Gastric Cancer Support Group

DEAR pUMPITUP, iam sorry you are having this problem, problems. I have about 1/3 of my stomach left because of cancer and ulcers. Ive had about 6 abdominal surgeries and the last one that i was in hosp. for 3 mons left me weighing 98 lbs. It is very difficult for me too to gain weight. What have the docs. said? Do you get hungary? I would try enzymes to help to digets your food. Your problem is a little different because i still have some stomach left. I just started eating as often as i could each day. I finally gained about 13 lbs. but i have some more to go. Do you get nauseated when you eat? Does the food pass thru too quickly? Please try and not give up. If your doctors are not helping you thru this you need to get another. Please write me if i can be of anymore help to you at all. Make sure you are getting minerals and most important are injs. of B12 that you can no longer digest..Big Hug

Thank you Reginaann for your reply. I do get hungry or maybe it's just cravings for food but I wake up and start thinking of all the foods I want to cook and eat that day and then after breakfast I don't want to eat anything else ever again because it makes me feel so bad. Yes. I get nauseous after eating. My blood sugar goes crazy and I have no energy. The first nutritionist that I went to told me to drink 4 oz of water with my meals and that put me in the hospital with severe dehydration along with Pneumonia. I had no clue that drinking while I ate was causing all the diarrhea. Now that I wait to drink and then wait to eat that has stopped. This has helped me to gain about a pound. I also have Celiac so my diet is limited to food WITHOUT Wheat, Rye or Barley. The second dietitian I went to started the enzyme pills and they do help but I am also still taking Lortab or the pain meds they gave me after surgery. I don't like taking them, but if I don't then I won't even get out of bed to eat anything and without them I don't have an appetite. Oh, about the B12 I have had to take those shots since 1985 because my stomach never did work right and I didn't get the B12 from assimilation of my food anyway. So, my issues are energy or lack of, blood sugar issues, and nausea after eating. Will these issues just take time to resolve or am I doing something wrong again that I'm not aware of? Again, thank you for taking the time to reply and help!!!

Hi Pump, just read your post, and it seems like you are doing all the right things. The nausea is something you need to get something from the doc for it. There are some that are good and do not cause drowsyness. I would just hate it if i were nauseated all the time. You might need just more time for your body to adjust to all that has happened. Another thing is iron. I have to take it too because i get so little in my diet, and it really makes a difference. Do you take it? It makes all the difference in how tired i am. It can upset the stomach, but you probably do not need to worry about that. I hope this helps. Please let me know. Big Hug

Thank you again for your reply Reginaann. I don't take iron, but they did blood test and everything came back normal so they didn't tell me to take any extra vitamines. I take multi one a day and calcium along with the enzyme for digestion. I guess I just want to be better faster and I need to be patient. You are so sweet to be concerened with other people. I read your profile and journal and it looks like you could use a few hugs too. Bless you and Hugs to you too.

Oh and thanks for being my friend too. Yeah, I have a friend.

I know how you feel as i am ready for I.V. Fluids as i can't keep anything in! I hope you are doing ok and i have come to terms about my short life span. I wish you all the best and i want to do more for you but i can't! Not because i don't want to it's because i hurt so bad seeing so many people suffer and all i can offer is support! (hug) and i hope everyhing will be peaceful for you! I would like to be a friend if you wish?

Dear HurtUnit, Sorry you feel so bad. Big Hugs to you too. I was haveing trouble because a neutritionist told me to drink with my food and I found out after that put me in the hospital that I can't drink with my food anymore or it washes it right through me. So, with this information I'm doing much better. I wait 30 min. in between eating and drinking and now it stays in. I still don't feel very good after eating but they say that will improve also. I've also started using my Juicer that I've had for years and never used. This way I get the vitamines but I don't have to digest them. They really taste good too. Good luck to you I hope my bad expierence helps you or someone else.

Dear Pumpitup;

I am a stomach cancer survivor - 9 years now. They took my entire stomach and from the beginning I was blessed with many miracles.

Today, I eat everything, my weights back from 80/90 lbs to a nice 150! Took nine years but here i am.

Best advise is to try and be as relaxed as possible. I kept a positive as possible ... always laughing, nibbling constantly, fluids as much as possible. In my case I have problems with water and still do to this day - it just causes me to dryheave and they don't know why. So I do what I can and have hot tea a few times through the day, soups etc.

I kept the belief that "well, now it's out of my hands. All I can do is do my treatments, learn as much as I can and not worry about WHAT IF'S.

I don't know if this works for everyone, but it did for me. Honestly, I just wake each morning and send a special 'thank you' to God for another day.

I will try to keep up with my journal entries which I use to do for other's going through this terrible disease. If you wish to communicate, please ADD me ... ok?

Also any other members living with this horrible disease please ADD me and I wll do all I can to check in daily to offer any help I can.

Peace, Love and Joy

Hi Missnewf,

I like your positive attitude. I have stomach troubles myself and I am only 34. I had h pylori and gastritis which caused atrophy of the stomach lining and last year I used mastic gum to get rid of the h pylori and it caused me SEVERE stomach pains which damaged my stomach even more and pernicious anemia set in. My parietal cells no longer produce acid. I am at high risk for stomach cancer. I am scared but I will monitor the stomach regularly. If in the event I do get it my only option will be total removal. As I function currently it is as if I have no stomach anyway. Can you live a normal life span without a stomach? May I also ask where you had your gastrectomy done and how much it costs? Thanks