OT - Cancer Sucks - OT

Chris8938

My mom was recently diagnosed with stage 4 abdominal cancer.  As you can imagine it is quite a blow, especially since my dad passed away in November.  

The chemo is taking its toll on her as she is not really eating much.  Looking for ideas for meals off the egg, or not egged.  She seems to do best with fish at this point.  She did say she would try some planked salmon.  I will try to keep it as neutral as possible smoke wise.  She has been enjoying cod the last couple of days.  I am way out of my element with seafood on the egg and would be eternally grateful for any advice.  

I have an instant pot, which I will be making some bone broth, chicken noodle soup, etc.  I have my Anova at my disposal as well.  So if anyone has any tried methods/recipes from similar situations that seemed to work well, I am up for anything at this point in time.  Thank you all for input.

Chris

caliking

Sorry to hear this. 

Chemo takes quite a toll on the body, and taste buds as well. Ask your mom how her sense of taste is, then go from there. Smoke may or may not be her thing right now. Some folks prefer bland foods, others prefer more aggressively seasoned or spiced foods. 

If her appetite isn’t so great, she should ask her doctors about meds to stimulate her appetite. 

I wish her well. 

Ozzie_Isaac

Sorry for your families run health issues.  Hopefully the chemo works and things turn around for your mom.

JohnEggGio

Very sorry about your mom - and dad.  I’d try salmon, raised indirect, just on heavy duty aluminum foil - skip the plank to keep the smoke down.  God bless.

Fred19Flintstone

You got two good pieces of advice from @caliking & @JohnEggGio right there.  I wish I had some IP wisdom for you, but I'm just learning on mine how to not burn water.

The first Mrs. Flintstone passed away from ovarian C.   She did not eat well at all while on chemo.  She was never a fan of fish, so I would grill chicken.  She preferred bland, but I have heard of those that like things spicier like caliking said.  As a change of pace, how about lobster?

Good luck, brother.  My heart and prayers go out to you.

vegas slim

thoughts and prayers to your family if she lives in a state where marijuana is leagl look into some edibles with cbd it can help with that along with nausea has no thc in it so there will be no high tell your mother to KICK CANCERS ASS

Navymom

If smoke isn't agreeable to her you can do salmon in either the Instant Pot or using the Anova. Season as much or a little as needed.
Sorry y'all are going through this, prayers for all.

Battleborn

Sorry to hear this, a month ago my father in law went to the emergency room with abdominal pain and left with an aggressive form of liver cancer. It is sh!tty. 
Much like your mom, my FIL can't eat hardly anything. What he will take a few bites of one day will be totally unappealing the next. He had lost close to 30 pounds so far. What he has been able to keep down when he will eat are bland foods. Grits, cucumbers etc...
As VegasSlim mentioned above, CBD and THC oils have worked on occasion for pain and appetite, but a lot of the time he will throw it up before it had a chance to work. His oncologist highly suggested it, so if you live in an area that it is legal and accessible,  I would try it. 
Best of luck to your mother and your family. 

Photo Egg

Really horrible news. Very sorry buddy.
Might want to think about smoothies. Protein can be added. Hear patients at the hospital talk about it all the time.
Vitaxix is running great prices on recertified units.

mEGG_My_Day

So sorry to hear this.  I will be wishing your family all the best.

I haven’t been through chemo, but I have been on some very strong meds that impacted my appetite severely.  For me it was smoothies and milkshakes that worked best as mentioned by @Photo Egg.

Best of luck.

YukonRon

Our best to your mother.
We have been cooking recently for a couple of families that continue the fight against Cancer. 
I am in total agreement, it is an awful sentence to have to digest for all.
It seems, brisket cooks worked the best for those we have tried to help. Burnt ends, chili, brisket for meals, sammies, tacos burritos have all done well. The sides we made were au gratin, bleu cheese Cole slaw and those seemed to be the faves.
There is a lot of good information on this thread by those who know what they are doing.
I am hopeful this will help and relieve some of the stress for you, and perhaps provide something comforting for your mother.
Be strong.
If we can help in any way you see possible, do not hesitate to let us know.

gdenby

I know nothing about  abdominal cancer, but anything stage 4 is pretty bad. I don't know how she is absorbing protein, and have read malnutrition is a problem. Fish doesn't have much in the way of connective tissue, so perhaps that's why she likes it. Goes down easy, and breaks down easy. Make some bone broth/stock. Not hard, can have great flavor, and contains lots of gelatin protein, which would compliment what comes from the fish.

Your presence may be of a greater value to her than eating at this point. :(

Photo Egg

gdenby said:

Your presence may be of a greater value to her than eating at this point. :(

Very true