At 10:15 AM 10/14/96 -0700, you wrote:
>My mother recently had her left lung removed due to acinic
>carcinoma. [An aside -- from all examinations, this seems
>to have been primary in the lung, although it is usually
>primary in the salivary glands.] Other than the lung, part
>of the pericardium, part of the pleura, and a small piece
>of the diaphragm was also removed. She will have periodic
>exams to check for additional metastasis, but no
>chemotherapy or radiation. She is 65.
>
>It has been nearly 2 months since the surgery, and she is
>up and around -- can drive again, if absolutely necessary.
> Problem is, whether it is the afteraffects of the surgery
>itself or the pain medications, she has absolutely
>whatsoever NO INTEREST in eating -- no taste, no appetite,
>etc. -- and is down to 101 lbs. for a 5'-6" woman. While
>she expressed concern over her lack of appetite and the
>slight nauseau, she has cancelled her meals on wheels, etc.
>and is existing on what she calls "healthy" foods -- an
>occasional banana, some vitamins, skim milk. Won't go fot
>whole milk -- I get the feeling she thinks it will make her
>fat.
>
>I read that patients recovering from cancer and surgery
>NEED a certain amount of calories and protein a day, and
>she is not getting it. She is very independent, lives
>alone, and likes it that way.
>
>Anyone got any personal experience with post-surgery
>anorexia (loss of appetite)? Any help with how long this
>will last? Any good arguments for eating higher-calorie
>foods? (She even ditched the Ensure and got vitamins,
>instead, so she's lost those couple of hundred calories.)
>Any support groups out there?
>
>Please reply -- jemirand@worldnet.att.net
>
>
>
>
If you can access newsgroups (bulletin boards), try alt.support.cancer.
Jeffrey S. McDowell
Ribi ImmunoChem Research, Inc.
jsm@ribi.com
