help with eating

See you are doing great. I do wish I could help with eating. I never had chemo so I don't fully know what it dose to tast. I have it can and most of the time will as Radiation can too. All I lost was all smell. I used crushed garlic and can't smell so I put to much in by a lot. My wife came to the kitchen and had tears in her eyes from it. Now when I ate it I knew I had too much and paied dearly for it. Just try different things and seasonings as well to see which are effected. The good news is it does clear up some and get better. Now for the thick mucus that can come from what you are eating. Water will thin the mucus. All dairy will make it thicker, cheese, milk, ice cream, black pepper will make you produce more stomach acid. You might try pudding and see how they tast, lemon, butterschotch, chocolate. Try adding a small amount of thyme to your meat to add flavor.

Bill

It sounds like you are really doing well compared to some others on this site. At this stage of the game, I was drinking Ensure, soup, and anything 'smooshie' mostly because of mouth sores, not lack of taste. I did, and still do, prefer vegetables and savory food. You might try punching up the flavor with herbs such as garlic, oregano, and sage, but be careful with salt and spices like ginger, pepper, and cinnamon as they can irritate sore tissues. Some people like cold smoothies, shakes, and ice cream. I prefer food served at warm temperatures because cold makes my throat ache. This just goes to show how uniquely we are made. The best advice? Try everything until you find what works; then try again later if it doesn't. Remember to get plenty of water to help thin the saliva too. Bon apetit!

phrannie51 said:

First of all...HOORAY!!! You're

in the single digit countdown on rads!! WTG, Mokus! 

I'm sorry to say, food doesn't have a taste at this juncture of treatment....my food tasted a lot like sheet rock....eating became a duty....something to keep me alive until treatment was over, and I could begin to heal.  I drank Boost VHC (very high calorie), pretty much exclusively....pop the top of a carton for 540 calories in 12 swallows....duty done .  I did eat some scrambled eggs here and there, and my sister made me cheese and cauliflower soup....I could taste cauliflower for some reason.  What I did learn tho, was vegitables had more taste than anything else...peas, beans, cauliflower....nothing that is sweet had any taste at all (and basically, still doesn't at 3 years out) .

p

I completed week 3 of rads today. The only taste I have remaining is bitter. Yes, even a Coke tastes bitter. But, Boost VHC still has the same taste. Like P, I drink 3-4 per day to maintain weight. Not the most pleasing drink but it's working for now. Good luck.

im opposite to most. I can taste all flavours of sweet. I do try savoury soft foods but don't like the texture or taste. I have to have sweet. I make my b'fast/coffee first thing...two neutral formulas two heaped spoonfuls of coffee likewise sugar. First thing in the morning it's heaven to me. I drink from a beer pint mug and top up th coffee formula with hot water. Mid morning I have a pint pot of warm sweet water...can't drink cold anymore. Can't bear the taste of water it's like rust or blood. Our water is hard. I can tolerate most soup can't say I enjoy it. I can cope with minced stuff but would rather drink smoothies or sweet tea and coffee. I've become a sweet junkie. I can manage one weak brandy Coke when socialising it taste worse than my medicine but has a nice effect of relaxing me and being giggly..just one..in the past it would take half the evening to get that effect. Strong black coffee gives me a lift as well. I think I taste most things now but my likes have changed. I have saliva but not as much as I used to its thicker and slimier now. My mouth stays moist while shut but if I talk or breathe through my mouth my tongue sticks to my teeth and roof of my mouth. All this may sound like hardship but it's not it's my new norm and I get on with it hardly noticing anymore. After a long while you forget what it used to be like. ...

MrsBD said:

Eating

That sticky slimy mucus stage was awful. I did a lot of choking and gagging until my doctor recommended Mucinex at night. (Generic is fine.) Drinking plenty of water also helps thin the mucus. Radiation causes damage to the tissues in the throat and the mucus is designed to help us heal. This stage may last a few weeks. Hang in there.

We are 4 weeks past the one adjuvant chemo that we tried (Cisplatin and 5FU) and 9 weeks out from the last radiation and still have that mucus that builds up. I feel like it's never going to end. Moreover it builds up in his esophagus overnight and makes him vomit in the mornings. We too have added Mucinex and have a humidifier going all night. It just seems to be lasting forever.

Barbara

mokus, i'm sure the others will be able to help you.  its been too long for me so i don't remember.  i just want to say i wish you the best and try to be pateint.  you are doing great to even be able to swallow.  i pray you continue to do that well.  check out the superthread.  i think you will find receipes in that.  carry on, warrior, you're almost to the finish line!!!

God bless you,

dj