CancerCompass message board discussion started by mtkjohn1 on 5/27/2008 http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,24408,0.htm Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ Hi Guys, I have been out of treatment for 10 days now and feel a little better today thank God for small favors.Might also be that I have started Lexapro and hopeing that it helps as well.40 treatments of IMTR radiation ans 3 treatments of cysplatian.I have no taste,saliva, or appetite.any good tricks out there that worked for anyone>I have read that Zinc supplements will help with the taste any Idea of how much to take?do other people have the appetite problem I am forcing myself to eat and using the peg  on the clock, but I think I could go all day and not eat because of total lack of hunger< does this get better, has anyone else had this?john  mtkjohn1 Tue, 27 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT  On 5/27/2008 mtkjohn1 wrote:Hi Guys, I have been out of treatment for 10 days now and feel a little better today thank God for small favors.Might also be that I have started Lexapro and hopeing that it helps as well.40 treatments of IMTR radiation ans 3 treatments of cysplatian.I have no taste,saliva, or appetite.any good tricks out there that worked for anyone>I have read that Zinc supplements will help with the taste any Idea of how much to take?do other people have the appetite problem I am forcing myself to eat and using the peg  on the clock, but I think I could go all day and not eat because of total lack of hunger< does this get better, has anyone else had this?john John,You must have read my mind.  I finished last Thursday 5/22 and am feeling the same way.  If I hadn't seen your post this morning I would have written almost a duplicate.  I'll be watching for responses. Sorry I have no suggestions. D. D1211 Tue, 27 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT Hi Guys,From my experience this is all pretty normal. You just have to rough it out. I lost 30 lbs through treatment and didn't want to eat at all for a while. I forced myself though and I'm glad I did. After 2+ years I absolutely LOVE food once again (especially the quart of ice cream I eat everyday)! I can eat pretty much anything although I have to chew it down to liquid and drink plenty of water. My taste is back 100% and saliva maybe 60% but it seems to be improving. The good news is the ice cream isn't making me gain weight so I eat as much as I want. I guess all the exercise helps also.  You will go through a period of "adjustment" after treatment. You probably won't feel much like eating because everything tastes bad. That will improve with time. As your taste and appetite return be gentle with yourself. Don't try spicy or acidic foods right away. That'll turn you right back off from eating as well as writhing in pain. This is the voice of experience speaking.Good Luck!Joe   Defjoeb Tue, 27 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT Oh yeah, the zinc, take 150mg along with L-Glutamine.Good Luck!Joe  Defjoeb Tue, 27 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT thank you joe!!!Are you not worried about all that sugar and your teeth? or with time do you get less scared about everything like thatgood to hear about zinc i was only doing 50 mg will bring it up to 150john  mtkjohn1 Tue, 27 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT Hello, My hubbie is a little over a yr out - he wasn't hungry either and he was very depressed after treatment. He forced himself to eat too, on the clock, by peg tube. About 2 mo after treatment he was eating by mouth w/o peg. A year out  - he says his appetite is back, however, it's mentally challenging because nothing tastes the same for him. That said - he's in the best shape now that he's been in for years - weight and cholosterol. Julie21 Tue, 27 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT I'm 3 mos. out. Just don't feel much like eating. Maybe because I went so long of not being able to eat. Eating is habit forming, that is why there are so many of us fat guys running around. I guess not eating is habit forming as well. I get enough in to stay healthy, but I don't over eat any longer. Some people live to eat, others eat to live. I think most of us cancer folks are now eating to live out of habit. Can be a good thing.God Bless,Rick rick51 Tue, 27 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT Hi, John. Glad youre starting to feel better. You probably wont have a lot of taste for awhile, it took a couple of months before I started to taste things again. Just experiment to see what you can taste. I went to a Chinese buffet just to experiment with different things. Chinese food was one of the first things I could eat, it's moist, fairly soft  and has flavor. I avoided the chicken and beef at first, because I couldnt taste either, also avoid the spicy stuff. Bland is your friend for a while. Once you start finding some things you can actually taste, your enthusiasm for eating will get much better. It's hard to work up an appetite when things either taste like *poop* or dont taste at all. Sweet and salt tastes came back first. Chocolate, coffee, asparagus and broccolli were early taste reappearances ( steam the veggies in microwave steamer bags, they work great for moistness and texture)Best wishes,Mike micromisterphone Tue, 27 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT A year + out of TX and I have no real appetite yet. Virtually (I feel) NO hunger!  