How to gain weight quickly before surgery
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Hi Katia,
That is a great idea about your writing a blog in French and I am sure that it would be of great use and interest to many people! My French is pretty much non existent and consists basically of oui, non and jemme appele all learnt when I went to Paris when I was 12! Can count to 10 or something like that too but that ain’t gonna a get me far. And before Lainy or someone else pipes in and comes out with some smart remark……. that’s 10 in French!
If you do decide to write a blog Katia please could you put a link to it here in the blog part of our website so that people here could read it as well, that’s if that is okay with you?
http://www.cholangiocarcinoma.org/punbb/viewforum.php?id=31
Thanks Katia.
Hugs,
Gavin
Hello there!
Sorry I did not reply to the last few posts. I have had quite a lot of things going on at the same time.
My family and me once again want to thank you all for you unvaluable help.
My mum last night said to me that she was worried about what people with cc can do when they don’t speak English . She said that we were so lucky that I speak English and was able to find the forum straight away. You certainly cannot find anything remotely comparable to this forum in French! I think that if I have the time at some point, I should write a blog in French so that our experience could help other French speaking persons.
Right, must dash!
Lots of love.
Katia
Katia –
Welcome the best little family no one really wants to be a part of. We are here for any questions might have. As a nurse nausea, feelings of fullness and needing to gait weight is something I see a lot.
For my husband we did protein shakes. My husband did not have a lot of issues with eating fats so for your dad you might want to switch it up a little. For his shakes we used frozen fruit then added whey protein powder, ice cream (may use a low fat option) then yogurt (again low fat) and then milk (use rice milk for something like that. Blend it up and drink away. Also you can add dry powdered milk to things like soups, mashed potatoes and just about anything. I does not have fat in it so it works well without causing digestive problems. You also can make Jello which has some protein and then instead of cold water use a Clear Ensure (it’s a high protein drink that is not milk based) and let it set, that doubles the protein in the jello…..and it’s considered fluids at the same time. Then I would make sure that he eats, small meals more often.Hope this helps and so glad that your father can have surgery. That is such a good thing. Good luck.
KrisV
Katia…..Bile, a liquid released by the liver, helps break down (digest) fats. Incidentally, bile contains acids (salts) the suspected cause of the severe itching on the skin due to biliary obstruction in extrahepatic disease. Bile passes out of the liver through the bile ducts and is stored in the gallbladder. After a meal, it is released into the small intestine where the acids (salt) break down fats. Biliary blockages disrupt this process; hence patients most often refrain from the consumption of fats until the normal digestive process is re-established.
My husband prepared for surgery by increasing his protein intake with lean meats such as chicken, turkey and lean cuts of beef and pork and as Lainy mentioned, with shakes to which I added additional Whey protein. He also exercised regularly and continued his daily walks.
Hugs,
MarionHi Katia,
Welcome to the site and great to see you over here! Real glad that your dad was able to see the surgeon in Belgium and that he is happy with and confident with that surgeon as well.
As to the eating, I agree with Lainy in that eating smaller amounts more often is good and also there is the option of nutritional drinks as well for extra calories. Here is a link that will be of interest to you about drinks, powers and all of that and these will be of help to your dad here –
Glad to hear that your dad is eating a bit more than a few days ago and I hope that his appetite continues to improve. Got to rush right now but looking forward to hearing from you more and glad that you have made it on to the boards, tons of support here there is!
My best to you and your dad,
Gavin
Thank you so much Lainy!!
He is eating more than a few days ago which is already so amazing! I will try and have him eating small and often, that is the best advice indeed.
From my own experience, I know that once you are used to eat not a lot, well, looks like your stomach is shrinking or something, as to get back to what you used to eat before is difficult.
We will get there, little by little!Good work, Katia but the statements I found the best for what I went through with Teddy and others here have gone through with their loved ones were:
4.Eat as often as you can. A small, regular intake is preferable to nothing. If you have zero appetite, distract yourself while you eat: listen to music, read, watch a video. You may have to consider eating as an exercise in willpower for a time. If at all possible, try and eat slightly more than you are normally used to. This is to compensate for the fact that in advanced cancer your resting metabolic rate (i.e. rate at which you burn calories and consume energy), is actually elevated significantly above average. Hence the rapid wasting. If eating alone is not enough to maintain your weight stable, then you may need pharmacological help.
I can only go by what we did and what others have posted on this Board. I know first hand what it is like to not eat as I went through this 2 years ago with Colitis and it is horrible. Honestly, I would try small meals/snacks all day long and nutrition drinks, but that is just my opinion. Others will be along and I am curious to see what they say. Hang in and hang on.
Ha! Found this about weight loss and cancer plus surgery
http://www.canceraction.org.gg/first-steps/5-rs-recovery-cancer-survival/wasting-away
Hi Lainy,
Thank you so much for your reply.
When we saw the surgeon last Thursday, dad still had no stent placed. When we asked him what he could eat until the stent was placed, he said ” everything”.
But I am not sure that is the case, as Everywhere I read about jaundice and biliary blockage,,it said to particularly avoid fatty food, like meat etc… Which is actually what a doctor in Spain said to my dad a few weeks ago. ( dad is from Belgium, but got sick whilst on holiday in Spain).
So since then, he has eaten only lean fish, vegetables and fruit.
Before he actually knew he had cc, he naturally started to avoid fats anyway, as he could notice his digestion was impaired by them.
I am trying to find an article I read yesterday, I thi k on the cancer research site, where it said that patients who had lost a certain percentage of their weight fared really not as good as those who had a good weight, which is why I am concerned. He has lost more than that percentage, that is for sure.
But now he gas a stent in place, I suppose he can eat everything? Or not, because he has still a lot of bilirubin??
This is a tricky time. So many things to consider!! And all so very tricky. But less so with people like you.Dear Katia, you have come to the best place to be for CC support but sorry to read about your Dad. Actually Stage 1 is good and surgery is the best. I can understand why you are concerned but loosing one’s appetite goes along with the CC territory. Did the Surgeon tell you to increase his weight or to make him eat?
I would have him graze all day on small meals as when someone who cannot eat sees a big plate of food that makes it worse and that makes them choke up just seeing so much food. Comfort foods work very well like soup, noodles, pasta. Not sure I would try to increase his weight before a major surgery.
Nutrition drinks are great like Carnation Instant Breakfast, my husband loved the Vanilla and I would blend in a banana. There is also Boost and others. The Hospice Nurse had told me that a nutrient drink can replace a whole meal or be had with a meal.
Best of luck and especially on the surgery and please let us know how Dad does. Wishing you the best.Hello there you wonderful people!
I have just registered to this forum and well, I am so glad it exists. It is rather amazing and my family no longer feels alone and lost thanks to it and the wonderful people who are part of it.
All the advices on here are unvaluable. Such a great resource!
Dad has been diagnosed a few weeks ago and what a journey it has been. I will probably come back to oit at one point, but today our main priority is to get him ready for surgery.
His cc is type 1. He has lost something like 10 kilos in just the last 2 weeks. So many types of food just made him uncomfortable and he ate less and less day by day. And of course the shock of the diagnosis must jave played a role.
Now that he has met his wonderful surgeon, someone he has great trust in, he feels better and has started to eat a bit more again. But not enough I guess. ( must be difficult to eat now like he used to. No, impossible I think!)
He had a stent placed on Monday,( he is jaundiced of course)
My question is : what do we feed him with so that he gains weight quickly to get ready for the surgery?? I am thinking smoothies. But made with what??? i understand that animal proteins are not the ideal at the moment, due to the jaundice. I wonder if he could get protein destined for vegans??
What do yoi think?
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