In the last 2 weeks I seem to have totally lost my appetite. Nothing appeals to me at all. Its not that I have no taste because I do. It is not easy to eat but thats not the problem either. I just dont get hungry. I will drink Instant Breakfast VHC just to make sure I get the calories but sometimes they just make me feel sick to my stomach. Has anyone had this happen to them and how did you fix it?

Hungry? What's that? Oh, yeah, I remember now, it was that feeling I used to get for 61 years until the surgery and peg tube set me free from hunger. Seriously, if my wife did not remind me sometimes, I would just forget one or two of my cans.
However, I have found that medical marijuana does trigger a hungry feeling and it helps me to remember to take my nutrition.
Of course you can never smoke again, but that is why they have vaporizers or brownies. Ingestion does work the best and I can get some very nice vaped oil down my tube. Marinol pills simply do not work for cancer patients. (shades of Gracie Slick & the Jefferson airplane: and the ones that Mother (or the DEA) give you, don't do anything at all)
Loss of appetite after radiation is common and a major reason why every state that does have medical marijuana covers cancer patients. I'm sure others will have more conventional methods but this is what works for me
Charm

Plantgirl

The New York Times ran this op ed article which is more judicious(guilty of a bad pun since the author is a judge) version of how marijuana can help with your appetite. Again, no joints for us unlike the judge. I have excerpted parts below but the full story of his pancreatic cancer and it's recurrence & treatment is in the link below.
NYT Judge medical MJ
[quote]One struggles to eat enough to stave off the dramatic weight loss that is part of this disease. Eating, one of the great pleasures of life, has now become a daily battle, with each forkful a small victory. Every drug prescribed to treat one problem leads to one or two more drugs to offset its side effects.
Inhaled marijuana is the only medicine that gives me some relief from nausea, stimulates my appetite, and makes it easier to fall asleep. The oral synthetic substitute, Marinol, prescribed by my doctors, was useless. Rather than watch the agony of my suffering, friends have chosen, at some personal risk, to provide the substance. I find a few puffs of marijuana before dinner gives me ammunition in the battle to eat. A few more puffs at bedtime permits desperately needed sleep..... Medical science has not yet found a cure, but it is barbaric to deny us access to one substance that has proved to ameliorate our suffering. [/quote]

Sounds real good Charm. I havent partaked in a long time. I wish I knew someone who could help me. Ill have to ask around. I do remember how hungry I would get afterward!

Right now I can only eat the boost shakes with an additive which similar to what you're eating. I too have not lost my taste. I think it's not as sharp and vivid as it was but I can still taste. But I have virtually no desire to eat as well and I, too, do get an upset stomach on occasion when I eat.
Part of it for me is that I think because it's painful it kind of squashes the urge to do it.
Another part of me thinks the radiation kinda just zapped my already not so great appetite.
And part of it as well I think is that eating has become a chore instead of an enjoyable experience. I remember not ever having to think "now how many calories does that add up to? Is that enough for today?".
I guess it's kind of turned into the same thing as pooping and peeing. I never fantasize about going, it's not something I look forward to doing, i'm just kind of indifferent and do it so I don't die.

Re the VHC and nausea. Try mixing the VHC half and half with whole milk.

[quote=John of arc]Right now I can only eat the boost shakes with an additive which similar to what you're eating. I too have not lost my taste. I think it's not as sharp and vivid as it was but I can still taste. But I have virtually no desire to eat as well and I, too, do get an upset stomach on occasion when I eat.
Part of it for me is that I think because it's painful it kind of squashes the urge to do it.
Another part of me thinks the radiation kinda just zapped my already not so great appetite.
And part of it as well I think is that eating has become a chore instead of an enjoyable experience. I remember not ever having to think "now how many calories does that add up to? Is that enough for today?".
I guess it's kind of turned into the same thing as pooping and peeing. I never fantasize about going, it's not something I look forward to doing, i'm just kind of indifferent and do it so I don't die. [/

John thank you for articulating what I was trying to say! You got it spot on! It used to be such a pleasure to eat and cook now its just a chore.

