DM barely eating and drinking while having chemo

[UnBledPerdu]

DM is currently having chemotherapy and is finding it impossible to drink more than about a small cup of liquid each day and will only eat a few small bites of food.

Doctors just keep telling her that she needs to drink more but I don't think they realise how difficult she's finding it.

It almost seems like it might be a mental block rather than a physical thing.

My siblings and I are beside ourselves. Nothing we try is working and it's like we're just watching her waste away in front of us.

Posting on here in desperation in case anyone has any suggestions.

OP, has your mum been prescribed creon tablets to take before eating? My dad had pancreatic cancer and was given these to help digest his food etc. In terms of eating he struggled, his GP suggested milk powder with full fat milk and an added flavoured syrup, so similar to a replacement meal drink, but if she will drink milk maybe more palatable.

My DM really struggled with fluids, and craved things she'd never normally have, Iron bru was her favourite followed by ginger ale. Drinks like her beloved tea she just couldn't stomach anymore.

My husband had the jelly sweets during chemo - I think they're called jelly drops and he managed these. They're made with lots of water so and come in different flavours. He managed a few of these a day
Hope you find something that works 🤞

Thank you so much everyone - I really appreciate all your messages and suggestions ❤️

Unfortunately things like ice lollies and ice cream aren't an option at the moment, as one of the side affects of the chemo drugs she's on is that her throat goes into spasm if she swallows anything cold.

Going to see if we can get her to have some of those hydrating sweets some of you mentioned 🤞

@UnBledPerdu
... one of the side affects of the chemo drugs she's on is that her throat goes into spasm if she swallows anything cold.
Yep, I also got 'pins 'n' needles' if I held anything cold - I once took a swig of cold milk from the fridge without thinking - I had 'pins 'n' needles' in my mouth, tongue and throat - that was a mistake I didn't make twice.

My favourite drinks were -
a) Half a cup of milk topped up with banana milk shake - warmed in the microwave.
b) Original (not slim or cherry flavour) coca cola with a sugar lump - warmed in the microwave.
c) Original Lucozade (not sport or raspberry) with a sugar lump - warmed in the microwave.

You may wish to try these or similar - good luck.

i found drinking the hardest thing of all during chemo not only did everything taste awful but the speed the liquid went down my throat made me feel so sick.
the last round or two of chemo I lived on Greens crème carame, I hadn’t seen it since the 80s, You make it up with a pint of milk.
Try Jelly or custard or milkshake they all count as liquid.

I started off on the healthiest of diets determined to do everything I could to keep well I ended up on crème caramel and ginger biscuits left out overnight to go soft, couldn’t do crunchy. Oh and sucking mints of any kind.

keep trying small amounts of anything however strange and bland.
as someone has already said try fizzy drinks they come in a huge range of flavours and try things she wouldn’t normally drink.

I sometimes think it is harder for the people around you.
take care of yourselves.

Has she been checked for bile acid malabsorption? My Dad had liver cancer and really suffered, he barely ate a morsel in his last 4 months. He was given Creon (as suggested by a PP above) to help try and absorb some calories but it killed his appetite stone dead and everything tasted funny... even water/tea.

You have to talk to her oncology team ASAP.

Her organs will not survive chemo if she won't drink at least 2 litres of water daily. She also needs to eat.

Are her nurses not concerned when she weighs in at her visits?

I had grapefruit squash as it was the only thing that tasted nice/normal. Best to check with the oncologist though as grapefruit can interfere with certain meds. I went off hot drinks totally and had water (still/sparkling) and an odd grapefruit too.

Also, for calories, my Dad was told by his oncologist to eat custard tarts if he couldn't stomach much food. They are his favourites, so he could usually manage to eat one if otherwise struggling. I think they are quite calorific.

There’s some fruit jellies , Jelly Drops, specially designed to provide hydration and they’re really delicious, maybe try them .

So sorry about your Mum.

There are lots of different anti-sickness meds so if you think that could be an issue discuss with her oncology team asap - I found ondansetron worked but I needed less than they gave me, 1 or 2 a week rather than 6 and if I had six I had massive pain and indigestion. If she can explain her symptoms as much as possible that would help.

I drank 2 litres and a day and found eating little and often rather than meals was best. It may be worth getting as many different hot drinks as you can find - sometimes you feel like one thing on one day and can't stand it another and another day will try something not had before. Maybe hot water with honey and lemon or hot milk with honey, all different teas. Could try hot squashes like ribena with hot water. Hope you can find something.

