Anyone have any experience or suggestions for appetite loss in Cancer patients?

[Havingkittens]

Hello,

I'm just posting here on the off chance that someone might be able to offer any suggestions or advice.

My mum has Stage 4 Colon Cancer. She has recently had an operation and is on a Protein drip 13 hours each night to try and replenish her protein levels which are being badly depleted by the Cancer. She is suffering from terrible appetite loss which is not helping with keeping her strength up, nor her spirits. She is actually hungry, well, ravenous in fact, but cannot swallow food without retching and so isn't really able to eat. It's heartbreaking to see and also very frightening as her prognosis very much depends on her physical and mental strength.

If anyone has any experience of this situation who has any suggestions of how to stimulate her appetite and make eating possible for her again I would be really grateful to hear them.

Thanks x

Sorry to hear this - I know it is tough for all of you at the moment.

With mum we made some of her favourites in a way she could manage - so a lovely stew (lots of sauce) with fluffy mashed potatoes. She could only manage the mash and gravy but the smell really encouraged her appetite. We would dig out her old recipe books and cook things that she used to love - even good old turkey soup. Desserts like rice pudding are good too.

Try to get her to choose what she'd like - we used to say to mum 'what do you really really fancy?' and she woulsd rack her brains then come up with something that she used to love, and talk about how she learned to make it from her mum, or used to make it for dad...

We are all greedy-guts in our family and love to talk about food anyway, so it did encourage her to chat and laugh (like when her cousin ate the sandwiches for a seance meeting her mum was hosting and blamed the ghosts).

Sorry to hear this. I've just lost my mum to colon cancer, so I have some experience of this, she went through this stage.

She wanted to eat but was scared to because of the retching. What really helped her was being prescribed steriods, because of the tumours, because the side-effect is increased appetite.

She enjoyed small things like yogurts, After Eights, smoothies. We also had a supplement - a powder which you could also dissolve, called Maxijul (also prescribed) which we hid in her food/drinks. She enjoyed Coke for the first time ever in her life.

Stodgy stuff from her childhood was also a favourite eg mashed potato. Ice cream was good too.

My father quite unexpectedly got into sweet things and puddings. He would eat fromage frais, yogurts, custard, icecream, rice pudding, jelly - anything cold, soft and sweet (not his soft of thing before) but these foods actually gave him genuine pleasure during some very grim days.

agree with bibbity, also soups blended to as thin/thick as she can take. It's a tough road, best wishes.

my dh got by on Fresubin drinks alot as he could sip throughout the day. Once she builds up some strength hopefully she will cope with more food

Thanks so much for all your replies. She has been having the Fresubin drinks but has stopped for the last couple of days because after a couple of slightly successful meals they were the first thing she had that made her want to puke. Also, because she's on this massive protein infusion she thought that it may be a protein drink too far! Maybe we can persuade her to try them again.

She says she's "all souped out" having eaten soup pretty much daily for the last 5 weeks but my stepdad is now making her a new one so hopefully she'll get back into them after a couple of days break.

It's hard to get her to think up stuff she fancies as she's just not inspired by food at all and doesn't want to think about it as it makes her anxious and depressed. I have been trying with smoothies too. When she was drinking 2 Fresubins a day she wasn't keen to have more milky drinks but she had half a glass on one yesterday which went down ok but she didn't want any more.

The steroids could be worth a try. I am on Prednisolone myself and it makes me very hungry, but I was thinking about the fact that she is actually hungry, it's just the lack of ability to eat that's a problem. Do the steroids overcome that? I was also wondering about anti-depressants because I think half of it is based on anxiety and depression, although I know it's a fairly typical symptom with Cancer too. She has a good doctor who is going to see her today so I guess we'll see what she says.

Hello I just wondered if as well as the other good suggestions you had tried freezing the nutritional supplements (fortisips and the like) you could pour them into ice lolly moulds.I know it seems a bit daft but sometimes with the patients I nurse it has worked on occasion,its more like having a lolly/icecream and quite soothing if they have a sore mouth.Just a thought x

Ooh, that's a good idea. I will definitely suggest that as she has had a sore mouth. And she likes lollys!

Sorry, I meant to say, I'm really sorry that you have all been through this with your loved ones too. Hard times indeed .

I can't say whether the steroids stopped the retching, all I can say is that once she was on them, she was able to eat for the first time in ages.

Well, that sounds good. The GP has prescribed anti sickness pills to take a little bit before meal times, low dose Cortisone, some anti inflamatories for her guts and some fruit juice based protein drinks as opposed to the dairy ones so hopefully that will all help and then I can take the rest of the kind advice you've all given me once she is able to eat a little bit more than a mouthful.

Unfortunately, as I've been with her in France for most of the last 5 weeks I've had to come back home again and earn some money. I'm self employed and don't get paid unless I'm working so I will have to do what I can via telephone and Skype for a few weeks before I can get over there again. Not easy having parents living overseas in these circumstances but can only be grateful that France has such an excellent health service and that she is able to have her protein infusions at home rather than being stuck in hospital which is where her eating problem is at it's worst.

I really appreciate all your suggestions. Thank you.

I had chemo for breast cancer a while back. Not stage 4 but advanced stage 3 and I had heavy treatment which at times stole my appetite. I'm petite usually, but I did look fairly wasted at times. My oncologist suggested that a little wine might be useful, both as a social adjunct to meals, and a physiological appetite enhancer. Red has anti oxidant substances in it (Resvesterols ?) which can benefit cancer patients. If your mother can tolerate a few sips of wine it might be worth a try. I'm very sorry you're going through this. It must be harrowing for you.

I have no experience of colon cancer. DP has recently been treated for non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, he had appetite issues and I suggested pineapple juice or pieces. It made him feel better, helped with queasiness and 'may' have helped with him being more able to eat. When I mentioned DP's appetite to my friend, who has had Hodgkins Lymphoma, she suggested pineapple independently of my thoughts. So maybe try pineapple.

Sorry not to have acknowledged your post floweryblue. I've not been back on the thread for a bit. Thanks for your suggestion. Since posting this thread I've learned that with colon cancer the problem is more physiological than with other cancers as it has a very direct knock on effect on the digestive system. She has been able to eat porridge and eggs so that's kept her going a bit. Unfortunately she's had a few infections lately so that's affected her appetite again so I'm hoping it will return when the antibiotics kick in.

Cancer is a bitch. This is all so shitty .

No need for apologies to me kittens, I post if I have an idea which may help but always assume that real life will take priority.

My (now all clear) friend has suggested peppermint oil, on a tissue or hanky, sniffed, helps with sickness according to her experience.

I know you are relying on appetite returning when she responds to the drugs, my experience with my friend, and DP, is that it's not as simple as that. It may well take a while before your mum can eat what she used to eat. You might need to suggest different ideas for a while.

I think the key which will unlock the door is you finding your mum's magic meal right now, if you can do that, it will stimulate her appetite and make her open to other food.

I have to say, I'm not in any way an expert on the subject, just someone who doesn't really like food...