Has anyone had any experience with this? I have read a lot about the various appetite stimulants/nausea suppressants. Based on what I've read, the one that seems like it will both stimulate appetite and suppress nausea "with the least damaging side-effects" is 'Marinol'.
My Dad is a 57yo ex-heavy-smoker who has Stage III Transitional Cell Carcinoma (a less common form of kidney cancer from what I understand). He has already had his left kidney, adrenal and part of an abnormal lymph node removed 2 weeks ago (they could not remove the entire lymph due to an artery in the area). The tumor in his kidney was 9cm. He is about to start 4 cycles of chemo over the next 4 months at Fox Chase cancer center, though I still need to find out what drugs they are going to use... there were 2 of them, that's all I remember.
As a result of taking ibuprofen for so long the months leading up to being diagnosed, he developed H.Pylori infection in his stomach which has further affected his appetite. He is finally seeing the G.I. doctor next Monday for it (over 2.5 weeks after surgery), hopefully the Doc does not delay treatment of the H.Pylori any longer than he already has >:-(
He has already lost about 35 pounds (5 or 6 pounds of which are probably the removed kidney though), and we don't want him to lose anymore weight. We want him to be full strength for chemo and also to help comfort him throughout chemo. We have made some good improvements nutritionally, and done what we can to increase leafy greens/fruit/whole grains, while reducing refined sugar and nitrates, (and with a little help from multivitamin, Q10, melatonin, selenium...) but there's only so much we can do when he has little to no appetite.
Any feedback or info on this topic would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Kris