@UnBledPerdu

How are you things going? Has anything helped?

On my first cycle of chemo I waited until I felt sick before taking anti sickness meds. For the following cycles I took anti sickness meds as soon as I had had the chemo.

I think the key is finding food and drink you can actually eat/drink. For me that meant ice cold
lemonade and only iced buns some days!

i seemed to be less nauseous on bland but with a bit of sweetness.

I totally lost my appetite during chemo, it is a known side effect. And water tasted absolutely foul. My issues were complete lack of appetite, mouth sores, everything tasting either disgusting or a bit odd, dry mouth and chronic heartburn. Omeprazole sorted out the heartburn, but everything else was a struggle. I didn't feel sick at all. I maybe ate a couple of spoons of porridge, an apple and a bowl of rice Krispies in a day. I lost a lot of weight and muscle 🙁

I have no advice really except put all thoughts of a 'healthy diet' out of your head, and encourage her to eat anything (the dietician's exact words to me!).

I made my mum a high fat protein shake every day and she forced it down.
scoop protein powder (used either vanilla or choc flavour)
1/2c high mf yoghurt
a very ripe banana (frozen)
2c high mf milk
1c strawberries, sometimes 2c (frozen)
1tsp matcha powder
1tbsp evoo
some days 1tsp cocoa
some days a handful of spinach or kale

The shake was very cold and like a milkshake. Gave her nutrition and was the only thing she didn't feel like vomiting after.
i also made ginger water that she sipped room temp by steeping fresh chopped ginger root in the tea pot. It helped the nausea.
Cancer is fucking awful... chemo gives it a run for the money.
Sending you a handhold. 💐

I just remembered: my mum also complained of abdominal pain and the oncology nurses kept putting me off when I called them telling me it was a chemo side effect. I finally calked GP who referred for a scan and then oncologist got involved and bumped it up to a CT and diverticulitis was discovered. Radiologist ran after us as we were leaving saying he had called oncologist who was now en route and a team was waiting in emerg for a surgical consult and we were fast-tracked there.
Point is, if your mum really seems to be suffering please push for investigation as the chemo can cause other problems. Hoping you don't have to deal with anything like that, though.

Hello, my mum has moved in with us and we are caring for her … spend a lot of time trying to get mum to eat and drink. Everything has to be served in a small bowl as she gets over whelmed off too much food. Often I don’t ask just pop in with something tiny … a yoghurt pouch, custard pot, raspberries, melon. Drinks water but if too quick is sick so only a small cup, lucozade and Coca Cola. My lovely son said sugar feeds cancer but if mum can drink and keep down coke then it is better than nothing. Mum has a bowl with her at all times and if she is sick she wants us to leave, she finds it horribly awkward and puts her off consuming food and drink so we make ourselves scarce. Let us know how you are getting on … finding all this very helpful.

DM was similar with chemo. I also had an aversion to eating and drinking when I had hypermedia when I was pregnant. Sucking ice cubes and ice lollies helped with the dehydration, but neither of us really managed much to eat.

I was prescribed the same anti sickness medication as my uncle who was having chemo at the time I was expecting DS. Cyclizine.

Can they look at lowering the chemo dose to see if it makes any difference? - it has in a family member’s case who was dropping weight by the day.

Sugar doesn't feed cancer, that's a myth.

DM spent last night in hospital and has had loads of fluids through a drip (which we're all really relieved about). Her oncologist has ordered an urgent scan and has conceded that she's not tolerating the chemo. She's going to have at least a few weeks to recover before any more treatment and we'll wait and see what the scan says 🙏

Thank you so much to everyone who has commented. I have massively appreciated it ❤️

Well done for getting your mother seen she is lucky to have you all in her corner.
I hope she feels better soon good luck.

I'm glad your mum (and you) are now being listened to! Hope she is feeling better soon xx

Does she like ice cream? The nutrition shakes are a lot more palatable if you make them into an ice cream shake with a couple of scoops of fancy ice cream.

I'm really sorry you're going through this. If you haven't already and it's possible, I second the suggestion of trying to engage with your local hospice. My mum was in a similar scenario, and the level of support, care and advice received from the hospice was second to none. They were able to take a far more holistic approach than the hospital, and for some of her illness she both attended regularly as an outpatient and had people coming to our home, it wasn't just for end of life care