Weight loss concern and healthcare team

Hi 

Welcome to the forum, we will do our best to help answer your questions. 
First we are not doctors or maybe the odd one, it’s things we have experienced in our treatments etc.

Loss of appetite can be due to the hormone tablets, or the stress of finding out about this disease which I call it you have. Support from your doctor may not start until your treatment starts, although this is not always the case, mine was helpful, but as I’ve said until treatment starts all they can give you is pain relief.

Having said that have you informed them of your loss of weight ? Also ask the urologist about this. A phone call to McMillan nurses may help or a chat with the McMillan cancer team at the hospital may also help. I cannot tell you what to take as I might be going against hospital or doctor policy, so try the few I’ve mentioned see how they reply.

Stay safe

Joe

Hello Skippy.

I notice from your previous post that the hormone therapy is causing you bone pain and any pain is going to put you off your food. I cannot answer your question about medical support as I do not live in the UK but am sure that someone else will come along and guide you. My husband initially lost about 15kg before he was diagnosed with PCa and I had to work hard to tempt him to eat and to stop the downward spiral. The things he found easiest was chicken soup which I supplemented with lentils and lots of vegetables, home made tomato soup with haricot beans, basically anything that was easy to eat. Anything to try and get as much protein and vegetables down him as the first thing you lose is muscle and this is the most difficult to build up again. I also gave him 5 smaller meals a day. If your drop in weight is severe then have a word with your doctor who can prescribe meal replacements to supplement your diet. Be careful about eating too many bought muesli type of bars as they tend to be high in sugar. If you are interested in baking your own 'healthier' version then I will post my go to recipe which goes down a storm with everyone who has tried it. Nuts, particularly walnuts and almonds, are good as a snack and give added protein. I substitute quinoa for rice and gluten free pasta for normal pasta.

The hormones are going to take a couple of weeks to get into your system and I found that about a month after starting them my husband stopped losing weight so I hope the same happens for you.

Hello Skippy1959 

I can agree with joeven it's a journey you are starting and things will start to fall into place as you progress. I have something called a "shared agreement" between my Urology department and G P so that I have my HT injections and PSA tests at the G P's surgery. This was all agreed at the MDT meeting when I was given my diagnosis.

A few points that may help you.

* Make sure your Consultant copies you in to all correspondence with your GP.

* If you live in England download the NHS App and ask your G P surgery for FULL access to your records - this way you will see your test results for tests at the G P's and should see all correspondence between them and the Consultant.

* Ask your G P to prescribe Vitamin D and Calcium tablets as this is often overlooked and the HT can weaken your bone structure and make breakages easier to happen.

Again, any questions there is your G P, MacMillan nurses or you can use our "online" Ask a Nurse . I have provided the link to this service - allow a couple of days for a reply.

Feel free to ask anything - I am sure you will receive an answer from the Community.

Best wishes - Brian.

Thanks for the advice and I would love your recipe if you could send it that would be great 

My nutty bars start by lining a 7" square tin with greaseproof paper and turning the oven on to 160C fan oven or180C normal.

Melt 150g butter or margarine and 1 very large tablespoon honey together (I put them in a large bowl in the microwave).

Add 0.5 cup (a cup is a 250ml measuring cup) each of flour, dessicated coconut and chopped walnuts.

Add 1 cup oats and 1 cup mixed sultanas and cranberries.

Spice up with 1 teaspoon of ginger and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.

Mix well and load into the tin then cook in the middle of the oven for 20 mins.

Allow to cool and cut into 12 portions whilst still warm.

I sometimes add glace cherries if I have them if I am feeling decadent.

I hope you enjoy them.

I highly recommend your nutty bars Alwayshope. I gave hubby your recipe when you first posted it and he’s made a few batches since. They’re delicious and gone within days. We are eating them for the protein rather than the weight gain though?! Hormone treatment for hubby and menopause for me have already helped in that department! 

xx

Really glad you enjoy them. For additional protein add something like a tablespoon of chia or sesame seeds. If the gut needs a bit of a boost I sometimes serve up Greek yoghurt with a crumble of the nutty bar and chopped prunes on the top for breakfast. Not too often because I am aware that dairy is contraindicated with prostate cancer.

Really should I be minimising dairy intake ? 

Thank you, we already add chia seeds as they were included in your original posting of the recipe. He also now adds a spoonful of chia seeds to his porridge each morning.

There is some evidence that dairy goods can promote prostate cancer cell growth. I have replaced dairy milk with rice, oat or soya milk in cooking. Cream cheese is better than hard cheese, particularly if you are making a cheese sauce. Limit yoghurts. A calcium and vitamin D supplement from your doctor should be prescribed because hormone therapy will leach calcium from the bones. Try and replace some caffeine drinks like tea and coffee with herbal ones if possible - my husband has a couple of sage teas a day which helps with hot flushes caused by the hormone therapy. If you can't do without your milk in tea then use skimmed or semi skimmed. Unfortunately there is also something in eggs, the yolk in particular, so limit them to 2 - 3 a week. It's a case of substituting where possible but still enjoying your food.