I was told that Nepro would be all he needs. It has nutrients and vitamins. Can someone tell me something else he can be fed that won't leave him malnutritioned?
So sorry you are going through this. Your dad has prostate cancer as well as multiple debilitating illnesses. He is using all his calories to maintain his day to day life.
Your choices of tube feedings are limited due to his ESRD. The Nepro formula is made specifically for ESRD pts as a diet supplement.
His dialysis center should have a registered dietitian that you can ask to meet with to ask for their suggestions.
Chances are your father will never gain weight due to the nature of cancer cells taking over his good cells and the fact that cancer is a muscle wasting illness and often people with cancer lose weight. If you haven’t already please consider getting a hospice evaluation.
He can be tired of living with all of these problems. Dialysis itself will exhaust him.
I hope you will consider hospice for his end of life care.
Thank you. Am I really in that much denial. I see him everyday and his mind is sharp and to me he's seems to be doing a little better each time. But with everyone talking about hospice I'm feeling really out of touch.
I was looking over his medical records online and found a recently added the results from a CT scan of his chest. After having to look up what felt like every other term- that's when I realized he has a lot more problems than I knew or thought. Or actually what we've been told.
I was thinking that I should take a copy of it with us to his next visit with his primary. However I have no idea when that will be at this point. What would you suggest?
I am so sorry that you are going through this. Please speak to hospice and utilize the counseling they offer. You will benefit from understanding that your dad has multiple comorbidities and comfort is probably the most you can hope for.
Prepare your heart and head for his passing. Hugs!
I'm guessing it's normal for the family caregiver to keep thinking and hope that he's not as bad as it sounds. I always feel like I can tell when it's something serious but then usually at some point I'm hit with a bit of reality that there's more than I think or more than I want to admit. The thought of hospice or making him live somewhere else just about kills me. I really don't want to do that to him. Also sometimes I don't want to do this anymore but that guilt will hit me. How dare I feel like this/being so selfish when he is going thru what he is going thru. I am an only child and all of his immediate family is gone. He has no one else.
I agree with willie, with all Dad has going on, he may want Hospice. Maybe have Hospice come in to talk to him to see what he wants. Facilities don't always recommend Hospice. I had to ask. A feeding tube may be prolonging the inevitable. He has lost the ability to swallow. If losing weight, he may not be absorbing the food. I think they can test for that. His body maybe just shutting down. Hospice will make him comfortable and pain free.
Thanks JoAnn. He is actually so afraid of that. So much that when something is wrong and we both know it, he absolutely refuses to let me take him to Urgent Care or the ER because he is afraid they are going to keep him. And each time I tell him, I'm not going to let you do that to me again. If we had just came sooner it probably wouldn't have been so bad and they would have let you come home. But he is good at making me feel guilty.
My husband has a feeding tube and i ask for a feeding that gives the most calories for the least volume. We use 2Cal which has 480 calories. This has sustained him for over 2 years now. We adjust feeding according to his weight and what he eats each day. Whe he eats 480 calories we cut out a feeding. Good luck and prayers sent for guidance.
Your choices of tube feedings are limited due to his ESRD. The Nepro formula is made specifically for ESRD pts as a diet supplement.
His dialysis center should have a registered dietitian that you can ask to meet with to ask for their suggestions.
Chances are your father will never gain weight due to the nature of cancer cells taking over his good cells and the fact that cancer is a muscle wasting illness and often people with cancer lose weight. If you haven’t already please consider getting a hospice evaluation.
He can be tired of living with all of these problems. Dialysis itself will exhaust him.
I hope you will consider hospice for his end of life care.
I was looking over his medical records online and found a recently added the results from a CT scan of his chest. After having to look up what felt like every other term- that's when I realized he has a lot more problems than I knew or thought. Or actually what we've been told.
I was thinking that I should take a copy of it with us to his next visit with his primary. However I have no idea when that will be at this point. What would you suggest?
Prepare your heart and head for his passing. Hugs!
They will help both of you.
https://www.agingcare.com/articles/an-end-of-life-conversation-led-by-gawandes-questions-205721.htm
There are also several articles explaining how hospice works
https://www.agingcare.com/topics/90/hospice/articles
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