Gaining weight after cancer operation

traceyjj

My mum is currently going through chemotherapy after having her stomach removed for stomach cancer. She has lost so much weight so quickly and we need to up her calories so she doesnt lose much more weight.
She cannot eat large meals any more, and is struggling to get enough calories.
She cannot eat sweet food (she tried eating chocolate and small treats to make her calories higher, but they upset her)
She seems to suffer from bread intolerance and she has struggled with yoghurt since her operation.
We are really struggling to get her to eat, so please, any suggestions for good quality, high calorie, low sugar food she can snack on through the day.

Many thanks in advance for any advice or guidance.

SnuggleSmacks

Drinking calories is often easier than eating them. Try some meal replacement shakes. Some are quite tasty. Don't look for protein shakes....look specifically for meal replacements. They will have more balanced macros and include vitamins and minerals since they are made specifically to replace a meal rather than supplement them.

Nut butters are nicely high calorie and have protein and some good fats. Maybe using sliced apples or celery instead of bread or crackers would help. Or just nuts and dried fruit, like a trail mix without the chocolate.

Also, cheese is a good snack.

jgnatca

Her sensitivities sound a lot like what a Bariatric patient goes through. Think of the little tummy, especially in the first few weeks, as being like a six month baby. Frequent small meals, easily digestible. Soft breads are still hard for me. A food that is hard for her now might be easier in a few weeks. She can try again.

• Try thick and creamy soups, like a creamy broccoli cheddar.
• Porridge in the morning with whey powder or milk powder added.
• If breads are trouble, try her with different crackers or toast. Sometimes the texture is everything.
• Nut butters on fruit, chewed well.
• To get enough protein on a rough day, my fallback is Premier Protein chocolate shake.

It is trial and error, really. Don't overload her plate. Try and give just enough to be achievable.

traceyjj

SnuggleSmacks wrote: »

Drinking calories is often easier than eating them. Try some meal replacement shakes. Some are quite tasty. Don't look for protein shakes....look specifically for meal replacements. They will have more balanced macros and include vitamins and minerals since they are made specifically to replace a meal rather than supplement them.

Nut butters are nicely high calorie and have protein and some good fats. Maybe using sliced apples or celery instead of bread or crackers would help. Or just nuts and dried fruit, like a trail mix without the chocolate.

Also, cheese is a good snack.

Thanks so much for your reply. She said thanks, she hadnt thought about fruit with nut butters and loves the sound of apple and peanut butter. She has had issues with the "stringyness" of celery, but might try again. I'll go to the shops and see if I can find some dried fruit and nuts. She will look into the meal replacements for after her next chemo treatment.

Thanks again,
Tracey

traceyjj

jgnatca wrote: »

Her sensitivities sound a lot like what a Bariatric patient goes through. Think of the little tummy, especially in the first few weeks, as being like a six month baby. Frequent small meals, easily digestible. Soft breads are still hard for me. A food that is hard for her now might be easier in a few weeks. She can try again.

• Try thick and creamy soups, like a creamy broccoli cheddar.
• Porridge in the morning with whey powder or milk powder added.
• If breads are trouble, try her with different crackers or toast. Sometimes the texture is everything.
• Nut butters on fruit, chewed well.
• To get enough protein on a rough day, my fallback is Premier Protein chocolate shake.

It is trial and error, really. Don't overload her plate. Try and give just enough to be achievable.

Thanks for your reply. It has given her things to think about. She tried some of my protein shake but it didnt agree with her, porridge is also currently an issue. Maybe after her chemo has finished in a couple of months she will try again.
Thick and creamy soups sound good to her, so we will look into that, as well as the nut butters.
Thanks again for your input!

chouflour

This sounds a lot like what I've been dealing with - I also have to be careful with intestinal digestion speed, and I'm not sure if that applies to her. I'm guessing she's already drinking boost/ensure and the clear versions of those, but those can be difficult taste-wise. Pouring them over ice helps - it's both colder and gets thinner, so easier to drink as you work through it. They also come in soup varieties (Ensure savory) - ask her doctor how to get them.

I'll endorse creamy soups - soup that would normally have more structure can be tossed in the blender, and most soups take the addition of a glug of heavy cream pretty well. I always have crackers with soup - either floated in or alternating bites - I get a lot more down that way. If she has trouble with nut butters, thinning them seems to help - with oil if she tolerates it, or broth/water if she doesn't. Peanut butter milk tasted better than it sounded (nut butter blended with milk, drunk warm)

Replacing water with anything with calories helps, although most of the options are on the sweeter side. Maybe fortified milk (milk with powdered milk added), half and half mixed with a beaten egg yolk (you might need to find pasturized eggs), V8 or other vegetable juices. This is another place that ensure/boost/orgain over ice works well.

I eat a lot of scalloped potatoes, cheesy mashed potatoes, risotto, macaroni and cheese. Meats are eaten with rich sauces - hollandaise, mayo, gravy, guacamole, etc.

Some of my tricks are mental. I eat more if the food has a wide variety of tastes - sour and bitter particularly help with appetite and digestion - but just a plate with several different things helps. Making meals more of a social activity is also good.

Good luck to your mom!