If you are experiencing any symptoms related to diet or require advice about PERT, don’t let the situation with COVID-19 prevent you from getting the help you need. If you have a dietitian involved in your care give them a call. Your medical team or GP will also be able to give you advice and support.
Weight loss
Losing weight is a common symptom of pancreatic cancer. It can affect how you deal with the symptoms of cancer and your treatment but it can also be very upsetting and affect how you feel generally.
Finding out what is causing your weight loss is really important. If you have a dietitian they should be able to advise you on this and offer you support. You could also go to your hospital team or GP for advice. You should get advice on how to make changes to your diet so you can get more calories and protein. You may be offered nutritional supplements which are often drinks or powders. These have extra calories, protein and vitamins in them.
If you have lost weight quickly, you may notice you have lost some of the strength in your muscles, having more protein in your diet and doing gentle physical activity can help rebuild this muscle strength which can help you to feel better and have more energy.
A word of warning – there is a lot of bogus advice online, making claims that certain types of diets or supplements can help people with cancer. More often than not these claims are not scientific, with no evidence to support them. If you have pancreatic cancer it’s important not to cut anything out of your diet, or take any supplements, without speaking to your dietitian, hospital team or GP first.