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Excessive thirst and lack of appetite

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Posted 4/10/2019 6:10 AM (GMT 0)
Hi guys,

Unfortunately Zytiga failed for my dad and the doctor is going to try Lutetium 177 in a week or two.
Meanwhile this is a month that my dad doesn't get any medication for his PCa, his appetite is very poor. He says he feels full all the time and he feels extremely thirsty most of the day and even at midnight. His blood sugar is normal but his RBC and Hemoglobin are low.
Any idea how we can help him?
We already visited a specialist the day before yesterday and he has given him some antidepressant (he is recently severely depressed) and also some appetite boosting pills but no results yet.
Any shared experience counts as I feel really helpless. I traveled from Canada to my home country to be with him and help him by any means I can, but things look really out of control.

Post Edited (Farz53) : 4/10/2019 12:19:25 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 4/10/2019 7:18 AM (GMT 0)
Just hang in there. It will get better.
Posted 4/10/2019 2:43 PM (GMT 0)
It has been some years since I actually enjoyed the idea of sitting down to a big dinner. Last night I ate two mini tacos (the healthy style), and felt stuffed to the gills. There was a third one that I ate to be polite to the host, but it was far too much food. Ten years ago, four of those was the first of several plates.

My daily routine is lots of small snacks (mixed nuts, dried fruits, carrots, cheese, the occasional nutrition bar, etc). The only days I actually want food is after chemo. I suspect it has to do with the fairly dramatic changes in fluid in my system those days. (They do an extra bag of saline to battle the nausea that follows on chemo night). Knowing that any dehydration brings me nausea and dizziness, I choke down water even when I don't want it.

Part of it is as well in "taste". I really don't taste much anymore, and if I do, it will be heavy spices that carry a certain gastro penalty the next day. I am more excited by crunch and crackle of a food than the taste.

Now it does seem that I am doing something right, be it healthy or not, because I am only losing weight in small increments, while the onco is amazed that I haven't dropped the 50+ pounds they expected.

The Zytiga "failed" for me not because of PSA, but because it caused near liver failure. Xtandi worked much longer.
Posted 4/10/2019 5:52 PM (GMT 0)
I just thought to add this.

Sometimes I am hungry, but can't bring myself to eat. This may be part of your dad's issue, not that he has no appetite, but that it is just too much trouble, and he doesn't want to admit that. I've found that brushing my teeth more often, and using a dry-mouth rinse helps with that.

The down side is that I've come to hate the taste of toothpaste, which makes brushing a chore. I had often wondered why we see the horror pictures of how people let their attention to dental issues deteriorate, but now I understand too well.

I have strategic bowls of nut / dry fruit mix scattered around the house, and "graze" a lot.
Posted 4/11/2019 8:07 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you guys. @142 appreciate your expressive reply. Do you take any supplement? My dad's RBC counts are low and he started feroglobin supplement yesterday, but he always forgets his Calcium. Any specific supplement to improve his condition? (appetite, fatigue, depression, muscle weakness...).
BTW seems after 3 days of cyproheptadine his appetite improved just a bit, still a beam of hope for us. His mood also slightly improved. Fingers crossed.
Posted 4/11/2019 11:55 AM (GMT 0)
Farz,

I don't take "supplements" in the non-prescribed sense, so no, I don't take things of my own experimentation. I do take vitamin products at the advice / consent of my doctors to help with calcium loss from the bones (Calcium, K-2) and iron deficiency (Folic acid, B-12).

None of those were started / intended for chemo or appetite. My onco is of the opinion that keeping a reasonable weight is more important than the exact diet that accomplishes that. He does prefer my nut / fruit mix to most of the junk that is on a store shelf. At the same time, they don't want me using cooking appliances (other than a microwave) or driving in the couple of days after chemo, so I do try to find some decent "freezer meals" There are very few that are both healthy and avoid the few awful veggies I truly hate, but they love to include.
Posted 4/11/2019 1:40 PM (GMT 0)
You have to hate the cauliflower, carrots and pea mixture in most of the tv dinner type meals.
Posted 4/12/2019 7:14 AM (GMT 0)
Cauliflower and broccoli are hated junk in my mind
Posted 4/13/2019 12:59 AM (GMT 0)

142 said...
Cauliflower and broccoli are hated junk in my mind

I love them roasted. Put in bag with sesame oil, parm cheese, garlic, tumeric and shake shake shake. Brussels sprouts too.
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