> When my father died many years ago, (long before I knew any one
> what I know now, I was only 23), he was given Ensure in the waining days of his life. I remember reading the
> ingredients and thinking "this is only something you would feed someone who is dying, b/c otherwise, it would
> not sustain life". It is completely artificial, synthetic, awful stuff. I felt so terribly sad evertime I saw
> it given to him and I have never understood how anyone could think of it as food or as "good for you".

My maternal grandmother had cancer of the palate around the age of 77 or
so.  It was in 1986; I remember specifically because it was the year I
travelled to South Africa at 11, and also the year that the World
Exposition was in Vancouver.

She was never really able to "eat" after that.  She had some puddings,
could eat *very* soft chocolate (that melted instantly...like those "Icy
Squares"), and ice cream in small quantities, but in reality, she was
not able to be sustained by most of these items.  The reason was that
her whole palate was missing.  She had a denture that never stayed in
properly, and eventually all her teeth were removed too, which added
more things to the denture (the added teeth).

She lived off the equivelant of Ensure (Boost and some other name brand
at some points in time) for the rest of her years alive:  10 of them
(she died in 96).

She was probably not terribly healthy, but in reality, she was somewhat
overweight before the cancer, and she was certainly a lot skinnier
afterwards.  The stuff was so unpalateable that she had a hard time
"forcing" herself to drink enough of it to survive.  She dehydrated once
and had to be re-hydrated at the hospital, and then ordered a stomach
tube to be fed that way rather than through the mouth with this foul
stuff.

It also got very monotonous I think, in the long run.  :-(

Fio.

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