Diet

Hi ladies,

My mum has recently been diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer. She has been so ill with it, pleural effusion, sepsis, constipation, fast heart rate the lot. She is back home now but constantly feeling sick despite anti sickness. Does anyone have any tips on what would be good for her to eat? She is desperate to eat to keep her energy up but a lot of food makes her feel sick or gives her stomach pain.

[CallmeMum]

Hi lovely,

Welcome to the party! Ginger is good for sickness and mints failing that ask her doctor to increase the anti sickness xxx

[Lindaura]

Hello,

So sorry your mum is suffering so.

I think you need to talk to her CNS, the special nurse assigned to liaise between your mum and the Chemo and Oncology people.

Personally, I would ask for her to be admittedly Hospital for stabilisation.

In the hospital, they can give her IV nutrition and hydration and try different anti-nausea meds to build her up for Chemo.

I was the same way at the beginning of my saga.

Except I had diarrhoea instead of constipation.

I was so filled up with that Pleural effusion that I could not eat or drink, and my lugs were crushed, as well as being fill of blood clots, caused by the cancer. the anti nausea meds did not work for me either until we experimented further.

So, here is the regimen I use to handle the nausea, for me caused by Chemo, and the constipation caused by the anti nausea meds.

I now get something called Emend, which is an amazing anti nausea med given before Chemo, for just 3 days, which I have an hour before eating. I also take an Ondansetron, a quick acting, but constipating, anti-nausea med, as well as 25mgs of Omeprazole, which helps settle my stomach by keeping acid down and helps keep food down.

I could not eat much, anyway, because everything tasted horrible, but Rice Crispies and whole milk worked, than white toast and butter, and very creamy mashed potatoes.

After a while, I could eat tomato and cheese sandwiches. For some reason, the tomatoes tasted fine and helped my digestion.

Vanilla Ice cream was okay and I could only drink Peach Nectar, which we found at Waitrose.

Okay, after eating, I would take a unique anti nausea medicine called Cyclizine, which has very few side effects and I basically take as many as I need all day.

I also take Ducosate Sodium to counter the constipation from the Ondansetron.

Before going to sleep, I take another Omeprazole.

Some of these can be given by IV, so if your mom can’t keep pills down, she really needs to be in hospital to get her strength up.

Once she starts Chemo, the Ascites and pleural effusion will drain away as the cancer is destroyed.

As far as other foods are concerned, rack your brain for anything, Pad Thai noodles? Ramen noodles? Pudding? Skinny oven chips? Cheerios? Anything.

Hope this helps,

Laura

[Hidden]

A low residue diet is recommended for bowel issues, eating little and often is best and may eliminate the nausea. Have a look at this NHS link for more info.

thh.nhs.uk/documents/_Patie...

[Nicky911]

Agree with with suggestions but would also include Aymes meal replacement smoothie-type drinks (strawberry,vanilla, chocolate and banana). These were given to me by a CNS when I had trouble eating because of mouth ulcers. If mixed with milk they have the similar nutrients and calories to (325) to a 'normal' meal. I've bought a box online to keep for days when I don't want to eat much. It also allays the fears of my husband who worries when I'm not taking in enough calories!

I do hope your Mum feels better soon.

[delia2]

I lived on ginger ale and what are called Saltines in the US—very bland salty biscuits. I also took a small amount of cbd/thc (marijuana)—it really helped with appetite—plus all the anti nausea drugs prescribed to me. In the US they often add in Ativan—lorazepam to help with nausea though it’s primarily an anti-anxiety drug.

[natha]

Hello, I have had the same thing in 2014 (Ovarian cancer stage IV, high level, 13 days in the hospital with "ascite" in the "plèvre") . Diet coke and maybe coca cola with sugar can help. It's strange, but sometimes, when you eat a little, you can eat again and have less nauseas. Ginger tea is OK (classical yogi tea), bread, and little bits of apples.

Good luck from France to your mum and you.

[MostlyHarmless]

My beloved got me soya protein powder from the wholefood shop and mixed it with enough rice milk to make it runny enough to sip through a straw. I had this when I first started chemo and on occasional bad days later on. I had the soya one because I don't do dairy but you can get ones based on whey if you prefer. There are also ready-flavoured varieties. It reminds me of the Complan my mother used to give me when I was young. The straw was good when I had a sore mouth.

The doctor at the pain clinic also suggested blending smooth nut butters (e.g. walnut or almond) in with soups or smoothies to add protein and minerals to my diet.

I did try CBD for nausea which worked for that but increased my anxiety levels so I stopped.

I have found vegan (soy or cashew but NOT coconut) ice cream helps settle things but only small amounts at a time.

[Hidden]

Thank you for all your support guys I will let her know your suggestions.