my mums been diagnosed need nutrition advice

Azura

I could do with some help with what foods are safe to eat what to avoid I read Chocolate can cause bone loss. She is on lotrozole/femara. I am ill myself but, close to remission I have something different which --I don't want to go into as yes it's a form of cancer,,but I deal with it. Yet, I am trying hard to care for her but, incredibly tired myself.

any help on diet is good as, she has eaten a pancake and a pudding today but...I am worrie dhow thin she is she has a sore on elbow which has started healing... the meds make her fall asleep a lot too. 

any adivice is helpful thanks 

Moderators

Hi azura,

We're sure there'll be some helpful suggestions posted from the ladies here shortly. In the meantime, you may find it helpful to check out the main Breastcancer.org site and the Nutrition section, especially Healthy Eating During Treatment.

Hope this helps!

--The Mods

April1st

Hi Azura-



My Mom is going through chemo now. I got a great book called "the Cancer fighting kitchen" it has great recipes and nutritional advice for all stages of treatment. Get her some whey protein powder. The shakes are great for keeping her protein up on days she doesn't feel like eating.

Azura

 Thank you so much for the replies, I have been at my witts end what to feed her. I really appreciate it and I will check out the book to :-)

I 

thatsvanity

My sister loved protein shakes with milk, banana, a few blueberries, 2 cubes of ice, and I put a teaspoon of raw organic sugar, mix in the blender. She loved them. She always drank the whole glassful. Brussel sprouts too, but she liked smaller portions, and she liked crackers when she took her medicine.

Azura

 I might have to try it myself the recipie. I can't get her to eat bananas right now as of the stomach issues. I am not sure what to add that is lighter yet still give it flavour. I am worried as, food goes through her easily. I wish I could wave a magic wand but she is very sensitive to foods right now.

 Thank you for your help appreiciate it so much 

Momine

Egg whites are good. You can make pancake batter with just egg whites. I also found that even when my stomach was queasy, I wanted some flavor. Berries worked for me, for example, added into pancake batter or sprinkled on plain yogurt.

I also had a weird hankering for cheapo Mexican food. Somehow the combo of rice, beans, tortillas, guac etc was soothing and felt like real food.

Soups got me through some stretches, and also plain hummus with raw veggies for dipping.

Avocado simply mashed up with a little lemon was also something I was able to eat almost all the way through, and that is both soothing, caloric and nutritious. 

thatsvanity

Azura,

I would also try to pack as many calories as I could into a small portion for her, if that helps. If your mom isn't eating large portions then try to make small portions of high calorie nutrition, or even the food she normally loves but smaller portions, I hope that helps.

Amy Lynn

P.s. I love your screen name!

Azura

Thanks always loved the colour and it's peaceful, we haven't had any nutrition help, the Dr came round the week before last on a Friday hasn't come back since. He is awful I had to complain about him and leave him as my GP he is now being very awkward issue is my mum won't change Dr's.To say he is useless is more than a compliment he misdiagnosed me told me my growth was a small skin infection for 2 years. TBH he has been incredibly unhelpful snotty on the phone and likes ignoring calls. she has been with the surgery in total of 30 years and they have said if you don't like it have  anew surgery not a new Dr ..how sincere are they to their patients? He never ever phones either...and he knows that I have no respect for him so if I phone he says he is BUSY and won't answer calls.

I am watching her hands swell along with her feet and today she has said might call an Ambulance Tuesday to go get help. I am petrified live with my mum and TBH if anything happens I do end up losing the house and having to find somewhere new to live.... least of my worries really but, she is the one who moderates my meds for me.

hope you're doing good.

we have casserole organic today not sure if it is worth eating but... I wanted to try to follow some of Johanna Budwigs diet but, yet again with her hands swelling I am concerned. Maybe it's femara not sure. 

Margi1959

My Mum sometimes had to rely on Ensure to be able to get some nutrition in.  We had a wonderful hospice nurse who made her Ensure milkshakes and that was a decadent treat for my Mum.  She used the butter pecan flavour of Ensure and added in a scoop of vanilla ice cream - my Mum was very easily able to tolerate that and keep it down.  Another thing she really liked was graham crackers with a bit of peanut butter on them. 

p.s.  great advice, Amy Lynn - I can tell you were a huge help to your sister!

Margi1959

Azura, you and I were posting at the same time - I didn't see your post until after I submitted mine.

 The hands and feet swelling are worriesome.  That happened to my mum too - but just in her feet.  For my mum, it was because she wasn't getting her feet up (she was in a wheelchair for her last few months) and as her lymph system wasn't draining properly, it was causing fluid to pool in her feet.  Once we got her into a hospital bed, her feet returned to normal size within a few days (they had been as much as four times normal size prior to that).  You can probably help your mum by doing some massage on her feet and hands to move that fluid out - I did that for Mum and it did help a bit, but elevation was what finally fixed it.  Sorry to hear you're having doctor problems too - that's so unfair when we are going through so much else to have to worry about poor care at a time like this!  

Azura

My mum likes the hot soups tomato it has to have flavour it has to have chilli in it, I did find for a while tomato soup would make her hungry...she has a hankering for cornflakes right now...yet i don't think they are getting calories into her. The issue is she gets bored of things very quickly and pulls the yuck face at me...I'm not having that being a Capricorn she can tell me quickly what she don't want. Even the Dr is like...yes...we knew you'd hate it already. You would do! Lolz! 

so she has a casserole but...I worry it's too rich for her..it's like a constant cycle of one foot forwards one foot back. I sat on the floor for 2 hours today just thinking what can I do? what can I do?

kira1234

Margi1959 How funny my Moms hospice nurse made the same drink for my Mom. Ensure was all she could tolerate the last year or so. The other thing she liked was scrambled eggs in the AM and mashed potatoes. We would make the potatoes with whole milk and the eggs were made with 3 eggs for the added calories for her. She did love those potatoes with a bit of cheese in them!

