Dietician visit and post chemo

First off, the good news...Tom completed his first round of chemo on Saturday and we opted to get an extra bag of fluids to help keep him well hydrated and hopefully minimize any symptoms.  Luckily at this point (Tuesday evening) Tom has only had minimal side effects from the chemo.  The ONLY symptom they could guarantee he'll get is cold sensitivity--both to the outside/skin effects along with food/drinks the week following chemo.  He's had a little bit of an upset stomach, but nothing major so far. 

When we met with the Oncology Navigator last week, Tom's case was discussed at the "Tumor board" rounds.  She said there's roughly 16 doctors including surgeons, radiation oncology, oncologists, etc.  Locally they usually do 6 months of chemo before considering surgery.  According to the nurse, they wouldn't be discussing his case if they didn't feel like he'd be a surgical candidate as long as his body responds to chemo like anticipated.     

We had a visit today with the dietician as Tom was intentionally losing weight when he started on Mounjaro last November, however he obviously has continued to lose more weight than we'd like due to his health the last month or so.  The dietician is recommending 2000-2300 calories and 100-115g protein/day, which he's currently not getting close to as he's almost never hungry 😔 So lots of protein shakes, high calorie items, and adding ice cream into the shakes on his non-chemo weeks!  She also recommended frequent small snacks/meals, less than a cup of a food at a time, and to set timers to eat every 2-3 hours.  It'll be a whole new routine for him in hopes of maintaining his weight 🤞  

We have not heard back from Mayo yet about his options there, but we will be calling later this week to get an update from them.  It's only been about a week, but we want to make sure the documentation portion of the records arrived in addition to the scans. 

On a personal note, despite being married for 20+ years, it still amazes me when I learn something new about Tom and I.  We process the information we are being given very differently about his health.  Tom tends to tell everyone everything immediately, partial details, suspicions, all the unknowns, etc.  I tend to process more and want more information, to ask more questions, and make sure I understand the full picture before sharing.  Neither is right or wrong--just different.  It also explains why "Input" and "Learner" are my top strengths.