Hi everyone,

New here to the forum. My dad just had surgery for oral cancer on his lower tongue. I am trying to put together a care package for him when he gets home and wanted some suggestions on which High Calorie Nutrition Drink I should buy him. Thanks for your help as feeling helpless and want to help in anyway I can

Welcome to OCF! Your father is lucky to have such a thoughtful daughter helping him. You've come to the right place for info and support.

Will or does your father have a feeding tube? If so, there are prescription formulas he will be given from his doctor. A medical supply company will deliver cases of formula and all the supplies directly to his home every month.

If he does not have a feeding tube then you can purchase several different kinds from any grocery or drug store. Its usually located near dietary supplements or the weight loss sections. Your father will want to get the most calories per swallow. You can also use the Amazon link on the right to help give back a small percentage of any Amazon purchase. By clicking on the Amazon box it gives OCF a kickback thats more than going thru the Amazon Smiles program. Any purchase anyone makes is eligible and costs the shopper nothing more than a second to click our Amazon box. Thru Amazon you can usually get formula cheaper, at least it was much cheaper when I ordered it 10+ years ago. When I was going thru rads and had a feeding tube and I still purchased the VHC to add to my prescription formula to help push my daily calories higher. Most stores do not carry the Boost very high calorie (VHC) at 530 calories per box. Over the counter formulas are usually only up to about 375 calories. Make sure you check if this is ok with your fathers doctor before purchasing. He could have health issues that would require a special formula.

Also check with his doctor if its ok to add a multivitamin. Centrum now makes a liquid adult vitamin. Ive been using it for months and found it to be helpful in balancing out my lousy diet. It runs anywhere from $9-$13 depending where you buy it.

Hope this helps!!! Best wishes!

Thank you soon much Christine as that is extremely helpful. He will be on a feeding tube at first so I will check with the doctors on the prescription stuff. Also going to order for him right away the Centrum liquid as that sounds great. I will make sure to order on Amazon like you say and make sure to click the link. Thanks again!

You're welcome, Im glad you found the info helpful We're all in this together and learn from each other.

Feeding tubes can be a bit of a pain but for many they are a necessity. Ive used one for most of the past 11 years. Often patients do not get enough instruction to easily manage the feeding tubes. I know I'll be able to help you with info when the time comes. Most often if there's nausea of the patient is having trouble tolerating the formula its usually fixed when they slow down their feeding rate and/or add some water. Most patients detest having to depend on a feeding tube... so do I! But it is what it is Make sure whoever arranges for the feeding tube formula and supplies to get delivered, they also send a visiting nurse to set it up and show the patient how to use everything. You and any other caregivers should be there and see what the nurse does and says so you can help your father down the road. Make sure your father gets a feeding pump too, some patients must ask their doc to get this. I find it very easy to do feedings while watching tv or even overnight while I sleep thats why the pump is so important. Sorry for giving you TMI. When the time comes let me know if you guys need help.

Since your father will have a feeding tube then the centrum can be given right thru the tube. It can even be added to the formula. Just check it with his doc if its ok to use. You'd be surprised at the things that can interfere with treatments or cause issues for the patient.

SOOOOO glad you are here to help. I am sure I will so need your help when it comes to the feeding tubes.