she might get down. Ice creams as well. The doc can give her some magic mouth wash for the soreness.

Yes, her doctor can give her Megac for appitite help. But, it sounds to me like the treatments knocked her on her rear, as it does to many. Rest, Rest, Rest, and More Rest is what her body needs, but she does need to move around some too. See if her doc will give her Megac. I think after a few more days she will start to perk up a little. This is a slow ride to healing. And everyone is different. Tell her from me, she has a cheerleader section out here cheering her on, and knowing she can and will get through this. From One Lung Cancer Survivor to Another!

Hugs,
Connie

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