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What causes loss of appetite in people with myeloma?
What could be the cause of loss of appetite that my husband is having due to the multiple myeloma itself? It is not due to any treatments, as he has not started that yet. He has always been a good eater.
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dogmom - Who do you know with myeloma?: husband
- When were you/they diagnosed?: December 2015
- Age at diagnosis: 58
Re: What causes loss of appetite in people with myeloma?
I also had loss of appetite prior to diagnosis and during treatment. I lost about 20 pounds.
Sometimes high blood calcium levels can cause nausea and loss of appetite. That was not the case with me, and no real culprit for the loss of appetite was ever found. Treatment knocked back my myeloma pretty well, and was followed by a stem cell transplant in October, 2014. It took me a long time to get my appetite back. Longer than most posters. Of course, anxiety played a role in that, too. I would definitely mention this to the oncologist. There are many meds that can ease nausea. I have found that a low dose of Atavan, which is a mild tranquilzer, helps a lot. When his treatment begins, I am sure they will give him dexamethasone. That, in itself, should enhance his appetite.
Is your hubby in pain? That in itself can cause a lack of appetite. Is he taking any opioids or pain killers? That can also affect appetite. In the interim, offer him cold rather than hot foods. Lots of fluids. After my stem cell, I pretty much existed on chocolate milk, tomato juices and soups.
Good luck. The waiting is the worst part of this. Once you have a treatment plan in place, you will feel that you are moving in the right direction. Most patients respond to treatment quickly.
I wish you a speedy recovery. There are many of us who are now enjoying a very good quality of life post diagnosis and treatment. I am 60, diagnosed at 59, and I have just started a new job! I work, run my household, exercise, cook, see friends, and pretty much do everything I want to do.
I have been reading your posts, and I am very impressed with your caregiving and interest in learning about the disease. Your hubby is lucky to have you in his corner!
Please keep us posted on his progress.
Sometimes high blood calcium levels can cause nausea and loss of appetite. That was not the case with me, and no real culprit for the loss of appetite was ever found. Treatment knocked back my myeloma pretty well, and was followed by a stem cell transplant in October, 2014. It took me a long time to get my appetite back. Longer than most posters. Of course, anxiety played a role in that, too. I would definitely mention this to the oncologist. There are many meds that can ease nausea. I have found that a low dose of Atavan, which is a mild tranquilzer, helps a lot. When his treatment begins, I am sure they will give him dexamethasone. That, in itself, should enhance his appetite.
Is your hubby in pain? That in itself can cause a lack of appetite. Is he taking any opioids or pain killers? That can also affect appetite. In the interim, offer him cold rather than hot foods. Lots of fluids. After my stem cell, I pretty much existed on chocolate milk, tomato juices and soups.
Good luck. The waiting is the worst part of this. Once you have a treatment plan in place, you will feel that you are moving in the right direction. Most patients respond to treatment quickly.
I wish you a speedy recovery. There are many of us who are now enjoying a very good quality of life post diagnosis and treatment. I am 60, diagnosed at 59, and I have just started a new job! I work, run my household, exercise, cook, see friends, and pretty much do everything I want to do.
I have been reading your posts, and I am very impressed with your caregiving and interest in learning about the disease. Your hubby is lucky to have you in his corner!
Please keep us posted on his progress.
Re: What causes loss of appetite in people with myeloma?
Ellen,
Thank you so much for your kind words. As I have posted before, I had breast cancer 11 years ago, and my husband was my wonderful caregiver for 10 long months. Now our roles are reversed, but I wish they were not. I would gladly go through it again if i could take it from him.
I think knowledge is power, and there is so much with cancer that we have no power over, so I will take whatever power I can get. Yes, I thought about the elevated calcium level. His was 9.0 when last checked about a month ago. His appetite was not as good as usual then, but nothing like now.
I will be glad for Thursday to get here and get more labs checked and get on with the bone marrow biopsy and whatever else the oncologist needs to get treatment started. He is having a lot of rib pain. Although our PCP gave him tramadol for pain, he has taken only one. He is not vomiting so much as it is hard for him to find food that tastes good to him, and he fills up so quickly.
He has been trying to eat smaller meals more often, and anything orange flavored taste pretty good to him. I can relate to this, but I was not like this until I started my chemo and tomato-based foods and cherry flavored things were my go to.
I hang on to the fact that many here have been treated and have gone on to live long productive lives. Thanks again.
Thank you so much for your kind words. As I have posted before, I had breast cancer 11 years ago, and my husband was my wonderful caregiver for 10 long months. Now our roles are reversed, but I wish they were not. I would gladly go through it again if i could take it from him.
I think knowledge is power, and there is so much with cancer that we have no power over, so I will take whatever power I can get. Yes, I thought about the elevated calcium level. His was 9.0 when last checked about a month ago. His appetite was not as good as usual then, but nothing like now.
I will be glad for Thursday to get here and get more labs checked and get on with the bone marrow biopsy and whatever else the oncologist needs to get treatment started. He is having a lot of rib pain. Although our PCP gave him tramadol for pain, he has taken only one. He is not vomiting so much as it is hard for him to find food that tastes good to him, and he fills up so quickly.
He has been trying to eat smaller meals more often, and anything orange flavored taste pretty good to him. I can relate to this, but I was not like this until I started my chemo and tomato-based foods and cherry flavored things were my go to.
I hang on to the fact that many here have been treated and have gone on to live long productive lives. Thanks again.
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dogmom - Who do you know with myeloma?: husband
- When were you/they diagnosed?: December 2015
- Age at diagnosis: 58
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