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so.. what's the deal then with ensure? is it just protein drink? my trainer carries a Beverly protein shake that is pretty good: both vanilla & chocolate. It's very high grade pharmaceutical quality because he doesn't like the ones that aren't. should I be switching to that instead for him?
If I have all this in the house and he just 'snacks' a bit, then I shouldn't worry if he doesn't feel like a whole meal?
When you have cancer, changes can occur within the body such as muscle wasting and loss of fat. Protein and high calorie foods can help. You do not have to use Ensure for a protein supplement. But products such as Ensure help provide additional protein and essential nutrients.
As SouthernBelleInUtah suggested, look at the contents. A good quality product is desired. But you will need to make the decision based on price, quality, convenience, and of course, taste. If your husband doesn't like it, he's not going to eat it.
If your husband is not eating whole meals, that is ok as long as he is eating enough food. Trying to keep weight and muscle mass on him can be difficult. There may be times he does not want to eat. This can be both physical and mental. Learning you have cancer can be overwhelming for all concerned. But the goal is to try and give the body the nutrients it needs.
ha! taking care of myself. well...... he's the one who usually tries to see that I eat properly. I hate to cook, and I have a very limited palate. soemtimes I just don't feel like eating and dinner might be a big spoon of peanut butter - or pb on a rice cake. he gets annoyed when I do that.
I know I'm stressed! I've been having stress dreams every night all week. One night twice I dreamed we were late for the appt for getting his port. the first dream they told us we were too late and they wouldn't be back in MD for another month! the second version we were only a little late, but they were doing a big batch of people in some nasty basement with people lying on cots or blankets on the lineoleum floor (of the U-MD student Union!). I made sure we were on time for his appt!!
I'm terrible about doing much of anything for myself. I'm even having a problem because there's a convention I've been looking forward to for 3 years happening at the end of the month. I'm even on staff! ti's all paid for, I have the plane ticket (it's in KY).. but it's the week of his second chemo session and I don't know if I should go away for a week. It's not an annual event, and it may not happen again, but.... what if he has a problem? Should I go?? I don't know what to do. So far, I'm playing it by ear, waiting to see how he does with it this week. I wouldn't even know what to do for myself (dislike walking, it's stressful - so is the gym, don't like baths unless it's a hot tub which we don't have, pedicure? what's that! I think I had one 23 years ago..... <sigh>
I can't answer whether you should go to the convention or not. I think that is something the two of you should decide. Is there anyone to help your husband if he needs it, if you go, such as children, brother??
As far as my suggestions for taking care of yourself such as walking, do whatever gives you pleasure. The point is to be able to do something that takes you away for a couple hours. Everyone needs a break.
I took care of my mother who had pancreatic cancer. I know how difficult it is to care for someone daily. I now have cancer myself. I know how important it is for my husband to have moments for himself.
This forum is great for support. But you still may want to consider joining an online support group specifically for colon cancer. You gain a lot of information from those going through the same thing.
Is there anyone to help your husband if he needs it, if you go, such as children, brother??
we have no kids- just 5 cats. He does have a couple of brothers in the area (being an engineer, he's not that social about having friends) but one is likely to be out of town for work, and the other.. tends to cause stress.
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As far as my suggestions for taking care of yourself such as walking, do whatever gives you pleasure. The point is to be able to do something that takes you away for a couple hours. Everyone needs a break.
gotcha. I have my office where I still see a few massage clients and do my sewing. so I get out many days - if he doesn't have a dr's appt.
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I took care of my mother who had pancreatic cancer. I know how difficult it is to care for someone daily. I now have cancer myself. I know how important it is for my husband to have moments for himself.
Oh I'm so sorry, Beth! I hear a lot of that (scary, actually. almost makes you think it's contagious!). My MiL took care of my FiL for a number of years before he died of congestive heart failure/heart attack, and then about 5 years afterwards she developed liver cancer. and someone we knew in college had used up all her leave at work taking care of her ailing parents who passed - only to develop stomach cancer herself and have no leave! many of us donated leave through work to her, so she never had to take a day unpaid, and luckily she is doing much better. I hope your prognosis is good...
