ACPdiddy wrote:I'm so sorry things haven't taken a turn for the better yet. I know the cancer road can seem just hopelessly grim sometimes. But I'd really encourage you to stay hopeful. That rapid descent into illness that your mother has just gone through... I've been through that twice. Both times I had surgery and recovered to feeling basically 100%. I was 44 when I was diagnosed, so my recoveries were easier than your Mom's may be. But you should both keep in mind that it can happen.
When I've gone on liquid diets because of bowel obstructions, I've had some luck with chicken broth and olive oil. It's a little bit of a hassle since the oil floats on top of the broth (and the broth has almost no calories). But I'd basically pour some oil into the broth, drink a couple sips of broth/oil until I had swallowed all the oil, then add more oil. I found the mixture tasty and the oil has lots of calories. If olive oil isn't your Mom's thing, try something else (avocado, sesame, walnut, coconut oils would probably all be pretty tasty). Or if she prefers sweet, see if you can find some whole milk kefir. A lot of places carry this brand http://lifewaykefir.com/family/kefir/ It's basically drinkable yogurt. The whole milk version has way more calories. The problem I found with many liquid drinks is that they're for people trying to lose weight, so they'll use artificial sweeteners, skim milk, etc., to keep the calories down. That whole milk kefir was the most calorie dense thing I could find.
Also, do you think you could get your Mom to try some medical THC products (medical marijuana)? I know just the idea of that will turn some people off strongly. But if you can get your head around the idea, it could really help. I used it for a while for pain and difficulty sleeping. I only used it at bed time, but it worked like a charm for me. It should work to stimulate her appetite as well. I imagine it would be very easy to get in Washington. They sell THC vape pens now, and THC gumdrops, cookies, whatever. There's no smoke, no smell, it's easy. And you know, it will either work or it won't. If it doesn't, it won't have cost you much time or money. If it does, it might help a lot if the side effects are better than the other drugs she's taking. I don't know. Something to think about.
Thank you ACPdiddy for the reply! It is very heartening to hear that it is possible to recover from this sort of rapid descent into illness. I know my mom is older, but she has been in excellent health her entire life. Seriously, up until a few months ago she ran faster than I could. So, I'm hopeful that she will be able to recover a bit from this and enjoy some good days to come.
Thanks also for the suggestions about the liquid diet. You are so right that most liquid options are geared for folks wanting a low calorie option! I've been trying to add oil to everything. Your broth and olive oil suggestion worked well the other day! I bought some kefir too, but she can't seem to be too interested in it. For the past few days we've been having good luck with milkshakes. I went to Jamba Juice and ordered the most calorie dense thing they had. It's funny because my mom was such a health food junkie her whole life, and now she's drinking milkshakes. But I'm just happy she's drinking something!
As for the cannabis oil, we have tried it. We live in Oregon so it's legal both medicinally and recreationally, so I just went to a store to buy some. I got some CBD oil with a very low THC content, since my mom has never used marijuana before in her life. I also got one of the vape pen things you mention. She has tried it a few times, and I think it has really helped. It has improved her mood and her appetite. However, I think after 70+ years of being pretty straight edge, she's having a hard time accepting it. She keeps blaming things on it, for example, one day when she used it she had a lot of pain that night. I don't think it was related since there have been other days she hasn't used it and has had the same pain, but she keeps blaming it on the marijuana. I think you're right that it is just hard for some people to get their head around the idea. It's unfortunate because it does seem to be helping, and her oncologist recommended it too.
It's been a roller coaster. Yesterday was a "good day" and I got her to eat around 1000 calories and she was perky and chatty. Today too looks to be a good day! She got up and wanted to eat and I even made her a latte, her old favorite and something she hasn't had in weeks. I'm at work and my husband and the kids are home with her today, and she just sent me a selfie of her with my two kids! That says a lot, since she has mostly been in bed lately. But I am still so worried about what's to come and also worried about holding everything together as far as my job and family, as we go through this. My husband has started having issues with depression this week. He's such a happy go lucky guy, that it's a bit shocking. I think he was kind of holding everything in for the first few weeks because I was a mess, but now that I've been finding some more strength he is able to let his emotions rise to the surface.
I just read another thread about the dangers of administering FOLFOX to the elderly. The woman in the other post was 90, but there was a study cited in one post that showed very little chance of a 3-5 year outcome with FOLFOX to people over 70. Now I'm feeling worried and a bit discouraged. We go for her next round of treatment on Tuesday.