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My MIL has cancer ( stage 1), and dementia. She can’t do anymore chemo due to failure to thrive. Her body can’t handle it.
Now she eats a Halloween sized bag of chocolate a week, plus any sweet junk food she can get- and of course another family member gives her all kinds of junk.
Getting nutritious food in her is a challenge but we are able to get her to eat one good meal a day ( we cook and take)
Anytime she eats her good meal she has explosive gut problems.
I believe she has malabsorption syndrome.
Does anyone have experience with this? Do you have any tips to help?
And no she refuses to go to GI doctor because she’s “not having any problems and they can’t do anything anyway. “
Suggestions appreciated.

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Chocolate milk and cocoa would at least get a bit of protein in with the sweets. In all truth almost all control of anything at all at this point would mean to me that those things she can control, ie what she wishes to eat, should be honored. Does she have palliative care or hospice at this time? Wishing you all the best of luck.
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I would try to get her to take a probiotic twice a day and let her eat whatever she wants.

Failure to thrive is the beginning of the end, she knows this and she is making choices. As hard as it is to watch someone take this route, it is her life and she has the right to die as she wants.

Try to enjoy the time left and pick your battles wisely. I am sorry that your family is going through this terrible disease, may you all receive strength and wisdom.
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JoyfulOne, explosive gut problem.... oh boy, my Dad had that. Turned out he couldn't handle dairy products like milk, ice cream, cottage cheese, regular cheese, yogurt. Anything dairy. Got Dad the Lactaid brand milk [taste the same as regular milk] and Lactaid ice cream [the chocolate was sooooo good].

So, experiment with eliminating different food products from your Mom-in-law's diet starting with milk. It usually takes two weeks to see if that was the problem.

Unfortunately, milk chocolate has dairy :( I know if I get my hands on too many truffles, I am in trouble.
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