indiogrl's Cancer Blog
September 9, 2008
| Cure for No Appetite after Cancer Treatments | Views: 679 |
Hello all. One of my supportors told me I should re-post some important information from one of my previous posts with a different title, so that all can benefit.
My cancer was in my tonsil, requiring me to have a feeding tube for a couple of months, and everything, even water, had to go through the tube.
After my treatments, I wanted to eat, but I couldn’t because my mouth was so dry, my taste buds didn’t work, and swallowing was still difficult. All of this was happening during the holiday season, and led to a major depression. To me, I wasn’t normal until I could eat, but I couldn’t eat. So I kept losing weight and the docs were concerned. Honestly by that point I was just too depressed to eat. My taste was back, I could swallow, dry mouth was a little better, but I just had no appetite.
Finally, my radiation oncologist suggested we try a drug called Megace. It’s a hormone, and it’s used in anorexics and aids patients to stimulate appetite. I’m telling you it was a wonder drug for me. Within 4 days, I had an appetite, and within a couple of weeks my depression had lifted and I was started to feel normal again.
So much of what we do in our lives focuses around food. I remember when I went back to work, I was so worried about how was I going to eat? At that point I was still doing only Ensure so I just took it to work with me, but people would have food stuff in the office, they would be celebrating a birthday, or the holiday, or they would very considerately out of the best of intentions ask me to go to lunch…. I remember going to restaurants and tearfully eating one spoonful of soup.
Anyone that has an appetite / depression issue should ask about Megace. I took it for less than 2 months, there really were no side effects other than my appetite came back. I told all of my doctors to remember that next time the have a patient who is having trouble with eating.
Cure for No Appetite after Cancer Treatments, 
1 comment)
Thanks for your support -
Good information gal thanks
Hug Sherri