Barbara is eating a little more each day, but it is going to be a slow process. The main problem is that her taste buds are not back to normal yet, so some things she used to love, do not taste good at this time. For example, she had scrambled eggs and cheese this morning which she normally really likes, but it did not taste good at all to her. The other issue is that she has no desire for sweet things yet and most, if not all of the high protein and calorie drinks all taste sweet. She does like mashed potatoes, the rice from her chicken and rice dish, yogurt, soup and a few other things so far, but it is still very limited. We will keep trying some new things and see how it goes.
We have reduced the tube feeding down to 5 cans a day from 7 based on the eating she is doing. I will continue to adjust the tube intake based on about how many calories she is getting eating. This could take some time as even with things that taste good, she can only eat a little bit at a time. She does seem to be able to eat a little more at a sitting each day, but it will never get back to a normal meal. As the doctor says, she is in the transition mode and that could take a few weeks for the initial adjustment, but to get all the way through it, that could take several months. Overall, she is doing well.
We went out for a drive yesterday just to do something different. It seemed to help her spirits some. Right now we are just taking things one day at a time. We do not have any appointments until Thursday when we talk to the Oncologist again to go over her options for Chemo and then back to the surgeon on the 30th. I am in contact with the surgeon about her eating via email, so she is following her closely.
If anything else changes, I will do additional posts.
Wayne
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