Hi everyone

Update on David -

He has 11 more Radiation treatments to go to complete a total of 30 rounds. As of late he's lost all taste and sense of smell which has him pretty down in the dumps - and he's lost quite a bit of weight. NO stomach tube though - so that is positive.

I'm asking for help from those who have been there. Please let us know what foods you were able to get down with ease and / or could taste. It would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!

-Philly

[quote=Philly]

- and he's lost quite a bit of weight. NO stomach tube though - so that is positive.




-Philly [/quote]

Not sure what the positive is....

I didn't have a Peg and it was very rough going but I did find Carnation Instant Breakfast VHC that has 560 cals in the same small 8 oz can so when drinking is difficult it's best to get the most cals for the oz consumed. I drank that stuff for a little over a year post Tx as the recovery is not much fun in the eating dept since it takes soooo long for the saliva and taste to return.

I AM STILL IN THAT STAGE. Anything you can imagine that he likes, that can be liquified, try it. I bought a ggod blender that has liquify speed on it and it is just about the main piece of equipment in he house. Tru poached egss, panckes with lots of butter and syrup , but watch the syrup isn't too sweet. The sugary things burn the tongue big time. Tell David to imagine a meal and then go for it. I threw a lot of good food away and gave a l;ot to my neighbors. Cream of wheat works as does Coco Wheats , and Oatmeal is good as long as it isn't loaded with surprises like hard little berries.

Geez, forgot to say buy Carnation VHC,, 560 calories to a can.

[quote=EzJim] I AM STILL IN THAT STAGE. Anything you can imagine that he likes, that can be liquified, try it. I bought a ggod blender that has liquify speed on it and it is just about the main piece of equipment in he house. Tru poached egss, panckes with lots of butter and syrup , but watch the syrup isn't too sweet. The sugary things burn the tongue big time. Tell David to imagine a meal and then go for it. I threw a lot of good food away and gave a l;ot to my neighbors. Cream of wheat works as does Coco Wheats , and Oatmeal is good as long as it isn't loaded with surprises like hard little berries. [/quote]

Thanks EZJim - great advice ;-) It does seem to take a lot of mental preparation for him to get ready to eat. Imagining a meal - and then going for it. I'll be sure to relay that ;-)

[quote=davidcpa][quote=Philly]

- and he's lost quite a bit of weight. NO stomach tube though - so that is positive.




-Philly [/quote]

Not sure what the positive is....

I didn't have a Peg and it was very rough going but I did find Carnation Instant Breakfast VHC that has 560 cals in the same small 8 oz can so when drinking is difficult it's best to get the most cals for the oz consumed. I drank that stuff for a little over a year post Tx as the recovery is not much fun in the eating dept since it takes soooo long for the saliva and taste to return. [/quote]

Thanks for sharing your experience and advice, David. [My] David is glad to not have the PEG. He hasn't lost enough weight for them to recommend one - and that is what is positive to us.

Thanks again for sharing about the Carnation VHS and your experience.

All the best,

-Philly

Philly,

Please be careful. W/ 11 treatments to go, the biggest weight loss is likely yet to come. The 2 weeks post treatment are unbelievable. My husband, who was also proud of not having a feeding tube, ended up within 2 pounds of medically needing one AFTER treatment. He made it through, but there was one week post treatment where whe had home health care provide IV hydration daily or he would have been hospitalized and in need of a tube. Those men and their pride. ;-)

I remember trying to cook anything that Dan thought would work. He had some odd combos...I made everything he requested and in the end threw a heck of a lot of it away. One thing that worked for a pretty long time was home made mac n cheese. It was a cooking light recipe, but I did everything possible to make it a cooking heavy one! If you think it might work, I'd be happy to send you the recipe.

Poached eggs worked for awhile too. Dan didn't like the liquefied food. He did do the Carnation VHC until it got too thick for him...by the time we diluted it, it was too much fluid. He had a lot of Boost and other liquid supplements. Once food stopped tasting good, he had an easier time switching to the supplements.

In a way, your husband is lucky that his sense of smell went away. My husband's didn't and it made eating (or trying to) very depressing to him.

On a good note, he's doing great now! He gained all his weight back and then some (which he didn't really need). :-)

Good Luck!!

Philly, looks like David and I are on similar paths. As of today, I have 9 sessions of radiation and one chemo left. I'm in quite a bit of pain. Got prescription for the patch today.

So far, I lost about 5 lbs since the start of radiation. I gave up on normal, even blended foods as of middle of last week and am just doing ensure plus, clear chicken broth and water, none of which are fun to drink mostly because it stings my tongue. My nutritionist is fine with that as long as I get enough calories and stay hydrated.

OK thanks for the insight everyone.

I just ordered him a case of the Carnation Instant Breakfast from CVS. Roughly $24 / case. Does that sound about right?

Thanks again,

-Philly

Hi Philly,
If you found Carnation VHC that cheap, you were very lucky. The cheapest I have found online is about $1.30 per can. I buy 4 cases at a time and try to get free shipping when I can or a flat rate shipping. Ron has no prescription insurance so his insurance company won't pay for the VHC, even though he NEEDS it to LIVE. Sorry, side rant:)
All my best,
Lori