Does anyone have a good recommendation for an unflavored powdered calorie additive that can be sprinkled onto food to add calories etc? My dad is getting so full fast and in turn he is losing more weight now. His starting weight was 148 pounds (naturally thin his entire life and not from cancer) and yesterday he weighed 134. He is not eating the calories he should be and just keeps saying he gets too full and cannot move around if he does. The same goes for Boost, Nutren etc. Cannot get him to drink them because he says they fill him up too much and he has to sit for hours after. I found Benecalorie but it has sucralose in it and I want something with no artificial sweeteners in it or taste. A powder food additive that can be added without taste or bulk and increase the calorie content of the food he is already eating without filling him up even more. With radiation coming up the weight loss is concerning me even more. Anyone have recommendations or experience with them? Thanks!!
Calorie additive for food for weight l... - Lung Cancer Support
Calorie additive for food for weight loss?
Benecalorie seems to be the most common one but I’m sure there are prescription additives that can be written by his oncologist. I would also ask for one of those medications that helps you to digest food faster. Reglan is a good choice. Cancer and cancer treatments can cause gastroperesis (yup...got it) and all it really means is you get full from just a few bites of food and that can cause you to become malnourished because you don’t absorb the good stuff in your food. I can eat a half a yogurt and end up feeling like I ate a pound of pasta. It’s especially frustrating when you’re trying to eat something you love and you can’t eat more than a few bites. Maybe ask the doctor about the Reglan. It makes the stomach muscles relax so that the food moves into the intestines faster. It’s cramp free too. Hope this helps! Be well!
Oh my goodness thank you for this!! That is something we were never told about and I am so happy to find this out! His oncologist just keeps looking at him dumbfounded when we tell him he gets full fast! They prescribed him something to make him hungry but not working. That’s exactly how he is feeling - a few bites of food and he’s so full he can’t eat anymore no matter how hard he tries and in turn his weight etc is starting to really suffer. All my best to you and thank you so much for the help!
One question - has Reglan helped you much with not feeling full? Thank you!
It has helped but keep in mind he will still get full faster than normal if he has gastroperesis BUT the medicine will help in the sense that the food will leave faster and he can eat more. I get hungry about every 2 hours. I can feel for finally eat a whole sandwich in one sitting. Took about 2 weeks to kick in. A necessary member of the cancer care team is a gastroenterologist and a nutritionist. If the treatment facility where he’s going to be having radiation doesn’t offer one...ask them to find you one. The radiation, especially in the chest area, effects the esophagus and everything connected. All my weight lost (31lbs) was during radiation not chemo. I couldn’t swallow anything. Not even water. They gave me magic mouthwash which numbs the throat to make swallowing easier. I prmouse you it will make treatment easier. My gastro doctor does an endoscopy every three months to stretch my esophagus because the radiation made it so narrow. Have one lined up just in case. Don’t want to scare you just want you to be prepared. Better to have one and not need it than to need it and not have.
😊😊
Ignore all my spelling and grammar errors lol. I was doing talk to text because i have a bird sitting on me and when I type he bites my fingers lol. I didn’t check the spelling before hitting reply 🙄. If this bird wasn’t such a huge part of my recovery I would cook him for dinner. He’s such a crab when you don’t pay 💯 % attention to him and him alone lol. Good luck.
😂😂 Sounds like a bird with a big attitude!
Gastroenterologist appointment 9/10! It cannot come fast enough!
Thank you sooo much!! You have been a huge help in trying to figure this out! I just had a talk with him and he does want to get an appointment with a gastroenterologist to help figure out the fullness and I told him it would be good to establish now and not wait until after radiation when he may need one. How did they determine you had it? One other thing, my dad used to only be able to eat laying down and not sitting up because he said he could eat more laying down and got full too fast sitting up. That doesn’t help him now laying down but used to. I appreciate it immensely!
They can diagnose him based on symptoms. That’s how they figured out I had the gastroperesis. They can also do a test where they have you eat something (usually scrambled eggs) that have a nuclear medicine on them. They wait a bit and start taking series of pictures to see how fast your stomach is emptying. The test to me is a waste. If he’s getting full after a few bites it doesn’t take an expensive test to know it’s likely gastroperesis. The reason he could eat more laying down is because the stomach flattens out when you’re laying down therefore giving the feeling of more room. I’m sure once he sat back up he would feel full again. The gastro doc should be able to help him with this and anything that comes up during radiation. The magic mouthwash was a Godsend for me. Without it I would have wasted away to nothing. It’s a mixture of pepto, maalox and viscous lidocaine I think. Tastes like minty chalk but does a nice job of numbing the throat so you can shove some food down lol. Sounds terrible I know and during treatment food just doesn’t sound appealing at all but it’s a necessary part of healing so whatever he can do to eat ...he should do. Be well!
