Q: My mother is 66 years old and is terminal cancer patient. Suffering from cancer of the breast, bone and stomach along with tumours in the bowel that are inoperable. Her abdomen keeps filling up with fluid. She gets it removed and it returns within 14 days. Nutrition is a concern. She can eat when there is no fluid in abdomen, but as the abdomen fills up she starts to vomit everything back up. What are safe foods to give her?

A:As your mother is a terminal cancer patient our aim should be to make her comfortable only. You have mentioned that her abdomen gets filled up with fluid and she feels better when it is removed. Unfortunately every time fluid is removed the body loses some amount of protein along with it. So it is best to restrict removal of fluid to the minimum, only when it is really uncomfortable for her to bear the distress. It so happens that the more we remove the fluid, the faster it gets accumulated the next time and this cycle is repeated. Give her high protein nutritious food in small frequent feeds and try to make it as tasty as you can or at least the way she likes it. Other foods can also be taken in moderation with a balance of carbohydrates, proteins and fat. Make sure to add some bulk forming food so that she is not constipated.