[rep]

Best foods if still vomiting 3 weeks post transplant?

by rep on Tue Feb 20, 2018 11:47 am

My wife is about 25 days post transplant and is having a rough time of it.

First there was a blood clot in her neck caused by the Hickman line, but the current problem is the vomiting. She can’t really hold down much except a little toast, chicken noodle soup, or crackers and Sprite / Ginger Ale (not many calories there). Even Ensure doesn’t stay down.

Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions on food choices?

They have given her prednisone and various anti-nausea medications, but not much success so far. She is very weak, but her blood levels aren't too bad.

[stefania888]

Re: Best foods if still vomiting 3 weeks post transplant?

by stefania888 on Tue Feb 20, 2018 5:24 pm

I'm not sure the type of food matters if she is physically unable to hold it down, and it's not just aversion to certain foods. I'd still keep tinkering with the anti-nausea medications. When I had my transplant, I'd go in almost nightly for an anti-nausea medication that I had to get intravenously. I'll see if I can look it up and get back to you.

In terms of food or drink, I craved milk and kid cereals like Frosted Flakes and Lucky Charms. The dietitian didn't care because it was protein and calories! Some other patients in the transplant house I stayed in had good luck with fruit smoothies. I drank a lot of Ensure, but you've already tried that. Carnation instant breakfast is similar to that, but it might be different enough to be more tolerable for her, and you can adjust the concentration of it when you make it. Maybe even try milkshakes, malts, frosties, etc. (A lot of times cool or cold foods without strong smells are good.) I also did well with applesauce and mashed potatoes.

I think some of this is going to depend on what your wife thinks sounds good and what she absolutely can't stand the sight or smell of, so keep asking her. (I couldn't drink anything with ice, or see people drinking anything with ice, without feeling like I was going to vomit. I think it's because of the ice chewing with the melphalan infusion. That stuck with me months after coming home!)

Best of luck! Keep trying, she needs the strength!

[Terrij]

Re: Best foods if still vomiting 3 weeks post transplant?

by Terrij on Tue Feb 20, 2018 6:27 pm

My daughter had a very hard time with nausea. All she ever wanted and could get down was mashed potatoes.

[Jose]

Re: Best foods if still vomiting 3 weeks post transplant?

by Jose on Tue Feb 20, 2018 7:15 pm

Have she tried lorazepam (Ativan), just low dose .During my transplant, that helped me a lot. The side effect is it makes you sleepy and drowsy.

[stefania888]

Re: Best foods if still vomiting 3 weeks post transplant?

by stefania888 on Wed Feb 21, 2018 12:04 pm

Kytril (granisetron) was the medication I could not think of. I got it twice a day. As mentioned, Ativan helped me, too, but I only took it before bed. One pill (I think 1 mg) knocks me out.

[reece93]

Re: Best foods if still vomiting 3 weeks post transplant?

by reece93 on Wed Feb 21, 2018 1:31 pm

For several weeks the only thing my husband could hold down were BBQ Fritos and strawberry shakes - real milkshakes, not the supplement kind. We found this totally by accident one day when I was eating Fritos from the vending machine and they smelled good to him, so he tried them. Crazy combo I know.

[Swank]

Re: Best foods if still vomiting 3 weeks post transplant?

by Swank on Thu Feb 22, 2018 9:02 am

A few of the things that worked for me after transplant were applesauce, pudding, and peanut butter and crackers. Hot foods of most any kind just didn't work. It's kind of trial and error thing.
Good luck!

[Kimberly F]

Re: Best foods if still vomiting 3 weeks post transplant?

by Kimberly F on Thu Feb 22, 2018 10:25 pm

Dear Rep,

I lost 30 pounds when I had my stem cell transplant. The hospital dietitian told me to take Metamucil (psyllium fiber) in the morning and at night. I couldn't eat and had diarrhea (it sounded crazy to me). When I started taking it, I could tolerate a few foods. Bites of macaroni and cheese, bites of store-bought chicken salad. That's all I ate for awhile, but every day it got a little better. Now I can eat anything and I still take Metamucil.

God bless you!

[rep]

Re: Best foods if still vomiting 3 weeks post transplant?

by rep on Fri Feb 23, 2018 7:31 pm

Thanks. The vomiting seems to come and go. Some days are OK, but other days the same foods don't stay down at all.

Thanks for all the replies. We're trying different things as we go. I do think she is improving, but it's rough some days. Blood levels remain good, but still getting daily magnesium infusions.

[GoDucks]

Re: Best foods if still vomiting 3 weeks post transplant?

by GoDucks on Fri Feb 23, 2018 8:42 pm

Not sure if this will help, but my nausea / vomiting post stem cell transplant was related to motion. I'd feel OK, but if I went for a short walk around the unit, coughed, or moved too quickly, I'd get nauseous and sometimes vomit. The nurses actually used a scopolamine (hyoscine) patch like you can get over the counter for motion sickness, and it helped a lot.