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This forum is great for support. But you still may want to consider joining an online support group specifically for colon cancer. You gain a lot of information from those going through the same thing.
ok, I'll look around. I checked on FB, but while there was something, it wasn't very active.
Beth56 wrote: This forum is great for support. But you still may want to consider joining an online support group specifically for colon cancer. You gain a lot of information from those going through the same thing.
ok, after much googling, I finally found the Colon Club (http://www.colonclub.com/index.html - broken link) and have joined that. They do have a great abbreviations and terminology post! looks like a good group. thanks for the push!
Muscle Milk, just add water, we discovered at a warehouse store is 27g of protein/54%. Enjoyed a glass myself as I was too busy for lunch. Purchased the vanilla WHEY, then the chocolate already prepared. Muscle Milk has only 1g of sugar, 2g of carbohydrate.
A friend, who has cancer, took some to her, she informed she tired to eat
three different items. Tried the chocolate Muscle Milk and she drank all of it!
Whey was the only thing DH was take when he had his chemo treatment,
4 hours at the center, then he had a fanny pack administrating chemo for four days, into his port.
hmm. he saw his GI today (just a closure meeting) and DH asked him about the appetite issue. Commented that stomach problems was what sent him in, in the first place, but no one seems to want to address it! He could only eat 1/2 his turkey sandwich today and threw the rest out. Asked if he should force himself to eat or not, or should he take anything.. the GI pretty much weaseled out and refused to answer.
I've tried to tell him to eat what he can, and if he can't eat a regular meal, try to eat one of his snacky things (pudding, applesauce...). He feels that he should eat to help keep his system up, but the sour stomach and some nausea just gets in the way.
I could try to get some whey powder stuff from my trainer - it's very high quality whey with very little sugar.
hmm. he saw his GI today (just a closure meeting) and DH asked him about the appetite issue. Commented that stomach problems was what sent him in, in the first place, but no one seems to want to address it! He could only eat 1/2 his turkey sandwich today and threw the rest out. Asked if he should force himself to eat or not, or should he take anything.. the GI pretty much weaseled out and refused to answer.
I've tried to tell him to eat what he can, and if he can't eat a regular meal, try to eat one of his snacky things (pudding, applesauce...). He feels that he should eat to help keep his system up, but the sour stomach and some nausea just gets in the way.
I could try to get some whey powder stuff from my trainer - it's very high quality whey with very little sugar.
You would think that doctors who talk about cancer most days would be more at ease with discussing it with their patients. But even my oncologist I have to prod for information. I really find out more from a few support groups and listening to their conversations than from my own doctor sometimes. The reality is, you, the caregiver, must be an advocate for your husband. If he does not remember to ask things, you must. If he can't remember what the doctor said, you must. The hard part is you both are probably reeling from the cancer diagnosis and haven't found a soft place to land yet. Be sure to write things down, start a journal and take it with you to the doctor. It may help.
Loss of appetite and nausea are symptoms of colon cancer. I am surprised that the doctor did not discuss these symptoms further or talk about how to deal with it. I know walking is suggested for appetite, but other than that I don't know. I am a Medical Marijuana patient and advocate. I don't want to debate the issue, but it is well-known this helps with appetite. This may not be available to you in your state or you may not agree with my stance. That's ok, I'm just putting it out there.
But for nausea, there are medications that help. You might ask about that. Ginger is known for settling the stomach. You can purchase some fresh ginger at the grocery store and slice off a piece when needed. There are also some ginger products that you don't have to refrigerate. Trader Joe's has some candied ginger. I've tried both and they work. It's hot and spicy, but a few minutes later the nausea is much better. Very little is needed.
You would think that doctors who talk about cancer most days would be more at ease with discussing it with their patients. But even my oncologist I have to prod for information.