Azura

I don't want to think of it as something incurable I want to believe she will get better...and I need hope.

kira1234

Azura, has the Dr. proscribed any diuretic for your mom? My Dad at the end had extreme swelling, but it was kept under control with the drugs. It can be a sign of heart problems.

Margi1959

hugs to you Azura - you are doing a great job for your Mum.  It does take awhile to find the right balance for food but I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what works for your Mum and what doesn't.  Keep up the great work and remember to take care of yourself too, through this journey.  Being a caregiver is exhausting and exhillerating all at the same time.  Celebrate the successes along the way and don't dwell on the failures.  Keep trying, keep loving.  This site has been a huge help to many so...keep talking too!

kira1234

Margi1959 You are so right being a care giver is so hard. Azura not only are your moms cargiver remember you are still in treatment yourself. Please take the time to care for your self. I was where you are last year caring for my Dad, but going through cancer treatment myself.

Azura

They try to prescribe a diuretic but she refuses it as she is already going to the toilet a lot to pass water. She is drinking lots of fluids. She has been told to try to elevate her hands. The update is had to call emergency Dr as she was getting really sick, they came round but we had a locum who kept looking me up and down at my clothing --yes yes I was wearing a tracksuit wanted to say so bite me! She gave her Imodium that was the best they could do and the Dr was less than positive very depressing had no idea what Femara was or my mum's meds so just said here's some immodium you're allergic to everything. I spoke to her on her own the Dr and 3 times she tried to shut the door on me... justf or asking what can I do? what can i feed her. She said in the end nothing you can do to get her better really is there... WOW! what a positive attitude... justs aid give her water and shut the door in my face...great.

 

well she was the one who misdiagnosed my lump lol 

Azura

so we are on no food today yes im concerned and just immodium.She has been weighed today and she weighs 6 stone 10lb so for them to be saying she can't get her strength back when she is that weight seems wrong. I have been told nothing so...I am going to try to push for nutritionist to come round at a cost. I refuse t give up as, I believe she can get better.

she is on these meds----high Blood pressure

Proprananol

Pravistatin

indapamide

almodipine

salbutamol inhaler...

femara

don't know if that helps. thanks all 

Azura

no diuretic has been given yet offered, she is using the toilet frequently as drinking lots of water her feet aren't swollen at all right now. My mother is on HBP tablets combo. Locum Dr has visted today and given immodium to stop the stomache issue and has said only fluids. I have not been given any further advice and will have to contact her usual GP Tuesday. She has eaten this morning cornflakes, but she says she could eat them 24/7 --issue is bowel movements and lots of cornflakes don't go hand in hand. A casserole has been cooked but, advised not to eat it. The Dr has said continual rice diet, I don't believe that a continual diet of rice will be rich in nurtients and help her to move forwards. I feel she is missing essential nutrients in doing this. I am not a DR so I can't say..shrugs.

 

thanks alll 

kira1234

Azura rice is often suggested when one has lots of diarrhea. My DS when he was a baby had many bouts of diarrhea due to allergies. His pediatrician always told me to give him rice because it is binding. In fact what he was on was the brat diet which is banana mashed up rice toast and apple sauce. To this day he hates all those foods. Something else to consider is having her drink one of the drinks available that replace the electrolytes.

thatsvanity

Thanks Margie I snuck in the vanilla ice cream but I didn't tell my sister lol! I just wanted it to taste good! Thanks for being sweet! Hang in there azura, I hope her doctor starts to have some solutions for you.

Amy Lynn

208sandy

Azura - the BRAT diet is what my PCP prescribes whenever diarrhea raises its ugly head - Bananas, Rice, Applesauce and Toast (dry) - it does work but is very boring - at least try to get your Mum to eat some basmati rice - it DOES work and is nutritious - it takes a few days to work completely - hope this helps.

Azura

 Thank you for all your help it's really sweet you all took the time to even look at my posts I didn't expect this kind of response Hugs :-)

Margi1959

we caregivers know what it's like to walk in each other's shoes, Azura - of course we're going to take the time to listen.  We're all fighting the same war here. 

Azura

tried mum on muller rice --couldn't get anything else in a hurry as I am unwell this is even hard to find and I had to walk a long way to get it exhausted the organic place is shut for stock take today. I did manage however to get organic rice cakes for toddlers with apple and cinnamon in them. Thanks Margi, it is difficult but glad this forum is here

Azura

the rice cakes i bought is by organix hope they are ok

sheila888

Azura I posted this in Femara thread also.

Good Luck

Azura

 Sheila thank you! I got in contact with the Community Nurse and we have a starter pack of FortisipJuce coming tomorrow I'm getting it delivered. We have been told this and hope it helps other's also.

 

 Dilute the juice or fortisip plus in normal juice or other drinks-water. Firstly and only drink as much as the body feels it can handle Apparantly a whole one is incredibly concentrated nutrients the berry ones can cause diarrhoea and so can Apricots. Hope this info will help a few more people too. 

 

A happier mummy asleep now but, well fed with crumpets and apricot jam! Thanks