My husband has lost 20 pounds since diagnosis in February 2016. He has always been a thin man, but he's gaunt now. I'm baking cookies, adding butter to all meals, buying his favorite ice cream, etc. Still, he skips lunch because he's busy at work. Or doesn't feel like a second helping at dinner. He's 'full'. 130 pounds, 5'7" (170 cm) – was 150 lbs, 5'10" (180 cm), but multiple myeloma took that away.
I'm reading studies that say being too thin doesn't lead to good outcomes. I've made a serious effort to buy or make everything that would tempt him to eat and I've failed. I'm concerned and don't know what to do next.
Suggestions?
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wekebu - Name: Wendy
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Hubby
- When were you/they diagnosed?: Jan 2016
- Age at diagnosis: 55
Re: Caregiver frustration - patient won't gain weight
Have you tried Ensure? It's high in protein, and could possibly be something he might drink while he is busy at work? If you can get him to drink it several times a day, it can help him put some weight back on!
Best of luck to you!
Best of luck to you!
Re: Caregiver frustration - patient won't gain weight
Good morning Wekebu:
I recall a leading multiple myeloma doctor had said to us that aside for the multiple myeloma itself, the worst thing for a multiple myeloma patient is the couch. It sounds like your husband does not have that problem.
I think that you are right to be concerned about the weight, particularly if he would be considering an autologous stem cell transplant in the future. I don't know about any good advice that I have on the subject, but how about getting him to relax and recreate a bit more – smell the roses ... whatever it is that is his favorite thing to do while not working (or worrying about the multiple myeloma). Going sightseeing? To the ballgame? Fishing? Many people seem to eat better when they are relaxed.
Good luck.
I recall a leading multiple myeloma doctor had said to us that aside for the multiple myeloma itself, the worst thing for a multiple myeloma patient is the couch. It sounds like your husband does not have that problem.
I think that you are right to be concerned about the weight, particularly if he would be considering an autologous stem cell transplant in the future. I don't know about any good advice that I have on the subject, but how about getting him to relax and recreate a bit more – smell the roses ... whatever it is that is his favorite thing to do while not working (or worrying about the multiple myeloma). Going sightseeing? To the ballgame? Fishing? Many people seem to eat better when they are relaxed.
Good luck.
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JPC - Name: JPC
Re: Caregiver frustration - patient won't gain weight
Wekebu,
I second cindylouise's recommendation. Try Ensure or Boost. Some people who don't care for the taste mix some ice cream with it in a blender. I would recommend the vanilla Ensure. It's has the mildest taste. You could also try Boost.
I drank a lot of chocolate milk before and after my transplant. It was the one thing I could tolerate. I also lost my appetite and had nausea before as well as after the transplant. The steroids did not increase my appetite, which always surprised my doc. Everyone is different.
One of the things that appealed was canned soups. Maybe it was the high salt content, but it was something I could eat. Experiment with that. Also don't serve too much hot food. Cold or lukewarm food with fewer smells may be better. Keep him out of the kitchen if you are cooking. If you have had children, this is probably the closest thing to morning sickness that a man will experience!
Let him eat whatever appeals. If that's a donut and a glass of chocolate milk, even though we don't think of it as particularly healthy, it's better than nothing. I would also ask his doctor for a prescription for Ativan, which may enhance his appetite. Is he nauseous, or just no appetite?
Good luck and I am hoping that some of these suggestions help. It can be very frustrating to watch someone struggling to eat. Keep calm. It will pass, and he will be better. I lost about 20 pounds during the induction / transplant process. I have gained about half back. I was a little overweight before I began the induction, so I did not end up being underweight by the charts, but I felt like I was too thin at 113 pounds, even though I am just a little bit over 5 feet tall. People told me how "great" I looked, (If you're a woman, you can never be too rich or too thin!), but really I had to resort to wearing some children's sized clothing! I feel much better 10 pounds heavier.
I would definitely discuss this with your doctor. There are a few people on the forums who lost a lot of weight during induction/transplant, and they ultimately did fine.
My thoughts are with you guys. He will be OK. His level of activity is a very good sign.
Hang in there!
Ellen Harris
I second cindylouise's recommendation. Try Ensure or Boost. Some people who don't care for the taste mix some ice cream with it in a blender. I would recommend the vanilla Ensure. It's has the mildest taste. You could also try Boost.
