This is my sister on the picture . She has been on Xalkori now for two weeks. Her side effect seems to be severe constipation. She is not hungry even though she is taking medicine to try to open her appetite. She has lost a ton of weight. I have tried cooking for her all sorts of things and she doesn't want to eat anything. Today her legs were very swollen and was not able to take any diuretics as a result of her blood pressure being very low. We have been reading about sugar and cancer, and apparently when you have cancer your sugar cravings are increased tremendously. In an effort to have her eat anything she wants she has been having milkshakes, and desserts with plenty of sugar. We are thinking of maybe medical marijuana to try to increase her appetite. We have an appointment with the oncologist for Thursday of next week and she'll be having a scan done to see if there have been any changes as a result of the Xalkori. It is so difficult.
Any feedback is welcome.
Thank you in advance.
Betty
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You can read about my nsc lung cancer from previous posts. Just finished chemo # 5, pemetrexed and carboplatin that I get every 3 weeks. Was supposed to stop chemo after chemo # 6 but the doc is thinking about staying on maintenance (only pemetrexed every 3 weeks.) I've been through the constipation problem, lack of eating, everything tastes like sawdust, weight loss (12 pound loss starting at about 180 pounds). After the first chemo the constipation was so bad I had to resort to an enema. Since then I found a drug that seems to work pretty good, docusate S. It's a stool softener combined with a laxative. 8.6 MG tablet taken 1 to 4 times a day according to the label on the drug. Never took 4 tabs. Don't even take it every day but I think you could. I would try 3 the first day, then maybe 2 or 1 at night when things start working. I have found frozen in the can grape juice is great, you add 3 cans of water. Keep the fluids going, grape juice ! Even water tasted terrible and I threw up on Metamucil. On the eating front I could barely eat the food that was previously my favorite sometimes. Finally found that real cooked oatmeal was pretty tasty. Cut up small chunks of apple when cooking it. Add a little brown sugar and you will like it. Oreo thins are also good, chocolate or lemon. Werthers hard candy is good. Pioneer woman hamburger soup still goes down well. Get the cookbook. English muffins with honey and peanut butter good. We order on QVC some French croissants, excellent ! Hope these tips help you out. Feel free to check back. I am in Minnesota and have cannabis also. I usually take a cbd oil pill with a little thc. I'm not really sure if it does anything. Check out projectcbd.org
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience and regimen with us. I will check out the docusate since everything we have tried so far has not worked. The grape juice seems to be a great idea as well! Wishing you continued good health!
And another possiblity: I know quite a few people who find that taking a MOM tablet and a metamucil capsule 1-2 times/day works well. You can find the capsule/tablet form at places like Walgreens. I was sorry to hear how your sister is struggling, please keep us updated.
Thank you Peggy, she had to be admitted in the hospital yesterday - we are here now with her. She has an abdominal obstruction that they need to treat, along with low blood pressure, low sodium and swollen limbs. Can’t prescribe diuretics due to her current low pressure. Target cancer medicine has been stopped temporarily until they can figure out what’s going on. What an ordeal! Wishing for a miracle!
Dear michell, i am so sorry to her what your sister is going through it scares me so much as my husband has just had his second biopsy and told he has lung cancer. has anyone tried the alternative treatment as i was told about a lady that treats cancer with juices and medication all herbal, she has an screen that shows up the cancer and heard she cured a lot of people. my Husband is going to her on Monday to see what she has to say as he is scared of having surgery and cemo, she has to move house several times as the pharmaceutical company's have warned her to stop. has any one ever heard of this kind of treatment as i am worried about my Husband trying this.
Dear Margaret, We have not heard about a lady treating cancer with alternative methods; however, I am not surprised, and it would never hurt to explore all avenues. I guess your husband's lung cancer is just concentrated in a tumor and has not metastasized. This is when they normally try to remove the malignancy. My own husband, years ago had a carcinoid tumor removed from the ilium (in the small intestine) and he has been ok ever since. I always end up doing a lot of research on line and come across great resources, such as this group.
Wishing your husband and all in this site a full recovery!
Dear mitchell, After a car accident my husband was in hospital and when they did scans they found 2 lesions in the top of his left lung and some spots below it, they did a biopsy and said he would have to have surgery. my daughter knows the lady that does the alternative treatment and she has had a lot of success, we are going to see her on Monday and will see what she has to say. will keep you up dated.
This lady is in ireland and went to see her to day we cannot give her name as she gave us a lot of hope, before my husband goes for surgery he wants to try the alternative way. a lot of people with lung cancer have been cured with her treatment. we won't know until to morrow what type of cancer he has. will keep you updated.
this group is amazing and thank you for your reply.
Just have to say you are being scammed. Incredibly this lady has her own pet scan she invented? The nutrition advice can be found in a reputable book: Radical Remission by Kelly Turner PHD, (amazon). Certainly don't delay treatment by a real doctor. Chemo has verifiably shrunk my lung cancer somewhat after 3 months of treatment. The doc said there is no cure.
I agree with the above comment: Do not delay treatment by a real doctor. Check out alternative methods on the side but kick the cancer up front with proven medical protocols. My husband is dealing with metastatic small cell lung cancer at the moment. Too many quack cures out there. Don't get sucked into wasting precious time getting a handle on stopping the cancer growth. Wishing you all the best in your research. Linda
Margaret, I strongly agree with Linda and Elmer - too many people are out there to make money from the suffering of others. Find an oncologist you trust and get all your questions answered. Make a decision based on science, not rumor or hearsay. Life is too precious.
I had severe constipation from chemo. A lot of mine was because I was dehydrated. I found it very difficult to drink water. But, once I started making myself, no matter what, and taking a stool softener, Docusate, I managed much better.
I hope your sister feels much better soon. If her constipation is alleviated, she may start to feel like eating something!
Yes, I believe medical marijuana is key...do your research on where to by and where product comes from. Get the highest quality you can.
Even research THC oils (illegal in some countries/states)
Also, look into CBD oil... It may also help manage pain, help stimulate appetite without the 'high' effect. It is known to stop cancer cell growth. (Can find legal products)
I suggest avoiding ALL sugars...it basically feeds cancer.
Read up on cancer diets and alkalizing the body...and, of course, STOP SMOKING IMMEDIATELY
Thank you! Yes she had a real urge for sugar and was eating lots of sweets. We finally realized how how sugar feeds cancer cells and we basically cut the sugar out. Thanks again!
Betty, you do not have to cut out the sugar. Your sister's cells are going to find glucose, even if they have to steal it from somewhere else. She can still have ice cream and anything else she wants to eat as far as sugar goes.
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