So much great advice here. Thank you I learned something from this thread.
Yes, Excellent advice on here from so many!! I learned so much as well! Years of questioning doctors even before cancer diagnosis with no answers and one response has provided so much direction! His oncologist just looks at him like he’s crazy when he’s been telling him this. Now I feel we’re closer to an answer!
My goodness I cannot thank you enough for your help! I have told him everything you have said and he said it sounds exactly like what he has and says thank you as well!!! He has been so discouraged not knowing what is wrong. The Alimta maintenance isn’t supposed to make you nauseous they keep telling him so they think he’s nuts. But weeks after Alimta he will still gag down 3 bites of food and it seems to be getting worse as Alimta goes on. As long as I can remember, way before cancer diagnosis, he commonly ate dinner laying down in bed. He always said it was because he could eat more laying down and he would always eat close to bedtime to avoid any activity after dinner - to stay laying down. Mom and I never understood it but now it all makes sense!! But it’s definitely worsening now as treatments go on. Just within the last 2 weeks it has worsened even more. He has told the doctors this many times and they say they have no clue. You’re the first to mention this and we think you’re exactly spot on with it!
Did you have this before your treatment or develop it after treatment? I’m positive my dad has had this before cancer and for so many years. So it is correct that the chemo would worsen it and that’s why it’s getting worse?
I apologize for the many questions! I’m so happy to have a direction for my dad to go in to help him on this. We have been working on getting a referral to a gastroenterologist today. Just waiting on the referral! And he will be ready with one for radiation - excellent advice. They offered him magic mouthwash so he is going to get that. After reading past posts, I have also told him to try a tablespoon on Manuka honey 15 min before and 15 min after radiation. Not sure it will help but it can’t hurt to try it also. They are still trying to get insurance approval for proton therapy so he’s still waiting for radiation.
Manuka honey is pricey. If it’s not in his budget get a local honey. The darker the honey, the higher the antioxidant content. And keep in mind that unpasteurized honey may contain botulins which may be dangerous for someone who is immunocompromised.
Honey has been used for millennia to soothe burns. I wish I’d known about it when I had radiation.
Great advice, Denzie! I hadn’t thought about the botulins! Thank you! His radiation dr said he didn’t think honey would help, but I have read enough from others on here to say it’s definitely worth a try.
One more thing to consider when he’s going through treatment is medical marijuana (I use edibles to avoid the smoke obviously). They help with any nausea, pain and increase appetite. Not sure what state you live in but if it’s a MM state then cancer would automatically qualify him. They have strains that are low thc and high cbd so they don’t make you high really (maybe a little) but help for sure. The munchies aren’t always a bad thing...especially when you wouldn’t normally want to eat...just an option.
You are very welcome. Happy to share the knowledge 😉. As for your question, I had the GERD and Barrett’s esophagus before radiation and the gastroperesis came afterwards. It’s actually quite common though and may go undiagnosed it misdiagnosed for years. My doctor happens to be amazing and keeps going till he finds an answer. I’ve actually been suffering this week with TERRIBLE acid reflux. It’s so bad I’ve actually lost my voice from the acid pooling in my throat. Apparently my Dexilant has stopped working and my doctor is away until Tuesday. I see him Wednesday morning. Until then it’s TUMS every half hour, Zantac every 4 hours and I have to stay upright. It’s all from the radiation but without it I would likely be dead so....the benefits outweigh the risks and side effects. I’m glad your Dad is going to possibly find some relief and a solution to a long term problem. Nothing worse than doctors who say “I dunno” lol.
Be well 😊😊
Thank you for more info!! I sure hope you feel better and find relief yourself before you see your dr Wednesday!! Sounds very painful 😔 I agree - the radiation has many nasty potential side effects but without it my dad wouldn’t live with the SVC syndrome, so it’s only option and one that’s worth that risk. All my best for continued healing!!! Thank you so much again for everything.
Hi! So my dad went to the gastroenterologist today as we were able to get him worked in quicker because his symptoms are getting worse. Unfortunately they didn’t give him Reglan but I was so hoping he would today. He does think he has gastroparesis based on his symptoms but wants him to have the x-ray test series first. He also wants him to have an endoscopy done but once he starts radiation soon he can’t have the endoscopy. The dr did give him 3 pills for increasing appetite, one being Marinol, a man made marijuana pill for nausea and appetite. Do you happen to know anything about this? I’m really bummed they wouldn’t treat him for gastroparesis today being that he did say he has every symptom of it. He will have to go through all the tests first.
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