my dad, pancreatic cancer and his eating habits

ubiquit0us · New User Joined: 12 Sep 2006 Posts: 2

Hi all, I'm sort of new here. My dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in August of this year. I originally came back home here to Hawaii for vacation and noticed that my dad's eyes and body was all yellow (jaundice) and we made him go to the doctor. He wasn't sick or anything nor did he have any pains anywhere. Well, he ended up going in to surgery only to find out that they couldn't remove the tumor because the tumor was too close to a main blood vessel. They did, however, remove his gall bladder. Anyway, he stayed in the hospital for a week, but he barely ate any of the food because he said they didn't have taste. Before he came home, both his doc and oncologist told him to get his family things done with and that they gave him 1-3 months to live. So with this, both my daughter and I decided to move back home here to be with him for the remaining years of his life.

He is currently getting radiation everyday and he carries around a chemo pack. I don't really know what you call it, but he had to go in to surgery for them to insert a port near his shoulder. He's on his 4th week of chemo and I'm really not sure what to make out of his eating habits. Now he's saying that certain things he used to love to eat makes him nauseated. He takes pills called Prochlorperazine, which he's supposed to take before he goes into radiation, but he takes them every 6 hours. This past week really worried me because all he's been taking in is Ensure Plus or Ensure protein and this morning he didn't even want any oatmeal. My mom is scared and she doesn't know what else to feed him because he can't live on Ensure forever. He's 5'7 and used to be around 200lbs. He wasn't fat, he had muscles and all. But now he's down to 150lbs and I think he'll be losing more.

I'm really new at this cancer, or any cancer for that matter. His doc and oncologist were never really clear with much of anything.

Does anyone have any other suggestions besides oatmeal that he can eat? He says that he can feel the chemo through his eyes and face, so he always has to wash his face and hands. That and some foods taste metallic to him. Any help or suggestions would really be appreciated because I'm at a loss as to what we can feed him to get him more nourished. Sad

starseed · Regular Joined: 06 Sep 2006 Posts: 18

I think we are all new here...

Who plans for this in their family.

My mom did have surgery and is now in chemo (they won't do radiation cause she wouldn't really make it).

Both chemo and surgery make her nauseated - she burps non-stop and the chemo is starting to make her thow-up.

This is normal, and what you are describing is very very common - there are good days and bad days - hopefully he is near a radiation/chemo break and his body can recover before the next cycle - the side affects get worse until the end of the cycle.

California has medical marjuana and Hawaii has legialized Marijuana (it's religious sacrament vs medical in hawaii). [legial on the state level, not the fed level]. I know where you can legally buy it on the Big Island and I think the Island where Honolulu is.

I got my mom Marijuana Butter and baked brownies.

That has helped more than anything and I recommend it highly - our doctors say it's better than anything they could prescribe. If you can't buy marijuana legally, It's might not be a bad idea to ask your friends if they know where to get it and look up on the net how to make marijuana butter.

She did have a marinol prescription (prescription THC), but it was $715

It's better to eat marijuana vs smoke it because it interferes with chemo when smoked. When eaten it lasts 2 X longer. THC also has a half-life of 8 days, meaning eating one day, helps prevent nausiau from returning the next moring.

Without marijuana, my mom would be throwing-up right this minute and depressed.

4VGA · Regular Joined: 31 Jul 2006 Posts: 13

check with pancan.org
this is just for this type of cancer
best of luck
rholland@pancan.org

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