Fortisip help! Nobody believes us!

Hello Sara.

I had my treatment a couple of years ago and my Dietician prescribed Fresubin drinks which I think are similar to Fortisip.  I started off trying to drink them but I couldn't get them down at all as they made me sick.  Fortunately I had a PEG feeding tube so I was able to put them down the tube. However it had to be done really slowly or I would be sick.  I'd also be sick if I wasn't sitting propped up in a certain way.  

As you say it's important not to lose weight so I would pester the Dietician to sort this out. Perhaps the drinks are somehow causing a reaction with the drugs your partner is taking?  

There is a good Support Line on the site here, perhaps one of the nurses there could give you some advice.

Margaret x 

Hi ,

I can appreciate this must be really worrying for you and your partner. It might be helpful to call our Macmillan support line and speak to someone about your medical concerns? You can speak to a Macmillan cancer information specialist and get expert advice and support. (The number is 0808 808 0000, Mon-Fri, 9-8)

All the best,

Jess

Macmillan Community Team

Hello Sara.   Well there's nothing much that I can add to Margaret's and Jess's replies other than to say that I had to be admitted to a ward in Christie's at the end of my radiotherapy. Due to weight loss and dehydration ( I was unable to even sip water ) they put me on a drip and inserted a nasogastric tube for Jevity liquid feeds to be pumped down.

So perhaps your partner may do better if he has some sort of tube feeding ? Eventually I was able to drink the Ensure Plus milk shake type drinks and they were fine. Hope he finds some relief from the sickness soon x

Joycee x

I had a PEG tube in my stomach so had to pour them down there. I had some called something like Fresenius which were delivered every month. Even putting them down by tube I used to get trouble every so often with bringing them back up. The secret for me seemed to be just to administer them very slowly just a bit at a time then leave intervals in between. This seemed to help but it does take a long time. So it could be as much as an hour some times just to get one down. I hope this helps

Something else you could try is a Drink called Nutriment or Nourishment often sold in gyms and supermarket it comes in different flavours I wanted to post a picture but I can work out how to. It's quite pleasant 

My partner has a PEG fitted and even as slow as possible he still vomitted the fortisip back up, today had a meeting with different dietician who gave him some complan sachet shakes to try, he barely had a mouthful of both strawberry and chocolate and spit both out retching saying they tasted really metallic, 

am loosing faith in what gets recomened and think i might just go buy the nutriment shakes myself as they not willing to pescribe them. 

Thanks everyone for your help, 

 partner wont let me contact macmillan nurse as just before treatment we where supposed to see her and she left us waiting over an hour so she could have a coffee, I understand they have stressful jobs but to be left with no explanation was too much for partner who got up and walked out, since then we have had no contact from her and resulted in radiotherapy depart having to hunt down dr for caphosol pescription as nurse was supposed to sort it and never did!

Maybe we caught her on a bad day but every day is bad for my partner and due to hypertension he really doesnt need more stress bless him. I hope this was a one off experiance as like i said i admire all the work these guys do xx

It's awful Sara and so frustrating as this type of cancer takes so long for the side effects to get any less. Can he swallow at all? I can post a recipe for something called cornmeal porridge which is made from polenta or cornmeal but you couldn't put it down a PEG tube. Ready Brek is also OK. You can add calories to stuff by mixing in cream or butter. Adding vanilla essence sometimes takes away the metallic taste

Hello again Sara.   As Nina said, getting through these unwanted and distressing side effects can take so long and seem like forever - at one stage I thought I'd never be able to eat again. After my NG was removed I lived off the Ensure Plus drinks and small amounts of cream of chicken soup ( no bits at all ) then very slowly progressed from there.

Yes, I agree with Nina that Ready Brek is okay if your partner can swallow it ... if needs be, it can be thinned down with extra milk. I'm afraid that horrible metallic taste is a common side effect from the RT as the taste buds get zapped ... but in time they should recover after the treatments are over.

I'm sorry that you are both having a rough time just now, hope you find the much-needed help from the medical team x

Joycee x

Edit   I've just remembered something that may be useful, a while ago I posted about the easy-option Weetabix breakfast drinks which I found ... although they are on the 'thick' side the drinks could be thinned down ? Maybe worth a try as at least it's nutrition and around 200 calories per bottle ... here's the link to it on the main Head / Neck Cancer group :

http://community.macmillan.org.uk/cancer_types/head-neck-cancer/f/70/t/81994.aspx

Here's my photo ...

Hi guys my hubby has been drinking 2 fortisips a day, but since he's been drinking them , his tounge is sore, and coughed up bloody . Do you think the fortisips is too harsh, for Jons throat , Jon got the all clear in oct 2016 . Please get back to me xxx