My granfather is 82 and he has always been a hard worker. He was diagnosed with prostae cancer last summer, and now the cancer is in his stomach, and lungs . I am devastated because in 7 months he lost so so muc weight, poor appetite, dehydrated, and fluid buildup in his lungs.
My granfather has prostate, stomach, and lung canc
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Missy responded 2 months ago :
Hello. Welcome to Caring's groups. I'm really glad you found us and posted.
I'm so sorry about your grandfather's diagnosis. I've been through similar and watching the decline is so so difficult. ...especially when it's a big, strong, hardworking man who is becoming more frail.
I know these suggestions may barely touch the tip fo the proverbial iceberg, but if you are with him, have you tried offering him Ensure? My father-in-law, who had lung cancer, would even have ice cream in it as a really nutritious milkshake. For some reason he would also eat bacon. The rest of the time, he was nauseous or had no appetite.
I hope you continue to post here. I'm betting you'll find others who can offer you loads of support and advice.
Take care! And please keep us updated.
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Melanie Haiken responded 2 months ago :
I'm so sorry to hear about your grandfather. I cared for my father during his battle with cancer and he had all the problems you describe. As far as the nausea and weight loss, I can't say enough good things about smoothies and liquid supplements like Ensure. They were all that worked for my dad to try to keep weight on. I'd make him smoothies with ice cream, whole milk, and fresh fruit and add protein powder too. You can even add some powdered Carnation Instant Breakfast to boost the calorie count and nutritional value. Ensure is a supplement you buy at the grocery store that is specifically designed to boost calories.
As for the fluid buildup in his lungs, I'd strongly suggest talking to his doctor about this. You may have to be proactive and firm to get the doc's attention. There are things they can do to help with this and if your grandfather's suffering, it's worth demanding the doc's attnetion, even if you have to be a "squeaky wheel."
Good luck, hang in there, and come back and tell us how it's going. Maybe someone has other suggestions for boosting appetite?
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LauraL responded about 1 month ago :
Hi,
I"m sorry to hear about your grandfather. I know that when my father was in the last stages, his doctor said he could have whatever he liked, and he chose a pineapple milkshake. :) Perhaps ask him if there's something he would like and it could be prepared in a manner that he could take it easily.
Best of luck to you.
