MOM WON’T EAT - TCHP

It’s great that you’re cooking healthy but when I had similar issues with taste during chemo, I found everything bland and almost gross. Salty things like ramen noodles and fried rice got me through. It found it very sad, not enjoying food, don’t be shocked if the food problems are upsetting for your mom. Good luck.

I had TCH, and while I did not have any vomiting, almost everything tasted terrible. There were many days that I could only do saltines and water with a NUUN tablet dissolved in it. Vanilla milkshakes worked as well as Boost chocolate shakes. I lost 30 lbs in 4 months, but gained it back when food tasted good again.

once nausea is under control, try comfort foods like Mac and cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, pot roast, etc. when it comes to chemo sometimes you have to throw “healthy eating” out the window and just eat what tastes good to get nutrition in your body. A few bites of healthy low cal low fat food will not be enough to keep her from wasting away, but comfort food will. There does seem to be a common theme of higher sodium foods being more palatable during chemo, so maybe try some of those. I lived on Mac n cheese and pork roast with white gravy on it almost exclusively for 9 months straight because they were the only things that tasted good/right. I still lost weight but not as much as I would have otherwise. Does your mom have any favorite foods/recipes? Maybe try those starting with the higher sodium ones first. I hope this helps!

I agree with much of what's been said: her doctors should address the nausea; there are good drugs out there to help with it and she shouldn't have to be that sick. The drug I got was Emend. It really worked.

Also, if medical (or recreational for that matter) marijuana is available where you are, it can really help with both nausea and appetite. I just put a tiny bit (half the size of my pinkie thumbnail) under my tongue and let my body absorb it. (Being in California I had easy access to the recreational version, which may be stronger and a different chemical component than what one gets medicinally, hence the tiny amount, but it worked quite well).

And that said, as others have said the lack of appetite is likely as much because of the awful way most food can taste, as it is the nausea. Almost everything tasted like metal. And I agree that you may have to forget healthy for a bit. All of the foods you mentioned would have tasted awful to me, with the possible exception of applesauce. I lived on mashed potatoes and gravy, and ice cream. For some reason, I preferred El Pollo Loco (a Mexican style fast food chain) mashed potatoes over all others (so whoever suggested upping the sodium may have been on to something. and many of the foods you mention are relatively low sodium). El Pollo Loco mashed potatoes were dinner at least three or four nights a week! It is amazing that I still can stand them...Texture is important too and ice cream tasted smooth and cool.... just had no appetites for meat at all, other than gravy. And spicy foods generally did appeal: perhaps they masked the metallic taste. I liked spicy Chinese noodles.

Good for you for being so supportive of a care giver and good luck to your Mom.