Nutrition assistance

[Jane742]

My partner who is only 46 has just been diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma, we started treatment on Wednesday,  he will be undergoing 3 rounds of immunotherapy at 3 week intervals.  Then have scans to see if he is responding to the treatment,  then we go onto 4 week rounds. 

Due to where the tumors are he finds it hard to keep food down and he is thinking shakes might help but i am unsure of which ones to get and hoping someone may point me in the right direction please.

[Freddelo]

I would ask your oncologist to refer you to a dietician. If your husband gets treatment in hospital they may have a dietician you can speak to and get suggestions and information from. Otherwise GPs can also provide dietician referrals.

Ideally you want to get shakes that are a bit more holistic in their content than just protein powder shakes. Sustagen would be a good place to start and is readily available at supermarkets until you can get dietician recommendations. Up & Go is probably less “healthy” but is another option available at supermarkets. Ensure is possibly another shake to look into (may be able to get it through a chemist). Again though, definitely a good idea to speak to a dietician, especially if this is something you’re looking to replace meals with as very few shakes can substitute a full diet.

Edit: probably a good idea to get a dietician referral anyway if he’s struggling to keep food down!

[Patches]

due to his treatments my late husband also had issues with food intact.

the dieticians at the cancer treatment centre at the local hospital were wonderful.  We spoke with them few different times and each time the dietician came up with new ideas and thoughts.  

One of the things that the dietician did recommend was milkshakes using either Ensure or Sustagen .  through the dietician we were given some sample packs which were similar size to average tetra packs.  Dieticians we dealt with advised they could authorise the purchase of the tin of powder which would be cheaper than purchasing it ourselves direct from local pharmacy.

The staff at the hospital where my husband had his chemo treatments were always happy to answer any questions from patients plus family members.  I would recommend you talk to the staff where your husband has his treatment and ask for their assistance with referral to speak with dietician.

[MacL]

Definitely see a dietician !  You should be able to access one through your doctor.

Ensure is much better than any of the other readily available alternatives ( Sustagen or Sanitarium) and my husband likes shakes made with the powder and a banana and a little ice cream.

The hospital may have something even better. In WA the hospitals provide Fresubin which comes in several different formulations. I believe it it's only available through dieticians.