My mum has been diagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer last July. They couldn’t operate to remove the cancer but re-plumbed her so she could eat normally so the food bypassed the blockage she has. She has been through so much, chemo really took its toll on her for the 2 weeks following it but after all 8 rounds they said it had gone dormant which was so nice to hear after all the bad things. But she soon started feeling all the symptoms from before she got diagnosed and sure enough the cancer had started to spread. She ended up with a blocked bile duct which made her so poorly I thought she was going to die. But she had a stent fitted and we hoped she would start to feel better. Then she couldn’t go toilet and hadn’t been for over two weeks which again made her so poorly but they eventually managed to get her to go. Meanwhile her appetite has just got worse and worse. Now she has no appetite at all and can’t stomach having solids in her mouth, she is living off shakes of various kinds but even then she is only having 2 a day max. She is really wasting away and losing the energy to even get out of bed. She is making a slight effort to try and do a little walk and make sure she has her 2 shakes but is there any hope that her appetite will return at all? It is so heartbreaking to not be able to tempt her to eat knowing she needs to, to be fit for some more chemo but it feels like the not eating will take her rather than the cancer itself. I know she can’t help it but it feels like she’s a shell of her old self. I’m really just looking for a glimmer of hope that her appetite may eventually return and she can get stronger. Anyone have any positive stories? Or any tips of soft foods that other people felt they could stomach? She needs as much nutrition in the little bits she has. Thank you