I drank a lot of chocolate milk before and after my transplant. It was the one thing I could tolerate. I also lost my appetite and had nausea before as well as after the transplant. The steroids did not increase my appetite, which always surprised my doc. Everyone is different.
One of the things that appealed was canned soups. Maybe it was the high salt content, but it was something I could eat. Experiment with that. Also don't serve too much hot food. Cold or lukewarm food with fewer smells may be better. Keep him out of the kitchen if you are cooking. If you have had children, this is probably the closest thing to morning sickness that a man will experience!
Let him eat whatever appeals. If that's a donut and a glass of chocolate milk, even though we don't think of it as particularly healthy, it's better than nothing. I would also ask his doctor for a prescription for Ativan, which may enhance his appetite. Is he nauseous, or just no appetite?
Good luck and I am hoping that some of these suggestions help. It can be very frustrating to watch someone struggling to eat. Keep calm. It will pass, and he will be better. I lost about 20 pounds during the induction / transplant process. I have gained about half back. I was a little overweight before I began the induction, so I did not end up being underweight by the charts, but I felt like I was too thin at 113 pounds, even though I am just a little bit over 5 feet tall. People told me how "great" I looked, (If you're a woman, you can never be too rich or too thin!), but really I had to resort to wearing some children's sized clothing! I feel much better 10 pounds heavier.
I would definitely discuss this with your doctor. There are a few people on the forums who lost a lot of weight during induction/transplant, and they ultimately did fine.
My thoughts are with you guys. He will be OK. His level of activity is a very good sign.
Hang in there!
Ellen Harris
Re: Caregiver frustration - patient won't gain weight
Thank you for the suggestions and tips. I'm taking all your advice. Although I have to admit, I took a 2-day pity party and didn't try once to get him to eat. I'm 'back in the saddle' and doing my part.
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wekebu - Name: Wendy
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Hubby
- When were you/they diagnosed?: Jan 2016
- Age at diagnosis: 55
Re: Caregiver frustration - patient won't gain weight
Hi Wekebu.
After my ASCT my sister sent me a link to a book called, Radical Remission. One of the keys was not to eat sugar. I asked my onc about that and he said it is actually the level of glucose in your blood (not just the sugar). You want to keep blood glucose low and steady. He told me to get a diabetic (low carb) diet - even Atkins - and sure enough, my cancer markers came down when I started that.
I am 4 years after diagnosis and 3 1/2 years post transplant and I still eat a very low carb diet.
Cathy
After my ASCT my sister sent me a link to a book called, Radical Remission. One of the keys was not to eat sugar. I asked my onc about that and he said it is actually the level of glucose in your blood (not just the sugar). You want to keep blood glucose low and steady. He told me to get a diabetic (low carb) diet - even Atkins - and sure enough, my cancer markers came down when I started that.
I am 4 years after diagnosis and 3 1/2 years post transplant and I still eat a very low carb diet.
Cathy
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antelope1225 - Name: Cathy1225
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Myself
- When were you/they diagnosed?: May 25 2012
- Age at diagnosis: 55
Re: Caregiver frustration - patient won't gain weight
My husband was also already very slim and lost 25 pounds when he first got sick. All his clothes were falling off him. One thing I did was make smoothies with a protein powder, organic grass-fed whole milk (for more omega 3 fatty acids), a variety of frozen fruits, and handfuls of fresh spinach. I swear you can't taste the spinach with everything else. Our young kid also gulped them down and had no objection to the spinach.
One tip is to blend the protein powder and spinach in the milk first to make sure it all dissolves, then add the chunks of fruit. (You may need some type of sweetener if the protein powder doesn't have it, depending on whether he has a sweet tooth). He could even take some in a thermos to have at lunch if he doesn't want to take time to sit down and eat.
Hope that helps. It's so hard to watch a loved one get so gaunt-looking.
One tip is to blend the protein powder and spinach in the milk first to make sure it all dissolves, then add the chunks of fruit. (You may need some type of sweetener if the protein powder doesn't have it, depending on whether he has a sweet tooth). He could even take some in a thermos to have at lunch if he doesn't want to take time to sit down and eat.
Hope that helps. It's so hard to watch a loved one get so gaunt-looking.
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mplsterrapin - Name: Ari
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Husband
- When were you/they diagnosed?: Fall 2015
- Age at diagnosis: 54
7 posts
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