Recovering from stomach cancer & gastrectomy

Hi all.

 My father in law was diagnosed with stomach cancer and had a gastrectomy done in Feb 09. He is recovering now.

However, he is finding it hard to eat and is now in the hospital fed by tube.

 He was a very active, positive and calm person before his surgery. 

 It seems the surgery has gotten the better of him and now he is feeling low everyday because he can't eat normally.

 The main reason he is feeling down is because he does not know what is happening inside him- to his bowel system. He feels very insecure and anxious all the time.

Can anyone help me? What is actually happening internally to the bowel system after someone is recovering from gastrectomy?

 Thanks.

 Rgds,

GT

 

 

On 5/30/2009 GabrielT wrote:

Hi all.

 My father in law was diagnosed with stomach cancer and had a gastrectomy done in Feb 09. He is recovering now.

However, he is finding it hard to eat and is now in the hospital fed by tube.

 He was a very active, positive and calm person before his surgery. 

 It seems the surgery has gotten the better of him and now he is feeling low everyday because he can't eat normally.

 The main reason he is feeling down is because he does not know what is happening inside him- to his bowel system. He feels very insecure and anxious all the time.

Can anyone help me? What is actually happening internally to the bowel system after someone is recovering from gastrectomy?

 Thanks.

 Rgds,

GT

 

 

My mother had her entire stomach and part of her esophacis removed in June 2005.  After many rounds of chemo and radiation she is now cancer free but she still has problems eating.  She had a feeding tube for quite some time but it was finally removed.  Pre-operation she weighed 160 lbs and now weighs 78 lbs.  She has to eat very small portions all throughout the day and not eat anything acidity, sugary, no raw vegetables or high fibre, and not drink when eating.  If she does she will get heaves, bring up bile, get very bad gas pains.  This takes a toll on her and she will stay in bed and just sleep.  Need to keep her moving to keep her muscle tone and keep from getting phemonia.  She gets Vitamin B12 shot, takes vitamin D and multivitamin. Recently she started a protein/whey drink from GNC (nutrition store).  She managed to gain three pounds but she doesn't like the drink very much.  We tried putting ice cream in it and she seems to tolerate it. Depression sets in sometimes but with family and friends rally around her she pulls out it everytime.  Tell your father-in-law not to give up, he's not alone and that he has to eat the correct way or he'll never get better.  I wish him better health!  

Hello, It would be a good idea if your FIL or other family member spoke to his doctor about his food anxiety. They might need to prescribe an anti depressant for a little bit or an anti anxiety med. His 'plumbing' has been altered and it does take a long time to find out was his new normal will be. But if the doctors say that it is safe for him to eat, then it would be a good idea to get that in motion so that he doesn't have to rely on the feeding tube for a long time. The "new normal" really does differ for everyone. Some people can no longer tolerate dairy, but not everyone. Some can not tolerate nuts....but cashews were perfect for my husband after his operation and helped him gain a bit of weight back. My husband had his surgery in August 2005 and it took a year before he started to feel good again. He can now eat just about everything he used to...But we do avoid sugary things and heavy carbs as they will cause "dumping syndrome". Dumping syndrome is probably what your FIL is experiencing with normal foods... please google "dumping syndrome" to find some good suggestions for foods that will go down easier for him. Take care and best of luck, amy