Eating during radiation treatment

PipLily

Hello Mattie....

my husband finished treatment June 2020 for BOT with 3 lymph nodes on the Left. Bilateral neck dissection, TORS, 30 Rad treatments to Left side, with two doses Cisplatin. First, just to encourage you.....hang in there!! Was some of the darkest days we had been through in 32 years of marriage.....but 6 months later, we are so grateful. He does have some dry mouth, but can eat and taste most everything! I tell you this, not to brag, but so that folks enduring treatment right now can have hope that they will get through, and enjoy life again on the other side of treatment!!!  He survived by “gagging “ down 3 or 4 very high protein, high calorie smoothies I would Make him daily. The taste and texture was horrible to him....that affected him more than pain as far as swallowing. He just had to choke it down. So basically we just went for the most bang for the buck calorie wise to keep his weight up. He never had a GTube throughout treatments. 

 

Beagledad..... hang in there! My husband said that recovery from his TORS surgery was 10x more painful than Radiation, but somewhat short lived. Right at the 2 week mark postop, things really improved. But boy, what a two weeks that was! You will do this, and come out at the end!!

Best wishes to all!!

Mattie65

TangoWhiskey said:

TangoWhiskey says hello.
Welcome to the site. I finished treatments for stage two throat cancer in March of 2020. Nine months later I'm still searching for something I can eat. Sometimes eggs work for me and sweets seem to be more and more tolerable but of course I'd like to get some good old meat and potatoes into the diet. A cheeseburger would be a dream come true! Keep plugging is what I've been told so I'll pass that on to you. Boost is my drink of the day but we mix it with strawberries, bananas and some ice cream and it works. Bread and meat aren't working right now either but the folks on this site are helpful and knowledgeable and it feels good not to fight this alone. Good luck!

Hi TangoWhiskey

That answers the question I had come here with today: how long can the taste issues linger on. So, now I know. Longer than nine months. Well, I guess I better get ready for a looong recovery. I was hoping taste would come back to normal within a few weeks.

Eggs seem to work as well for me, aside from the aforementioned baked beans, hummus or crudities. Sometime fish. Smoked mackerel worked the other day. I'm still testing new foods. The frustrating aspect is that I live alone, which means that any food I can't tolerate will be thrown away. On some days, sweet stuff works better, on others not.

Mattie65

PipLily said:

Hello Mattie....

my husband finished treatment June 2020 for BOT with 3 lymph nodes on the Left. Bilateral neck dissection, TORS, 30 Rad treatments to Left side, with two doses Cisplatin. First, just to encourage you.....hang in there!! Was some of the darkest days we had been through in 32 years of marriage.....but 6 months later, we are so grateful. He does have some dry mouth, but can eat and taste most everything! I tell you this, not to brag, but so that folks enduring treatment right now can have hope that they will get through, and enjoy life again on the other side of treatment!!!  He survived by “gagging “ down 3 or 4 very high protein, high calorie smoothies I would Make him daily. The taste and texture was horrible to him....that affected him more than pain as far as swallowing. He just had to choke it down. So basically we just went for the most bang for the buck calorie wise to keep his weight up. He never had a GTube throughout treatments. 

 

Beagledad..... hang in there! My husband said that recovery from his TORS surgery was 10x more painful than Radiation, but somewhat short lived. Right at the 2 week mark postop, things really improved. But boy, what a two weeks that was! You will do this, and come out at the end!!

Best wishes to all!!

Hello PipLily. Thanks for

Hello PipLily. Thanks for your support. It's good to hear that your husband's taste is back already. I'm usually fast healing and all doctors are in awe at my progress. Or, at least, they act as if they were. At the moment, I also mainly live on high calorie drinks I gag down. They have 300kcal each, so I need at least 4 per day and I always try to eat something solid too. It's a bit difficult because I also have trismus, which means that my jaw is locked. On some days, I can open my mouth just enough to insert a fork. Some days a better than others, though.

But I keep pressing on, and I completely agree that the harder times were post-OP, particularly the first two weeks when I thought I was going mad at the hospital. I am so thankful to be at home, even when it's just me and the cat. I'm also thankful not to have any tubes or needles, to be rid of the trac in my throat, the intravenous feeding. All that was horrible and seemed endless.

wbcgaruss

Mattie65 Just a Couple Comments

Get with your docs on the trismus as they may be able to help you on it or over here we would probably see what they call a speech therapist who helps with swallowing, speech, etc.

And I don't know if you can get it over there but here I order it online. It is called Boost VHC (Very High Calorie) and has 530 calories per 8 ounces serving.

