Eating

Hi SLB13,

Thank you for getting in touch with us and welcome to the online community. I hope you find it a supportive space to connect with others. My name is Eileen and I’m one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists on the Macmillan Support Line. 

I’m sorry to hear about your father’s lack of appetite and can appreciate this must be a real concern for you. It’s not unusual for people receiving treatment for cancer to experience changes in appetite but it’s important to understand what might be causing this symptom so that it can be properly treated.

Some drugs used to treat myeloma can cause side effects such as nausea or loss of appetite and there are ways of managing these problems. If your father’s treatment team at the hospital are not aware of his poor appetite, it’s important to let them know. They will be able to review what might be causing this and look at interventions that will help. You can contact his Clinical Nurse Specialist at the hospital to make them aware of the situation or you can call his consultant, via their secretary.

If your father is struggling to take adequate fluids as well as foodstuffs please check whether he has been given a 24 hour oncology helpline number for the hospital. People having drug treatments for cancer are usually given a 24 hour contact number to ring for urgent advice. If he has this number, please call and speak to the nurses. If you are unable to speak to anyone at the hospital today, please call his GP or NHS111 as he may be a risk of becoming dehydrated. Dehydration can be serious if not treated promptly.

I really do hope this information was helpful. Please know that you can always give us a call to talk things through further.

Take care and best wishes,

Eileen (Cancer Information Nurse Specialist)

You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email. 

Ref: CF