Hi all, Although I have not mentioned this before, or seen it on a post, in the last month or so I have been experiencing considerable itchiness at base of back and legs and arms. I consider this to be dryness of the skin so lather on aqueous cream. This situation started about a month ago - 3.5 months after cessation of radiotherapy!

Anyone else suffer similar experience? Also, still struggling to maintain weight. A real trial attempting to achieve this.

How many calories a day is now required to maintain weight for a guy originally 11 stones?

Regards........Fridge

Hi Fridge
Paul had this problem, but his was a symptom of low calorie intake, he still gets occassional rashes but these are more like eczema. Are you on any medication that could be causing the itching? I think i remember reading somewhere that you should try to take 2,00-2,500 calories a day, the dietician told Paul to eat every fattening food you're supposed to avoid, and put cream on any sort of pudding. A licence to pig out! The cream he uses for itching is called Conotrane, I think the district nurse got it for him. Hope this helps
Jennie

Fridge, Jennifer is sooo right. Eat all that stuff that you always tried to avoid. LOL. ICE CREAM is the best way to add on pounds. Mashed potatoes and Gravy as well. I have mantianed my weight actually could stand to loose some. I am feeding thru a tube and those little boxes are loaded with calories...Best of luck to you...GAIN GAIN GAIN.....Vicki Lynn

Dearest Vicki Lynn and Jennifer Sankey,

Many thanks for the information. I suspect my itchiness is due to low calorific intake. I do not think I have been hitting the 2000/2500 cals/day so that is probably the problem.

I remain in the US for another 5 weeks (till 21 February). I am supplementing my normal food intakes with Ensure Plus (360 cals per small bottle, I think).

Vicki, any other US high cal/protein product around to your knowledge?

The real setback is that I never feel hungry and so everything must be taken because I know I need it. However, apart from the active effort to swallow I have no problem/pain with intake. Very few things that I enjoy eating. However, I do think that the situation is slowly improving.

A final thought: Being in America where the medical setup is so different brings home, to me anyway, how lucky we in the UK are (the over 65s anyway), with our National Health Service.

Regards, Fridge

Itching, I have a patch on my right elbow, I have put loads of cream on every night, but it will not go away, have made a note of the cream, Paul is using. Thanks for info. Big Bear Hugs