He has a huge issue with eating food.....as so many of you are experiencing with your spouses. He honestly tries to eat. A gag reflex seems to kick in and he just can't eat another bite. If he manages to eat cream of wheat/made with cashew or walnut milk, he may vomit it after an hour or two. He eats coconut milk yogurt usually with no issues, as well as applesauce. For dinner I sometimes boil brocoli/pumpkin/potato/carrots and a piece of fish, and puree it. He manages to hold it down sometimes, but not all the time. The volume of food he eats is not sufficient for a 6'4" man and he has now lost about 30-40 lbs. He had a liver biopsy done today and is due for a bone biopsy very soon. He does not want more radiotherapy, neither does he want chemo. I wanted to find out what other carers are doing to help their spouses. I'd be grateful for any advice. He drinks cacao tea with mint and stomach tea added, to ease his stomach......lots of tea. I'm honestly not sure about anything at this point.
Hi Comfort_2024
Welcome to the carers group though sorry to hear about what you are going through. At one stage in my wife's illness about the only thing that was keeping her going was sucking on ice cubes.
You are right that eating is often an issue with people with cancer and that in turn often impacts on us caring. In the UK the dietitians might often prescribe ensure drinks or complan - Janice had some of these and liked a few much more than others.
One of the things I know I had to learn was to look after myself, I found some of the advice in your emotions when someone has cancer really quite helpful.
<<hugs>>
Steve