Oh, boy, do I agree with both of you! I used to love to cook and bake and also go out to eat, but not so much, now. What was really weird was when I was off work and home all of the time I would constantly watch the Food channel. I guess I just hoped that I would be able to make and eat all of that stuff when I was better. At three years out, I still don't have much of an appetite, and there are only a few foods that I can say that I really enjoy.

Hon... Eat! Eat! Eat! I think some of it may have to do with all you've gone through, but some may be related to the treatments too. Truthfully I lost all my taste and it's coming back very slowly -Hunger is something that takes a long time for me, I can go from 8 am to 9pm without food before I feel hunger - (I have an art class Wednesday and for some reason the past two weeks I tested this theory but not on purpose between work and suc I didn't have time to eat. Anyway, I think my buds get overwhelmed at times too which doesn't help because ice cream that tastes like butter is unpleasant. Anyway - back on topic..I hate cooking - I was the anti cook prior to all this. Fast and easy was my way of life...now i still hate cooking, but I do believe there is a strong association with health and healing and disease fighting that comes from the food you eat - so now I make a game of it. - I take an item or a dish and try to replicate it in the healthiest way possible... Multigrain crepes, alkaline potato salad... Etc.. The I make my family eat it to... it's fun... And I've become a recipe ho' seriously - Maybe make it a challenge - do some reading on the correlation between food and cancer - figure out what you can do to try and change your diet to make it the most helpful to your situation... Then treat it as an experiment... To see if it helps... Regardless it certainly can't hurt... and it might just make things more interesting and less of a chore. Hugs!

Plantgirl,

You are on MS Contin & Oxycodone both notorious for causing nausea, fyi MS Contin is just time released morphine.

Here is a list of side effects for MS Contin:

dizziness

lightheadedness

drowsiness

nausea

vomiting

constipation

diarrhea

loss of appetite

weight loss

changes in ability to taste food

dry mouth

sweating

weakness

headache

agitation

nervousness

mood changes

confusion

difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep

stiff muscles

shaking of a part of your body that you cannot control

double vision

red eyes

small pupils (black circles in the middle of the eyes

eye movements that you cannot control

chills

flu symptoms

decreased sexual desire or ability

difficulty urinating or pain when urinating

Some side effects can be serious. If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately:

slow, shallow, or irregular breathing

blue or purple color to the skin

fast or slow heartbeat

seizures

hallucinations (seeing things or hearing voices that do not exist)

blurred vision

fainting

hives

rash

itching

tightness in the throat

difficulty swallowing

swelling of the arms, hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs

Here is a list of side effects from Oxycodone:

nausea

vomiting

loss of appetite

constipation

dry mouth

lightheadedness

drowsiness

flushing

sweating

itching

weakness

headache

mood changes

decrease in pupil (dark circle in eye) size

red eyes

Some side effects can be serious. If you experience any of these symptoms, call your doctor immediately:

fast or slow heartbeat

difficulty breathing

slowed breathing

hives

rash

swelling of the face, throat, tongue, lips, eyes, hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs

hoarseness

difficulty swallowing

hallucinating (seeing things or hearing voices that do not exist)

seizures

confusion

fainting

dizziness

loss of consciousness


Look like some of the things you are experiencing? Do they have you on an antidepressant too?


Read this article for me http://beckersorthopedicandspine.co...-opiates-could-help-patients-reduce-pain

Personally I used marijuana to get off of the opiates 2.5 years ago after a two year "relationship" with them, at one point being dialed up to 200mcg/hr of fentanyl, the strongest opiate they'll give us humans and roughly 80x stronger then morphine.

It's worth looking into, especially considering the other side effects you are experiencing.

Hope that helps, keep your chin up

Eric