ESLD and Nutrition

Hello, I'm new to the forum and looking for some advice on nutrition in ESLD. My Dad is currently going through the process of getting on the transplant list at the University of Washington. One of their concerns is how weak he is. He is malnourished. He tries to eat, but is very difficult. He complains when he eats, he feels pain and bloated. I am guessing this is caused by the Lactulose. He is now skin and bones. He has a tremendous amount of problems with his mobility because he is so weak. His meld is 20, which doubled in about 45 days time, so I'm afraid we don't have much time to get him stronger. We are scheduled to see the dietitian next week, and I'm going to talk about the possibility of a feeding tube, at least until he's no longer malnourished. I'm not sure how agreeable the dietician will be to that. I know this is a common problem, but I'm not able to find much helpful on this subject, so any help you all can give me on this would be greatly appreciated.

My partner lost so much weight before transplant...nearly 100 lbs in the last years.

He hardly ate anything.

Finally we got him on ensure or carnation B'fast. I added ice cream or milk.

He would eat puddings, and canned fruit. I made soup with bland seasonings.  He loved applesauce and canned peaches...I don't know why canned, it was sort of like he went back to his childhood...

It was rough but he made it. He is one year post transplant now.

Oh, and welcometo the forum.  Come often, tell us more about how he got sick, maybe we can give some other advice.

Good luck,

Mama Lama

I used an herbal remedy that gave me the munchies, along with lots of Ensure.

I used an herbal remedy that gave me the munchies, along with lots of Ensure.


Cleared up your cataracts also I guess ?







A. Ziffle

My husband used to like carnation instant breakfast, until he became somewhat lactose intolerant. I tried every shake on the plantet, boost, ensure, reliv, you name it. Hated them all. A friend finally recommended a product by EAS called Myoplex. He really liked that one. It may be because there was something in it that soothed his throat (he was undergoing radiation to his neck at the time )

That and a product called Kefir, which is yogurt based and is a pro-biotic drink were the only two things I could get him to take. And both were excellent products nutritionally speaking.

These days, with all the pain killers and the side effects from those (constipation ) I give him the carnation sometimes to shake things up, so to speak.

I don't know if it does anything for cataracts. : )

Mariei

I would take the Ensure, add fresh stawberries, or banana or coconut, or pear and vanilla ice cream, ice and make a smoothie. Sometimes I would add cinnamon or other flavorings. As long as hubby thought of it as a smoothie and with the fresh fruit, he was able to eat it...drink it.
Angie1953

Seattle , " Herbal " in the sense David is refer(ring) too is probably not something you could pick up at a local pharmacy unless of course you lived in CA. . You really need to be careful when dabbling in the herbal remedies when dealing with the liver . Alot of stuff is being released to consumers by unscrupulous people as a cure all for liver disease , There is no such thing . Stick to a good diet and take nutritional supplements like vitamins .



A. Ziffle

AH, gotcha! Thanks for clarifying. lol

OMG! I heard that phrase, "You don't eat enough to keep a bird alive" all through my adolescence. I'm a small person and fill up quickly. Back then, I was also a picky eater. A physical exam with blood work showed I was entirely healthy, so family finally stopped bugging me about how much I ate. After surgeries, I've always had a problem eating solid food. Mayo told me to drink the Carnation Breakfast Essentials, so that's what I drink on days where I just don't feel hungry or don't have time for a real meal.

Hugs,
Connie

The bloating is probably from Ascites/water on the abdomen . . my husband had a hard time with food when he was really full of water. I got fresh fruit, alot of it, and peeled it and he would munch on it. Also fresh frozen fruit mix in a bag . . helped quench his thirst . . he was on fluid restriction . . but mostly the popsicles . . flavored sugar water in the long plastic packages . . he ate 4-6 of them a day. Oatmeal with honey and some milk is a really good source of nutrition if you can get a few spoonfuls into him.

No salt or red meat, and be aware of all the sodium in canned goods and prepared meals like frozen dinners. I was not aware until my husband got sick of how much sodium is in food before you break out the salt shaker . . . even cereal has alot of sodium in it.

With a MELD of 20, if he is listed, he will be high on the list. All TP centers are different, and transplant at different MELD scores, but when you go for evaluation, they will go over that with you.

Is you husband a veteran? If he is, he can go thru the VA to get his TP.

Good Luck and keep us posted!!

Debbie

Cable Poodle-
We thought ascites in the abdomen was the cause of the problem too, but the dr didn't feel there was enough fluid to interfere with eating. I tend to disagree. My Dad is not a veteran, but he has very good insurance, thankfully. We're pretty confident he'll go near the top of the list, however, the University of Washington transplants patients in the high 20's, but we will find out more information at the required transplant class in a couple weeks. I know they did transplant some with Melds around 20. It's so hard to see him so sick, I pray it's sooner, rather than later. All your food suggestions are great and we'll definitely try them. I'll have my Mom double check the sodium in the canned foods and cereals he's eating. I never thought to look at that.

Connie- this is very interesting! I will push the docs to look into the fluid retention/ascites more, because he feels full/bloated constantly. I'm glad they were able to resolve your issue, and hope it never returns! Good luck with your protein intake, from what I see with my Dad, it's a struggle and wish you luck!