Well, it's been four months now, and my dad is starting to gain an appetite. His weight was stable at 120 lbs, but then he started to lose weight again, now he is stable at 110lbs. I'm making sure he's getting all six small meals and a bit from all the food groups.

We are planning on buying a vegetarian cook book, because we are running out of ideas. If anyone knows of a solution to this weight loss dilema, please let me know.

Thank you for you're time. :| :-k :?: :idea:

hi, i'm sorry to hear about your dad. but i hope that he will be feeling fine soon. my dad was diagnosed with cancer 7 years ago and he weighed about 110lb during radiation treatment. he has slowly gained 10lb back over the years. i'm not sure how tall your dad is, but my dad is 5'4' so his weight right now is not bad at all.

there is always a reason for drastic weight loss - did your dad check out what happen recently for his recent weight loss? i'd suggest to double check with the doctor first.

is he planning to gain his normal weight back? is he a vegetarian? is that why you are planning to buy a vegetarian cookbook? it sounds like you are doing the right thing by encouraging small frequent meals!! i found an article here which my dad constantly referred to when he was trying to gain his healthy weight back. once he reached his healthy weight, he started to eat healthy again to maintain his weight. hope it helps!!!

http://www.healthcastle.com/cancer-weightloss.shtml

Dear Ripplingthoughts:

As an answer to your question "Has anyone ever been diagnosed with esophageal cancer and survived" - of course they have. Your dad's chances of recovering and staying well for a long time depend on lots of different factors - for example, the size of the original tumour - the smaller the better.

In any case I am sure all the love and care you are giving him in this difficult period are the most important part of all.

Take care

Achi