I was very surprised that he wouldn't answer my question. He basically said: 'it doesn't really matter, it's metastasized anyway. The TNM doesn't really tell you anything you need, with it as advanced as it is, the T & the M are already at the highest level and the N just refers to node involved.' so what?! jsut give me the flipping answer to my question! I didn't ask his opinion. so I figure on Wed, I'll ask the onc for a copy of the biopsy report to go with the rest of our records. geez.
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The reality is, you, the caregiver, must be an advocate for your husband. If he does not remember to ask things, you must. If he can't remember what the doctor said, you must.
yeah. the problem was that the onc was rattling off so much info! some of which he wrote down and some he didn't. He gave DH 2 scripts for nausea, but we got the impression they were for side effects once he starts the chemo - nothing about what he's supposed to do about the nausea he's got now that's preventing him from eating (and you don't want to go into chemo with any more weightloss or protein loss than you have to!)
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The hard part is you both are probably reeling from the cancer diagnosis and haven't found a soft place to land yet. Be sure to write things down, start a journal and take it with you to the doctor. It may help.
we had a folder that we've been keeping all the reports and receipts and referrals stuff in, but since it sounds like there's going to be more than will fit.. we just bought a big zippered binder with exanda-files on once side of it! I've got thins sorta organized there, and also got a small notebook so I can take notes at the appts - for the basic stuff.
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Loss of appetite and nausea are symptoms of colon cancer. I am surprised that the doctor did not discuss these symptoms further or talk about how to deal with it. I know walking is suggested for appetite, but other than that I don't know. I am a Medical Marijuana patient and advocate. I don't want to debate the issue, but it is well-known this helps with appetite. This may not be available to you in your state or you may not agree with my stance. That's ok, I'm just putting it out there.
I believe in Medical Marijauna (I'm conflicted in it's use for recreation, but that's another issue. I do believe it should certainly be legal prescriptively ). Unfortunately, we live in MD where it is not legal and his job does random drug-testing and he would be in deep trouble if he was caught - and this close to retirement, that would be a bad thing. We went out and bought some Maalox. that seemed to help and he was able to (slowly) eat his whole dinner. Oh, the onc did discuss nausea - but from what he wrote, only after the chemo starts! No one seems to want to deal with the fact that nausea is the symptom that drove him to get checked, it's not being dealt with and it's getting worse! hence the maalox.
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But for nausea, there are medications that help. You might ask about that. Ginger is known for settling the stomach. You can purchase some fresh ginger at the grocery store and slice off a piece when needed. There are also some ginger products that you don't have to refrigerate. Trader Joe's has some candied ginger. I've tried both and they work. It's hot and spicy, but a few minutes later the nausea is much better. Very little is needed.
he bought some ginger ale and sometimes drinks that. would ginger cookies work as well?
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Did you discuss whey powder with the doctor?
it's useless to ask the GI anything. he waffled and evaded the few questions we had - yet kept saying, so do you have any questions? near as I could tell, the entire consult was just another way to get $ for him. It certainly did nothing for us. I will ask the onc on Wed, though.
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Did the doctor confirm the cancer stage?
wafflewaffle, it's metastasized therefore stage 4 waffle refuse to discuss specifics. I've got more by reading the CATscan report: it says the lesion is 10cm in length (!) and there's too many mets in the liver to count, in both lobes and caudate lobe - one mass in the left measured 12x10cm! all other abdominal organs appear normal, though there may be 1 pelvic lymph node involved.
Peppermint has been used for centuries for nausea. You can buy a small bottle of peppermint oil at most groceries or you can chew peppermint candies. It's well known among gastric bypass patients as we get so much nausea.
Ginger and mint and marijuana are all good. When I have been ill and needed to gain weight, craving of the moment ruled. I wanted a lobster tail, needed ice cream, a basket of strawberries. It seemed to me that the foods which I craved or desired were the only ones which I could look at, smell, eat.
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