Chemo strong appetite

[Montrealer]

Hi All!

Since my dad has started chemo, he has an EXTREMELY good appetite. He is eating much more than usually and has gained weight. He is undergoing Folfox 6. Is it a very good sign that he has appetite like this?

Thanx and enjoy the hot summer,

Montrealer....

[Frank G]

The treatment has it's first effect on the Colon area.This improves digestion and ability to eat larger quanities.be sure it is not fluid build up causing the weight gain.

[seussfan]

My gosh - I have q2uite the opposite. Food is not my friend. I live on crackers and peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. Also, everything tastes bad.

[Guest]

That wasn't my problem either. I lost about 35 pounds during Chemo. Food tasted terrible to me as well. About the only things I ate were cold cereal, homemade chicken noodles and poached eggs. Most everything had to be room temperature too and Beef tasted like.......well I won't say what it tasted like! LOL Chemo is different with every individual in all areas. Guess this just proves it huh!

[Joy]

Hi! I had a tremendous appetite when I was on Chemo caused by the high dosage of steroids that I had to take because of my reaction to Oxiliplatin.

It was the weidest thing, I would come out from getting Chemo and head straight to the hospital cafeteria and eat two sandwiches. Then on the way home hubby would make a stop at "Timmies" and I would eat a bowl of soup and another sandwich.

2 days after Chemo I would be sick as a dog and couldn't eat anything but boiled rice and a little chicken stock.

The steroids are the thing that "did the number" on me I bulked up - used to joke that I was in training for the Canadian Olympic weight lifting championships

I gained about 40 pounds

[Ruth]

Hi, I also had a great appetite. Everyone was surprised. I would even get up in the night to eat. I was on Folfox and Oxal. THe nurses said it was the steriods. The week I didn't get chemo, I really didn't eat much. Ruth

[missjv]

hi,
glad he has a good appetite. my good appettite was caused by steroids and i gained 30 pounds. while being able to eat is a plus you also run into a huge weight gain before you know it. my steroids caused the weight gain and put me into steroid induced diabets cause my blood sugar was so high so be careful what you eat. i found myself hungry in the middle of the night and i got up and ate fruit loops which of course is full of sugar big mistake but those steroids make you have weird cravings. luckily i have lost 18 of the 30 pounds since i stopped chemo but it has been work to lose it. glad he is eating but watch the weight gain.


missjv

[Magnolia]

I got some big doses of Decadron, a steroid, to control nausea and stimulate appetite when I was on Folfox. I ate like a shark and gained 30 lbs. It works that way for some of us. I felt queasy for the first couple of days after treatment but eating helped. Kind of like morning sickness. I'm still a blimp. I can't seem to get rid of it, but it's a small price to pay.

[Lifes2short]

Wow, I'm quite the opposite. Have to force myself to eat. Though I do crave spicy foods for the first couple of days after chemo. Probably due to the steroids.

This is likely good news for your dad. I find that my appetite is poor when my cancer is active. Perhaps this is an indication that the chemo is putting the cancer at bay.