Fortisip for very underweight OH

HelterSkelter as your husband is underweight his GP should refer to to see the hospital consultant dietitian. Also his GP would need to rule out what has caused your husband to be underweight. He is best to talk to his GP first and find out what health problems he has got .
Unless you already know if so then his GP should have already referred to the consultant.

After my mother in law had a heart valve repaired she could face food and her consultant prescribed flavoured drinks which contained the daily amount of protein etc your body needed. She had to drink 6 a day and they delivered her a supply every 2 weeks for 3 months when she started to eat small meals and cut down to 2 drinks a day. As her food intake increased they stopped the drinks.
Only side effect from just having drinks was constipation even though she had the amount of fluid she was told to have everyday. Unfortunately the constipated got so bad she had to have an enema in hospital as it was the only way to clear her bowel she then had to take daily stool softener and laxtive. Until she came off the drinks all together.

OH is under the hospital and GP. He has severe COPD and vascular problems.
All I hope for is a recommendation of good flavours to try as OH if he doesn't tlike them won't drink them

I am preparing food for him following the Macmillan build up diet which I followed pre and post chemo myself.

Having delivered bags and bags of cans of food supplements to a neighbour with cancer who died not long after, I dont want OH to have a wasted prescription if he doesnt like them. Goodness knows what happened to all those expensive cans. I doubt very much they went back to Boots.

I just want to increase his calories when he doesnt feel like eating enough.

When I had bowel cancer I was prescribed Fortisip and I liked the taste of the tropical one and I think one was called fruits of the forest.
When DH was dying and couldn't eat I bought them for him but he didn't like the texture of the drink and thought some of the flavours were too sweet. Vanilla is an option as it is not a strong flavour.

HS I know my mother in law didn't like the vanilla or chocolate ones as she said they had a funny after taste. But she liked the strawberry and mixed berry ones. Wouldn't even try the banana one. Could your husband have a pack of mixed flavours from the GP or hospital to try them?

Have you and your husband talked about what he wants and why he doesn't want to eat.

What I am going to write isn't to say this is what your husband wants but my own personal experience.
I know that is a very hard conversation to have had it with my husband and dad. Dementia killed my mom 4 months before her body died. But all 3 stopped eating even with mom's dementia it was her choice. They choose what they wanted . And that was to end their lives. And it's horrible and heartbreaking to watch. But I had to respect their wishes.

Quality of life is better than quantity. As without quality quantity doesn't matter. My husband was 47,dad 80 and mom 90 when they died.

This is my experience and mine alone.

Your husband might what years to come but unless you talk about it you are adrift and the worry about him will impact on your health.

I haven't written this to upset you or anyone reading this. But it's my own personal experience. And choices my loved ones made.

Good advice Whiff. My mum in hospital, is painfully thin, and doesn’t want to eat, their trying to spoon feed her, but she’s protesting. Maybe they should listen. She won’t have any of the fortisip drinks says their too sweet. There is a soup available which she just about manages. Hope you find something he enjoys.

When I had them a few years ago my first prescription had a variety of flavours ....then I could specify my choice after that

There used to be Fortijuice which is good for people who don't fancy milk.
Not sure whether it still exists.
I think that when someone is reaching the end and doesn't want to eat that should be respected. I hope nobody tries to feed me with a spoon!

A mixed pack seems to be a good idea.

Thinking of you.

As well as Fortisip, there’s Altraplen and Forti Juice.
All come in different flavours. But all seem to have an ‘undertaste’. That said ‘calories in’ is important.

I will see if I can get Vanilla in a 4 pack. Will look on line. He would drink a coffee flavour if they have that....but all the fruit ones especially strawberry would be a no no.

He is not at spoon feeding stage. I just want to get some more calories in like I did myself when blood cancer and anaemia made me lose weight. thanks for the flavour recommendations.

Cancer has been ruled out in his case. He hasnt got dementia.
He hasnt got much of an appetite. Thanks for your replies

Another option maybe worth considering for anyone not with a sweet tooth are Ensure drinks. As well as the usual milk shake fruity flavours they have some savoury flavours such as chicken or mushroom which can be heated. They also do a coffee flavour.

www.nutridrinks.co.uk/ensure-plus-coffee?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAx_GqBhBQEiwAlDNAZvjzHf4wjc-bSIE0ftd6j1iplb-GlSq8PhFU84mP6VXZ8ofV0WhjbxoCf6UQAvD_BwE

Crossed posts HelterSkelter1. That’s hopefully the link to a coffee one in my previous post.

Thank you Grannynannywanny I will look at this one.

Love your name!

HelterSkelter1 you might also find some useful tips here to help increase calories. We were given this food fortification advice from an NHS dietician a few years ago. The advice to fortify milk by adding Marvel dried milk was easily done. A pint made up and stored for the day in the fridge to use in coffee, porridge, custard etc was helpful in adding calories.
www.wsh.nhs.uk/CMS-Documents/Services/Dietetics/Food-fortification.pdf

There is also an online company called Proteinworks which sells good quality protein powders in loads and loads of flavours like cherry Bakewell, chocolate mint, peanut butter etc. they also do a hot chocolate one. Fitness fanatics/weight lifters use them to bulk up. They also do meal replacement ones I believe. I’ve used them a lot and they are very palatable. Good luck I hope you can find something useful.

Fortisip and Complan gave my father chronic diarrhoea .
Some people can't tolerate it .

I made endless small mini meals and gave him vitamin supplements .

HelterSkelter1
Having delivered bags and bags of cans of food supplements to a neighbour with cancer who died not long after, I dont want OH to have a wasted prescription if he doesnt like them.

You could ask for just a weekly repeat prescription so that they wouldn't be wasted if your DH didn't like them. They're not to everyone's taste!

Unfortunately I found that wasn’t possible Callistemon21. In our case the order was delivered directly from the manufacturer’s depot and they stipulated at least a 4 week supply.

Oh, that's interesting.
With a GP repeat prescription we had to pick it up from the chemist. Just as well because DH didn't like them.

HelterSkelter1

Has anyone tried these and can recommend flavours? Successful?
OH is under the GP and I would like him to give these a try before he requests them from the GP

My experience of both FORTIJUCE and FORTISIP is that the juice drinks are more tolerable than the rather sickly-sweet milk-based ones, which are rather overpowering in both taste and consistency.

A preferred flavour is so personal tho' - it depends on your OH's palate.

I'm sure your GP can arrange for a sample of both juice and milk drinks - the dieticians in hospitals have boxes of samples in their offices.

What I personally found so off-putting when I was dependent on these drinks after surgery was that a continuous diet of sweet-liquid becomes intolerable after a while.

There are also build-up soups available to counteract this - they are rather 'thin' - but the taste is OK... maybe he could also be prescribed these as I'm sure he'll become heartily sick of the sweet stuff on a daily basis!

That sounds like a much better system and more cost effective Callistemon21. Fortunately we managed not to waste any and a few surplus I passed to the district nurse. She said she’d be able to pass them on “under the radar” to one of her patients.

I know it sounds odd but slimfast are a good meal replacement too, it has about the same calories as ensure and good vitamin and mineral content. There are many flavours, soups and shakes and are easily available.

At the moment I don't see OH requiring this all day every day...just on the occasions he isn't that hungry.
Slimfast looks interesting. Thexwife. I shall compare the ingredients.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I will leave the thread now.

Buttered cream crackers with cheese as snacks was what I found boosted my weight.

My son prefers vanilla.