Jo, as I mentioned on your other post, we do have a member who had major kidney problems. I believe it was related to the chemo? Hopefully Paul will be along soon and will explain his situation in detail. There could be many things (besides protein) causing your kidney stones, especially since you have had them in the past.
High protein whey powder is not to gain weight, its to add more protein to the diet to help speed healing. Unfortunately, recovery from OC and its treatments take a loonnngggg time, a good 2 years. Significant weight loss is very common in OC patients/survivors. After what your body has been thru (somehow I feel it seriously impacts a persons metabolism) it can take years of higher intake before you see any weight gain. Even being over one year post rads, your body is still burning up calories incredibly fast. Recovery takes lots of energy! With your kidney problems, make sure to ask your doc before adding anything to your diet (esp. the high protein whey powder). I would also ask your doctor about checking your thyroid level and for males have to also their testosterone level checked.
As far as removing the tube, most doctors will not even consider it until the patient has been able to sustain themself (without further weight loss) for at least one month. I actually suggest hanging on to the tube for at the very least 2 months of sustaining your weight. At only 89 pounds, you couldnt possibly have much more you could lose. I also had significant weight loss from OC and its treatments. It landed me in the hospital way more times than I would like to admit. Please try to turn this around before you have the tube removed. Recovery is full of ups and downs, having the tube hang around (LOL) an extra month or 2 cant hurt. Always better to have it and not need it than to need it and its not there. Just remember to flush with water at least 2x a day even when not using it.
If you spent lots of time reading posts, Im sure you have come to realize Im the intake nag around here
I would advise you to immediately start increasing your intake to at least 3500 calories daily. I know 3500 calories sound like it has to be too much. Its not! In fact you could even take in 5000 calories daily and probably would not notice any significant weight gain. It just reaffirms how hard your body is working to rebuild itself. Maybe the chocolate peanut butter milkshakes I used to make would help with your higher intake goals? Ive attached the list of easy to eat foods to help you with relearning how to eat.
Best wishes with your continued recovery!
List of Easy to Eat Foods PS....Here is a recipe for something I used to make and drink when I went thru treatments. The shake has anywhere from 1200-2000 calories depending on how you make it. The list of foods might help too, they mostly have a smoother texture and arent spicy which should be easier to tolerate.
(All measurements are estimates)
Giant High Calorie Choc-Peanut Butter Milkshake3 or 4 cups chocolate ice cream (regular/full fat type)
2 tablespoons peanut butter (smooth type)
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
1 or 2 cups whole milk (can substitute half and half to add even more calories)
1 scoop carnation instant breakfast
1 scoop high protein whey powder (check with doc if this is ok)
Blend this extra long to make it very smooth and creamy so it goes down easier. If the shake is too thick, add more milk to thin it down to what works best for you.
