![]() Although a person may be dehydrated, they don't necessarily feel thirsty. People with cancer nearing the very end of their life can lose interest in drinking as well as eating. ![]() You can drink water and tea instead, or whatever you fancy. ![]() But if these make you feel uncomfortable, don't force yourself. There are also different types of liquid meals you might like to try. Keeping up your fluid intake might help you feel better if you can manage it. The main aim of your healthcare team is to keep you comfortable. So doing blood tests and giving feeds could cause distress and discomfort. You stop eating because of the way the cancer is affecting your body. People who have tube feeding need close monitoring with blood tests. But people who are in the final months or weeks of life don’t necessarily live longer or get stronger if they are fed in this way. Sometimes relatives might want you to have liquid food through a tube into your stomach or veins. Knowing this might help your friends and family accept that you don’t need to eat. As one doctor explains, “Lack of appetite isn't painful, but eating can be if your body can’t cope with food”. But if you don't, they shouldn’t try to get you to eat. It’s important that your family and friends recognise that the best thing they can do is just be there for you. It can be difficult if the people around you keep offering food you don't want. And it might cause bad feelings between you when you both need support and understanding. They might feel that if you eat, things will be OK. They could get very upset and try hard to make you eat. Your friends and family might have trouble understanding that you don't want to eat. Don’t feel you should force yourself to eat if you are at this stage. Or you might find that eating gives you stomach pain or diarrhoea. So even small amounts of food might make you feel uncomfortably full or sick. Gradually, as the body begins to shut down, it can’t digest food. Or it could be that you simply no longer need to eat so often. ![]() You might also feel too tired or fed up to eat. This might be due to other symptoms such as pain, sickness or breathlessness. People in the advanced stages of illness often lose their appetite, especially in the last few weeks of life. Although this is a part of the dying process, it can be difficult for family and friends to cope with. "It can change your entire eating experience in a positive way and be a major tool in avoiding overeating," says Julieanna Hever, MS, RD, CPT, a plant-based dietitian, and author of The Vegiterranean Diet and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition.People with cancer nearing the very end of their life can lose interest in eating and drinking. Turn off any distractions around you, sit quietly, and focus on all the aspects of your meal when you eat. Studies have shown that you can easily take in hundreds of extra calories simply by not paying attention." To avoid this overeating pitfall, practice mindful eating. "But our stomachs have 'stretch receptors.' When food hits our stomachs, the stretch receptors send a signal of satiety to our brains saying 'You're full!' This signal does not work if you eat while distracted. "Eating in front of the computer, TV, in the car, or while reading a book are all things we love to do," says Kimberly Gomer, RD, Director of Nutrition at Pritikin Longevity Center and Spa. This is one champion title you don't want to rock. 3 You're a Multitasking Master Shutterstock
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