Hi. I'm new here. I've been reading through the forums, and thought I might share some advice from our experience.
My wife was diagnosed in Feb 2004 with stomach cancer at the GE junction. She was 34. She had a complete gastrectomy followed by 6 months of chemo and radiation. The cancer came back on her lungs in Aug 2005. Today she's being treated at MD Anderson, and is getting ready to start her 5th clinical trial. They say she has less than 12 months to live.
Life after gastrectomy is tough for the first 6 months to 1 yr as the body adjusts to its new system. You must get protien and fat into the diet. My wife made high calorie / high protien smoothies every day for a year. It'd take her most of the day to drink one, but she could get 1200 calories in a 12 oz smoothie. Also, Smothie King has a smoothie called "the hulk" that is high calorie and designed for cancer patients. Avoid fried foods and sweets. Put cream or gravy on everything. Eat many small meals. Peanut butter can be your best friend when blood sugar drops. It will help it recover but not too much to start blood sugar spikes and swings. Now, her diet is fairly 'normal' as she's learned what she can tolerate and not tolerate. She is holding her weight steady and most would never know she's sick.
Many will tell you about this diet and that berry that will cure the disease. If the patient has had a total gastrectomy, ignore them. they have the best intentions, but someone with no stomach cannot eat enough food to get the calories needed to survive on those diets. Also, the stomach is where most nutrients of the so-called 'cure foods' are absorbed. With no stomach, there's no absorbtion. I'm not saying these things are bad - they just don't work for a gastrectomy patient.
If you are stage IV, consider clinical trials. Yes, they are a gamble, but we have found that they have less side effects and do have some postive effect. My wife wouldn't be alive today without them.
We've been deep in the battle for nearly 4 years and have done tons of research. I've also founded an organization for caregivers of young adult cancer patients, so have helped people around the world. I'd be happy to answer anything I can, based on our experience. I'm not a doctor - just a guy trying to make the best out of a crappy situation.
Good luck!
Greg