My taste is basically not there-so I eat to live and not the opposite. I agree with Rick-I think eating becomes a lifelong habit, plus eating just because it tastes good. When that no longer applies,....I lost 60#'s before stabilizing and now cannot gain an oz. But I feel grateful that I quit losing-the Dr's were threatening to put the PEG back in. I also eat ice cream and sweets-which "taste" the best. I TRY to balance that with healthy foods I can tolerate. I'm also a walker and find that a catch-22. But I won't give that up. I'm still basically healthy and plan to stick with what works! Hope this wasn't a downer!!! If I traded food & taste for life-so be it. Gayle gayleann Wed, 28 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT Hey John,Glad you are feeling better! There is light at the end of the tunnel....My husband has radiation treatment #18 tomorrow and then he starts radiation twice daily for 12 treatments---and two more chemo treatments. He is getting into the relly tough weeks. Your emails are inspirational--there is an end!Another solution to the appetite issue is medication called Megace. It is designed for appetite stimulation. No personal experience with it on our end, but it is not uncommon.  It is a prescription drug, so check with your doc.DeniseB DeniseB Thu, 29 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT Someone else was just asking about this as well in another email.  I'm three months out from treatment and could go days without eating if it was up to me...but during the treatment my wife made me at least 2 milk shakes a day with Carnation Instant Breakfast (vanilla 2 packets).  It did the trick because I had minimal weight loss.  Now that the treatment is over I'll look for something to eat out of habit, not because I want something to eat.  But, like many others, I have found some food that I liked but that I don't like now..it just tastes different.  I was a smoker too so in addition to the treatment issues anyone who has smoked and then quit knows what happens...everything tastes different due to the tastebuds coming back to life after nicotine withdrawel.  Heck, I think my insides were really at war taste wise...everything to me at first tasted like day old chewing gum.Try the shake and instant breakfast.  You can use no fat milk, sugar free ice cream and sugar free instant breakfast.  It literally was a life saver for me and I must admit I'm still drinking them daily.Good luck and God bless. Mike Mike1sc Fri, 30 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT  On 5/27/2008 mtkjohn1 wrote:Hi Guys, I have been out of treatment for 10 days now and feel a little better today thank God for small favors.Might also be that I have started Lexapro and hopeing that it helps as well.40 treatments of IMTR radiation ans 3 treatments of cysplatian.I have no taste,saliva, or appetite.any good tricks out there that worked for anyone>I have read that Zinc supplements will help with the taste any Idea of how much to take?do other people have the appetite problem I am forcing myself to eat and using the peg  on the clock, but I think I could go all day and not eat because of total lack of hunger< does this get better, has anyone else had this?john John -My husband has been in chemo since January '08.  Three weeks ago, the treatments were changed to include Cisplatin.  He's now had two of the treatments with Cisplatin.  This drug completely destroyed his appetite - so much worse than all the other combined.  Doctor prescribed Emend for extra help with the nausea and vomiting (worked like a charm too!) and he also prescribed Megase for appetite loss.  This was a miracle drug.  Within three days, his appetite began to slowly return and within a week, he was eating normal again and gained 8 lbs. in one week.  Of course, when he received the Cisplatin again, the appetite loss was back but nowhere as severe as the first time.  I found that when he couldn't eat anything else - oatmeal and a little toast worked along with Carnation Instant Breakfast made into milkshakes.  Hope this helps. rose01 Fri, 30 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT