In Sept 2008, I had a full gastrectomy (REMOVAL OF WHOLE STOMACH) after being diagnosed with linitus plastica stomach cancer. My cancer is either dormant in the abdominal lymph area or gone! However, I need to gain weight urgently and to date I haven't found anybody who seems to understand how to tackle this. I am 5'11" and now weigh ONLY 113 lbs.which is DANGEROUSLY SKINNY!!!!
Food is very hard to get down and most of what I am eating is blended up. Fresh homemade warm asparagus soup goes down fairly well. How do I get the nutrients I need to gain the necesaary weight and get my energy back?. I use to be 165lbs and I'd like to get to 145 as a target? Should I be insisting on TPN through a tube or what? I am also vegetarian - no meat nor fish. The health experts say eat lots of fruit, nuts, vegetables, seeds AND NO DAIRY. These things, despite being healthy are not adding me weight. 'Ensure' *****. It is so full of sugar which is not helpful to my Diabetes Type 2 which I am managing quite well without any medication. I am in Toronto, Canada and really don't know who to turn to for help. Sometimes I bring up very thick bile and trace elements of the food if it hasn't agreed with me. I chew very very well to compensate for the stomach and try to eat very slowly. Some say eat all day, graze like a cow, others say eat 4 meals to give your pancreas a rest. Problem is I often do not feel hungry so can't get food in on a consistent basis. I ate a very small piece of cheese pizza last night and I thought it was it all over. A very bad night resulted. I'm also quite dehydrated because liquid is hard to get down too. Any help or advice, resources, links, experience is always appreciated. Anybody who understands this dilemna is asked to contribute here. I don't have time on my side.
The Best of health to you
JT007
Toronto, Canada
.