Odd question

Spoke with Dad last night. Mom hasn't eaten in about a week now. Here's
the odd question... When Mom was on Megace, it made her hungry all of the
time and she gained weight. Dad is wondering if she should start taking it
again with hopes that she'll at least start eating a little bit again. His
reasoning is he doesn't want her to starve to death. This has nothing to do
with stopping the cancer, but his thought process is to find a way to get
her to eat so she's not so very weak.

I appreciate some feedback on this one.

TIA

--

·.·´¨ ¨)) -:¦:-
¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
Laurie
((¸¸.·´ ..·´
-:¦:- ((¸¸ ·.·

*~*LiveLoveLaugh, and hangin' in there!*~*

Paddle together, bail, paddle; paddle, bail; paddle towards the land.
~Hawaiian proverb

~*LiveLoveLaugh*~ wrote:

> Spoke with Dad last night. Mom hasn't eaten in about a week now. Here's
> the odd question... When Mom was on Megace, it made her hungry all of the
> time and she gained weight. Dad is wondering if she should start taking it
> again with hopes that she'll at least start eating a little bit again. His
> reasoning is he doesn't want her to starve to death. This has nothing to do
> with stopping the cancer, but his thought process is to find a way to get

Hello Laurie,
That was when she was living, Laurie.
She's too weak and cancer-ravaged to eat and digest.
Ever been sick and not feeling hungry?
Then recovering and feeling hungry, sometimes ravenous, but unable to eat; just
a little.
That won't happen with your mother; the cancer and dying process is in charge of
her body now.
Even if you could artificially increase her appetite, and forcefeed her, her
digestive system would rebel.
It's hard on us; until we understand that not eating is easier and gentler on
the dying loved one.

I suppose I'll get my fingers slapped for this one as well, but here goes.
I've been around animals and birds all my life and tried force-feeding dying
ones.
It was cruel and unusual punishment, for the animal, and a trail of tears to
even try.

We went through it with Dad. Sometimes if we touched near his mouth or dabbed
his tongue with some water; he made tongue movements; making us think he wanted
food, but it was water and dryness that was bothering him. The nurse will show
your Dad how to hydrate her mouth and lips and eyes.

I know it's hard, Laurie. I had pictures of my mother, but can't find them at
the moment and maybe it's for the better..
Hugs

J

J wrote:
> I suppose I'll get my fingers slapped for this one as well, but here goes.
> I've been around animals and birds all my life and tried force-feeding dying
> ones.
> It was cruel and unusual punishment, for the animal, and a trail of tears to
> even try.

You're not alone.

--
Asking Iran and Syria to help us succeed in Iraq is like your local fire
department asking a couple of arsonists to help put out the fire.
-- Joe Lieberman

"~*LiveLoveLaugh*~" <Nobody@myjunkaddy.com> wrote in message
news:BcUeh.36436$zB4.24966@twister.nyroc.rr.com...
> Spoke with Dad last night. Mom hasn't eaten in about a week now. Here's
> the odd question... When Mom was on Megace, it made her hungry all of the
> time and she gained weight. Dad is wondering if she should start taking
> it again with hopes that she'll at least start eating a little bit again.
> His reasoning is he doesn't want her to starve to death. This has nothing
> to do with stopping the cancer, but his thought process is to find a way
> to get her to eat so she's not so very weak.
>
> I appreciate some feedback on this one.
>
> TIA
>

Megace has been tried in patients with advanced cancer to try to improve
appetite and weight. It works moderately well in some patients.

> Spoke with Dad last night. Mom hasn't eaten in about a week now. Here's
> the odd question... When Mom was on Megace, it made her hungry all of the
> time and she gained weight. Dad is wondering if she should start taking
> it again with hopes that she'll at least start eating a little bit again.
> His reasoning is he doesn't want her to starve to death. This has nothing
> to do with stopping the cancer, but his thought process is to find a way
> to get her to eat so she's not so very weak.
>
> I appreciate some feedback on this one.
> Laurie

There is a time when steroids are appropriate and a time when they are not.
It is highly unlikely that they will do anything anyway in the final stages
and there can be side effects which may be undesirable.
If not eating causes distress to the patient, and it can in the earlier
stages, then it is worth trying them and it can be very effective. If your
mother doesn't want to eat, and that is really what cancer is all about,
then trying to make her is only going to cause her more distress. There is a
huge difference between starving to death as happens to poor people and the
gentle wasting that diseases like cancer cause.
There is one rule and one rule only that applies to patients in there final
weeks regarding food and that is "whatever they want, whenever they want and
as much or (importantly) as little as they want"
There are battles you can win with cancer and that is most of what symptom
control is all about but the important thing that hospice / palliative
specialists try to get accross is that there are also battles that cannot be
won. There is a time to fight and a time to gracefully accept the
inevitable.
MIKE