Total gastectomy

[Anteater]

I hope I have spelt this right - my mother had a total gastectomy in may because of cancer. She is now 4 weeks post op and finding it very difficult to eat. She's says everything taste very bland and seems to get feeling of nausea and indigestion. Has anyone got anynideason what I can make her that would be nutritious and tasty !!!!!

[Hidden]

Taste buds do get wrecked during this treatment, but they do often come back after a while, so on the issue of taste itself, I think patience is the first thing to try. Some people have a drop of sherry or something like that to stimulate the taste buds, and the sense of smell is quite often linked. It is very personal. Keeping good mouth hygiene and keeping the salivary glands moist is important.

Nausea might be to do with how well the food is clearing through the system. Sometimes, if your mother still has the pyloric sphincter it might be that this needs to be stretched, but this is a matter for the surgeon because they will know the exact details of the surgery. Eating little and often is the rule - and you cannot afford to ignore this. There are medication options that might help with the nausea but it needs to be looked at properly.

Indigestion might be a number of things. The new digestive system is shorter than before and food gets further into to system before being properly digested. This can create insulin spikes because of the body's reaction to the sugar:insulin balance. Have a look at the factsheets on Dumping Syndrome etc at

opa.org.uk/regional-shop/lo...

And do think about low glycemic index food.

You might try leaving out dairy products for a while - eg by using soya / lactose-free milk

Quite a lot of things that we take for granted are generated in the fundus, the top part of the stomach. It might be that there is a reaction to the sugar or fat content rather than the lactose itself.

Watch for stools. If they go oily, light brown and float, it might be that there is a problem with digesting fat (where sometimes creon can be the answer).

Keep a food diary - that can also be found on the website

opa.org.uk/pages/factsheets...

It takes quite a time to work out what might cause particular problems, but the information becomes invaluable. I am afraid that diet is likely to be a much more complicated business from now on.

There is a recipe book available if you ring our helpline 0121 704 9860 - which includes Egg Benedict as an example of something that might well fit the bill, and I do recommend seeing a specialist Upper GI nutritionist (ask your specialist nurse).

The new digestive system will not enable nutrition and medication to be absorbed at the same rate as before - things do pass through too quickly. One standby remedy is using Slimfast. This sounds odd, but it does not have some of the ingredients that cause trouble.

.

[geranium1111]

Hi - I had part of my stomach removed and oesophagus removed in 2011 and also did not fancy eating much for quite a while and everything tasted the same.

Eventually I started to eat and enjoy mild curries which I didn't like previously and other quite strong tasting foods plus mustard on things but I was advised while in hospital by a woman who had the same operation a couple of years before not to buy lots of one food you like one day because you may not like it the next day - I found that to be very true.

My advise would be to try stronger tasting foods - I also found a drop of rum in my coffee made a difference and helped my appetite.

I am now able to eat most things and enjoy eating again but it will take quite a while so try to be patient - things will get better

regards Mick

[cherrybailey]

Hi I had the total gastectomy 6 years ago and exactly the same. I thought of it as part of the recovery after the op but when it got to weeks after could not taste etc my daughter rang the cancer help line and they said my taste buds will eventually come back explained why and they did. I also had it explained to me the lower bowel now acts as the stomach the eating little and often will stretch it in time. Alan's info will help you so much. Feel for you and mum what you are going through, keep strong and positive it will get better in time.

[Anteater]

Thank you so much for your replies x I will definitely look into this -also I am going to see her Wednesday and staying for a few days so I will get her read these remarks and it would hopefully make her feel a bit better hearing that things will get better in time and she is not alone x much love and thank you again x I will definitely be in touch again xx

[gutlesswonder]

A little of what you fancy !

It's an whole new beginning so try to make it fun for your Mother to discover what she fancies now.

Perhaps start with childhood favorites ,do any of them still hit the spot ?

I switched from only liking strong, sour,bitter tastes to bland and sweet in all departments ,starters/mains/puds.

It is made very much more complicated by the shrinking capacity.So a normal three or even two course meal is probably impossible.

Over the course of several years I gradually switched back to where I was pre-op.My answer to the volume dilemma is to have hors d'oeuvres type dishes- lots of different meats,cheeses.olives,dips,salads etc etc that you can pick at slowly ;essentially Greek/Lebanese

style Mezzes. This works for both Hot and Cold and is very healthy.

I recovered my interest in and enthusiasm for food by becoming a serious cook ;which my wife has accepted (grudgingly/gratefully ?)

Don't forget that if your mother has had or is having Chemotherapy then that causes havoc to taste,smell and appetite for many months afterwards.

PS-Gastrectomy xx