Hi Shannette

Lack of taste and loss of appetite can be just as debilitating as physical pain.

Alex's doctor and I made the nearly fatal mistake of thinking that with the right attitude, Alex could "just do it". Well he couldn't and he ended up in hospital. Please understand that whilst some of it can be overcome with attitude and perserverance, sometimes it can not and this is the time that your Dad needs support rather than nagging.

Alex's taste disturbance and complete lack of hunger was so bad that he would throw up if he forced himself to consume more than 3-4 mouthfuls of soft food or 50 mLs of formula. The mucousitis (ulcers and rawness) is caused by both chemo and radiation and in the case of chemo, goes right the way through the digestive tract. This means there may be issues lower down that the doctor can't see that is still impacting on his ability to eat.

By all means encourage him to eat, and nag him just a little bit, but be aware it might be much much harder than just mind over matter and he needs as much support when he can't do it as when he can.