eating suggestions, please

Can anyone give me ideas on what foods to prepare for my husband?  He is 3 months post-surgery, still undergoing chemo.  He is eating a little and has reduced the amount of feeding through the feeding tube at night (I HATE that tube as he always has leakage around the entry hole, but am grateful for the nutritional safety cushion it provides).  He does not have much of an appetite, though complains often that his stomach feels "empty."  At this point, he is still eating mostly soft stuff like apple sauce and ice cream, and drinking Enusre Plus.  I'd like him to start eating real meals that would provide nutrition.  I'm not a good or interested cook, but am willing to try different things to get him to eat, just don't know what to try.  Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

i am about 1 month after surgery ie your husband and i shud be on roughly the same stage. i am into fork tender food stage. so far what i have eaten - for protein essentially fish. i pan fry dover sole or grill salmon/halibut. thank goodness i like fish. i have potato salad or mash potato, grill zuchinni, bake beans. for fruits i have banana, canned peaches. for drinks i take coffee, tea, smoothies either in cans or home made and protein shakes ( from costco ) and ice cream at night. i now feel i can even go out for dinners at restaurant by ordering fish with mash potatoes or french fry. just started this a few days ago but feel i can ramp up the volume but not pushing it right now. planning to do this for about a month before i try meat. so far i have been able to gain about 2 lbs.

feeding tube - i continue to have mine which is a J tube. originallly they attached some kind of attachments which is really cumbersome and i broke one as it was hard plastic. a nurse took it out and now i fit the ensure directly into the j tube which has a soft plastic opening. no problems with leaking but having some issues with blockage - i bought a very fine plastic wire used for hanging paintings and use this to unblock it but not a great solution.

hope this helps

Thanks, Andy, I appreciate the info.  Life is certainly more complicated these days, isn't it?

 Good idea about the wire, just need to be careful not to puncture the feeding tube.  Jim has a J-tube, too, and it did get clogged a couple of times.  To prevent this, we were told to be sure to inject a lot of water after each feeding, and sometimes to even do the water bit during the feeding.  And we found that injecting coke into the tube and letting it sit for 15-20 has helped in declogging.

 Good luck.  Wish you a speedy return to good health and good eating.

 Susan

J tube - yes i did the coke thing tonight. i was also told to use the 12mm syringe instead of the big one as it is more powerful. as far as the wire is concerned, i dont think this one is going to puncture the tube as it is too thin and not that rigid. it is called invisible cord for hanging picture frame. use it for emergency. tell your husband to hang in there as far as diet is concerned because it will get better. tonight i had something new - gaspacho soup plus usual dover sole and grill zucchinni.

andy

Husband still does cream of wheat every morning for first food to prime stomach...has ever since his surgery over three years ago, then he goes back to sleep (does this very early so he isn't too empty). Sleeps in recliner after first breakfast so as not to reflux, then does a couple eggs in some form when he is up again (maybe scrambled since they are soft and don't require toast...good protein source to build lean body mass). I use omega 3 eggs since he eats them every day.

Frequent small amounts is the key. Pat had a hard time with milk products, but can handle yogurt and cheese. Think Andy mentioned smoothies...some yogurt, juice and fruit in a blender can be refreshing and the cultures in the yogurt are good for the digestive tract. Not sure if raspberries are too seedy so close to surgery, but they are studying whether raspberries have something that helps prevent EC. They taste decent even in chemo. You could blend in some protein powder (but only if he can stomach it...no sense trying if it makes him not want it).

Maybe some pasta dishes/vegies since they are softer, or ground meats and soups. Not sure about this but know American Cancer Society has some different dietary info on the website, like diets for people with different chemo side effects...maybe they have a soft diet listing too. Hard to get this kind of info out of anyone and it makes aftercare difficult. Soft cinnamon rolls (cinnamon disguises chemo taste), or something lemony. The chemo taste is probably really making this more difficult for you.

Thanks for your suggestions, they certainly give me an idea of where to start.  I have found the lack of info on diet frustrating.  I know each person is different, but some guidelines would be helpful, instead of "start with soft stuff like apple sauce and then whatever he can tolerate."   I am finding this message board really helpful and appreciate the care and concern, and willingness to share, that I find here.

 Thanks, again.

Susan

They gave me a basic post esophagectomy diet and I still have it.

Six to eight small meals a day. Liquids should provide calories and protein when possible.   Eat while upright and remain upright at least 45 minutes after eating.   Liquids are better if taken between meals.

The cautions are grind or finely chop chicken, beef or fish. Do not eat pork, veal, lamb or liver.   Do not eat bread,crackers,toast,bagels,english muffins or dinner rolls.   Eat well cooked or canned fruit and vegies. Do not eat dried fruits.   Avoid carbonbated drinks, straws, and gum to avoid bloating.

Use nutritional supplements like Ensure, Boost or Instant Breakfast and consider liquid multivitamin.

Recommended foods: Soups made with minced tender chicken, fish, beef, rice, pasta, potato, vegies.  Meat and substitutes: Chicken, turkey, fish, beef cooked tender and ground or finely chopped witrh gravies or sauces, moist casseroles, scrambled egg, cottage cheese and mild cheeses (avoid lunch meat, sausage and bacon).   Starches: Potato/no skin, rice, noodles, barley, pasta (avoid fries, chips, popcorn)   Vegies: well cooked or vegie juice.   Bread and cereal: Refined ready to eat, or cooked cereal.   Fruit: Canned or cooked, banana, cantalope or honeydew.   Dessert: pudding, gelatin, custard or yogurt. Sweets: Sugar, jelly, syrup, honey, molasses and candy as tolerated (sugar can cause problems with dumping).

As the healing goes on you can start adding things and see what works since it can be quite an individual process. I don't love to cook either, but I've learned what works. Things are always really different food wise during chemo too, which makes it more challenging.   

I"m not much of a cook either but, like you, I was willing to do whatever it took to make sure my husband ate enough and had nutrition.  One thing he really enjoys is when I make tilapia.  I spray the baking dish with PAM and put the tilapia in the broiler for about 2 minutes.  I take it out, turn it over and broil another 2 minutes and it's done.  My husband enjoys eating it with butter melted on it.  He also had a shake that he was given when receiving radiation and he said it tasted better than any of the other shakes (ensure, etc.).  It's called Scandi Shake and you can't buy it in a store, you have to order it online.  Another dish he enjoys is cream of mushroom soup.  Since surgery (5/13/09), my husband has lost less than 10 lbs.  Since he was first diagnosed (12/09), he's lost about 55 lbs.  In the beginning, he ate oatmeal everyday for breakfast.  Since I had to work, he ate the instant kind and liked it.  My husband is now back at work full-time and he's doing very well.

The best to you and your husband,

Helene