Cancer cachexia and nutrition

[MM2007]

Hello,

What other issues regarding the implementation of nutritional interventions in a patient with cancer can occur, so far i have trying to get the patient to eat, thus what therapeutic interventions could i introduce in caring for the patients nutritional needs.

I really appreciate everyones help and time.

Thankyou.

[CaLLaCoDe, BSN, RN]

Asking the physician if you could possibly have an order for marinol (a derivative of cannabis) to stimulate the hunger center in the brain, since the patient may be undergoing chemo and this can lead to poor appetite.

Encourage the patient to make favorite food choices, such as a fruit salad with cottage cheese to bring flavor, delight and pleasure to the nutritional intake demands of cancer. This helps to veer the patient away from thinking you ,the nurse, are trying to get me to eat A LOT!!! Puts it back in the patient's corner, power that is!!! Patients undergoing CA tx can often feel powerless!

Encourage small amount of handfulls of healthy stuff at a time during the course of the day, rather than stuffing one's face in one sitting. This is an effortless way to gain weight, taught by the experts, kids who snack and watch a lot of TV!

Anyway, good luck with your studies and hope this triggers constructive thought patterns!