Weight loss

Hi Paul.  Don’t apologise that’s why we stick around to answer questions.  
I put a few pounds on while waiting for treatment to start and during treatment I more or less  maintained my normal weight with the aid of the ng feeding tube as my dietician was thorough and was  on top of weight loss  They don’t want you to loose 10% or more if your body weight as the mask may need to be remade and can affect the radiotherapy beams. . In recovery I lost around 7 llb mostly muscle mass. I was eating 2500 calories a day when I had ng tube removed snd eating resumed  for around 15 month after treatment before I put any weight back on. 
Hazel 

Hi Paulmc

Everyone is different with weight loss during radiotherapy. It depends on a few things, whether you have an NG tube or a RIG, how well you manage your pain, whether you have nausea from chemo. There are probably other things. Some people report no weight loss and others have some.With my first radiotherapy I ended up losing 10k.g. as I did not have an NG tube or a RIG. This was because the radiotherapy was aimed at my jaw and not my throat area as I had jaw cancer and not tonsil, throat or tongue cancer. My mouth became so painful that it was really hard to eat. I also did not have a lot of knowledge about what to eat that had a lot of calories it was all so new to me. I did not think about taking a drink supplement such as Fortisip or Sustagen to keep the calories up. I was in such a world of pain I could not think straight. I was given a mouth deadening mouthwash after a while and this helped. I was also prescribed morphine and fentanyl patches which helped. I was more knowledgeable when I had a second lot of radiotherapy on the other side of my face for more jaw cancer 6 years later. I did manage better but still ended up in hospital with dehydration this time round. I did not lose weight this time as I had more knowledge about what to eat and was better with the pain killers. Knowledge really helps and I was much more prepared.

My tips are keep up the fluids+++++++, take your pain medication religiously by the book and write down when you take them so you keep track

Lyn.

Paul

i lost about 2 stone and was admitted to hospital with 3 RT left , got NG fitted and stayed 16 days to get built up. I just had no appetite whatsoever and could even take the shakes. I said at start of treatment I would force myself to eat etc but the mind is a crazy thing and I just couldn’t ! As Hazel says everyone is different  and some people on here sailed through RT. Don’t get hung up on eating just do your best 

Hi Paul

I lost two and a half stones from mid Chemoradio treatment in April - June... admitted to hospital for weight stabilisation....spent 12 days in ward ...Fed by pump through PEG tube..... my stomach would not tolerate Ensure.... put on Jevity liquid feed .... weight then stabilised.

Eating much better now..... healthy BMI.

Peter 

plr.cht.nhs.uk/.../Taste Changes - Advice for head & neck cancer patients A4

Hi, they suggested I put on weight before treatment to offset any loss during treatment.  Think I put on a couple of kgs and then pretty much maintained my weight throughout treatment and the immediate, short term aftermath. I did start to lose weight, unintentionally (pretty slowly though so nothing drastic or that worried my team). I am now 20 weeks post treatment and probably lost about 10-12 kgs in total though my weight has been pretty stable for the last month or so.

Hi peter

Reading ublost dueing chemo.    My hubby just had his first intense chemo  week ago and from first day he went into hospital (spent 5 days in velindra) to now a week being home hes gone from 12st 7 to 11st 4.  Cant have peg fitted whilst on chemo.  Not eating.    Any advice.  Hes going back in week tomorrow for parr 2 and hes petrified x

Thanks folks , been told I have 55 gy over 20 days no chemo, so hopefully not too bad , thanks again for your replies no doubt I’ll be back when my treatment starts 

have a good evening 

Hi Cazza

I went from 14 and a half stones to 12 stone in 3 weeks....PEG tube kept my weight stable until eating solids was an option.  After leaving hospital I had home Video calls with Macmillan nurse, dietitian and speech therapist every two weeks, these certainly helped... also saved my wife driving me to hospital.... stressful 70 mile round trip.... treatment is tough mentally and physically I can certainly sympathise with both of you, strength is needed to get through the process.

Take care and good luck

Peter.

Paulmc said:

What’s your experience with weight loss during  radiotherapy 

None. My dieticians were really on my case. 
I lost a half stone during recovery