Hi 
my father in law was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer last year. Since then, he has lost a significant amount of weight. Prescribed steroids would help in building him back up somewhat. Unfortunately, we have now found out that the cancer has also spread to his bones and liver...it's not yet sunk in for anyone I don't think. We have since found out that steroids can no longer be prescribed due to the bone cancer.
He is barely eating, only drinking some milk. He says everything tastes strange, however unable to tell us in what way. Food he used to love, he can no longer tolerate. His diet was quite limited before... he would only really eat meat and chips etc. He has always had a sweet tooth, ice cream, jelly etc, however he is eating none of these now. He will take some fresh melon during the day, but one 3 or 4 small cubes.
I'm just wondering if anyone has any suggestions of foods we could try with him? Sometimes he says he is hungry, so it's not always that he can't eat... its just that everything seems to tastes odd/weird texture. He has been given the build up shakes, however he is struggling to tolerate these either. Any ideas/advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much x
Hi Angeloak12 and welcome to the Online Community but so sorry to hear about your father in laws diagnosis and the challenges you are facing.
A cancer diagnosis like this in the family can be such a challenging and stressful time but getting support from others who are dealing with the ‘exact same' cancer type and support challenges can help a lot.
I have a totally different (incurable) cancer (blood cancer) and have had a number of similar challenges during my years of treatments. The taste thing is indeed unfortunate and is often the reason that people don’t eat….. but at this moment enjoying food is not a priority….. it’s all about getting fuel into the body, without fuel the body struggles.
For months at a time I lived on good quality, liquidised home made soups with lashings of daube cream in it. My wife gave me a small cup with a green spoons of soup every hour all day….. it was not much but it helped. Try blending some pineapple and putting it into ice cube trays and freezing them - they are great.
The Community is actually divided into dedicated Support Groups (Discussion Rooms) and I do see that you have already joined our Lung Cancer support group. This is a safe place to talk to others who may have a similar diagnosis, treatment experience, to ask questions and get support from family members who are navigating the same journey.
When it comes to the practical and emotional challenges of supporting family and friends you may also benefit from joining our Carers only and possibly our Supporting someone with incurable cancer (if this has been mentioned) support groups where you will connect with others navigating the same support challenges.
To connect in with a group click on the “Bold Links” I have created above (Join the group if you have not done this already) then once the group page opens you can then put up your own post when you’re ready by clicking “+new” or “+” in the top right next to the group title. You can copy and paste the text from this post into your new post.
It’s a challenging time for you so you may want to use the Macmillan Support Line is open 8am-8pm (timings may differ across services) 7 days a week on 0808 808 00 00 or via Webchat and Email too. This service provide cancer information, practical information, emotional support or just a listening ear.
We also have our Ask an Expert section but do allow a few working days for a reply.
Do get back to me if you need further help navigating the community.
