Hi all,

I'm wondering if you can give me any advice. My dad who has lung cancer had his second dose of chemo 6 days ago and is really struggling to eat this time round. He is coughing up flem every day and just doesn't want to eat anything, not even the milkshake drinks, and so my mum and I are very concerned as he's been told he needs to gain weight for the chemotherapy. Any food suggestions which you think he might find more appealing would be much appreciated.

Thank you x

p.s. so glad I found this forum, feel like we're not alone!

Hi Sarah,

I'm sorry you need to be here but it really is the best place for support, understanding, advice and friendship.

When I had chemo I lost my appetite for a few days after each cycle in spite of the steroids which were supposed to help. The kind of foods I found I could cope with were soups with bits of soft bread to dunk, ice-cream ( the clotted cream type), mashed bananas, scrambled eggs, microwave porridge e.g. Oatsosimple - all the soft stuff that slipped down easily. Chewing was hopeless as I had a mouthful of ulcers caused by the chemo, and although I had Difflam to rinse my mouth with, eating was hard before it kicked in. Also, I just lost interest in food & only ate what I really had to.

Tea or coffee with sugar & milk I could cope with & the occasional dunked biscuit, and loads of fluids ( fruit juices etc). I still lost about half a stone after each session of chemo.

I hope this will help a bit. Do come back & share your worries with us, there's always someone here who will help.

Love & hugs,

Annie xxx 

Sarah,

You are not alone!

My partner had a lot of trouble eating after his first chemo. This time round it was easier. In fact, his appetite returned to normal faster than before.

I've encouraged him to keep a diary of his weight and food fads and likes and dislikes. I know this time he's more back to normal quicker as he wants to go back to having Oatly with his cereal as he cannot stand full fat milk.

Blood tests not withstanding, we've got the third chemo session on Tuesday next week, and then one more three weeks after that. I hope he keeps that diary. I've told him it can be of use to others as well. Appealing to his altruistic nature should get him to do it.

If there's one thing I've learned since his diagnosis, it's that everybody and their cancer is unique. The treatment and response to it is never exactly the same, but there are common features. My partner insists I worry and mollycoddle too much.

You're going to worry and fuss too, so don't let that worry you. If there are problems, have a chat with the nurses. The Cedar Centre (where the chemo happens) at King George's here in Ilford tell us they are here if we need them anytime in between each treatment. The lung nurses, Jennifer and Maureen, have been marvellous. They've sorted me out when I've phoned up worrying about nothing.

The NHS is bloody wonderful at times like this. They are there for you and the rest of the family. Use them, they want to help us all through this wretched cancer and treatment. Don't forget, there are enough nurses who choose to work in cancer and its treatment. They have built up a fair amount of expertise.

Tim