Keep at it Mattie and before you know it you will be recovered-wishing you the best-Take Care-God Bless-Russ

Logan51

4 months

My taste buds were blasted, too, over 11 years ago. Pancakes w/lots of butter and syrup was my first food, being FT-dependent thru tx. Around 4 months after tx I was at the Co. golf tournament, and before starting the back 9 I had a brat with mustard, relish and onions- and it was awesome. That got me started on Roadhouse Chili, which I could taste and enjoyed. Others over the years have also said the same about spicy food solving the taste issue. 

Mattie65

wbcgaruss said:

Mattie65 Just a Couple Comments

Get with your docs on the trismus as they may be able to help you on it or over here we would probably see what they call a speech therapist who helps with swallowing, speech, etc.

And I don't know if you can get it over there but here I order it online. It is called Boost VHC (Very High Calorie) and has 530 calories per 8 ounces serving.

Keep at it Mattie and before you know it you will be recovered-wishing you the best-Take Care-God Bless-Russ

Hello wbcgaruss

I'm actually fine when it comes to swallowing and speech. Trismus affects the jaw muscle, making it difficult to open your mouth. It had actually got much better before I started radiotherapy, and I expect it to improve afterwards.

I mainly live on a product called Fortimel, that has 300kcal on 4.4 ounces. I was hoping to be able to ingest more solid food but it only results in stress and frustration, so I'll keep drinking those little bottles. 6 a day is the amount I need to keep a healthy weight.

Mattie65

Logan51 said:

4 months

My taste buds were blasted, too, over 11 years ago. Pancakes w/lots of butter and syrup was my first food, being FT-dependent thru tx. Around 4 months after tx I was at the Co. golf tournament, and before starting the back 9 I had a brat with mustard, relish and onions- and it was awesome. That got me started on Roadhouse Chili, which I could taste and enjoyed. Others over the years have also said the same about spicy food solving the taste issue. 

Hello Logan

I will try those pancakes. Sounds good. I also read from a famous rock singer who lived through his radiotherapy on custard, so I'll still have to try that too.

motorcycleguy

Mattie65 said:

Hey motorcycleguy. Thanks for

Hey motorcycleguy. Thanks for your good wishes. It really means something, right now.

Not much happening with friends and family at the moment, due to Covid, but that's okay. I can manage that. What I miss most is going to music events, right now.

I discovered just yesterday that I could tolerate crudities. Tried some Vietnamese summer rolls, which is basically salad in a wrap, and they tasted fine. It was the first time I actually experienced a good taste, in weeks. I'm not much of a salad guy, so that'll be a challenge but I'll press on in that direction and see what other crudities and salad I can tolerate. Perhaps Turkish starters, which are mainly vegetable purées could work.

As a rule of thumb, right now, anything that has been processed, either by cooking or adding different condiments and spices, tastes from weird to bad.

Mat,

Keep trying new things, until you find what works. Eggs over easy was the only thing I could eat for a while. I was on a construction job in Canada, and making trips home to finish chemo (I rushed it too much....). The waitesses at the restaurant asked me if I wanted "the usual'" 6 OE eggs, both in the morning and at Dinner ... for about 3 months!

Then, I slowly added oatmeal .. and a few weeks later, I could eat chicken wings again.

I found a frozen breakfast burrito I love. I buy out the little local store of them, whenever I see them in the frozen food section! LOL

mg

BeagleDad

PipLily said:

Hello Mattie....

my husband finished treatment June 2020 for BOT with 3 lymph nodes on the Left. Bilateral neck dissection, TORS, 30 Rad treatments to Left side, with two doses Cisplatin. First, just to encourage you.....hang in there!! Was some of the darkest days we had been through in 32 years of marriage.....but 6 months later, we are so grateful. He does have some dry mouth, but can eat and taste most everything! I tell you this, not to brag, but so that folks enduring treatment right now can have hope that they will get through, and enjoy life again on the other side of treatment!!!  He survived by “gagging “ down 3 or 4 very high protein, high calorie smoothies I would Make him daily. The taste and texture was horrible to him....that affected him more than pain as far as swallowing. He just had to choke it down. So basically we just went for the most bang for the buck calorie wise to keep his weight up. He never had a GTube throughout treatments. 

 

Beagledad..... hang in there! My husband said that recovery from his TORS surgery was 10x more painful than Radiation, but somewhat short lived. Right at the 2 week mark postop, things really improved. But boy, what a two weeks that was! You will do this, and come out at the end!!

Best wishes to all!!

Husband TORS

Thank you for including me.  Today is my 2 week mark.  I'll second the notion that TORS is a bad actor.  I'll reserve judgement until after my 33 rad treatments, but it seems to me that I should have avoided TORS and just gone into chemo/rads.  Heck, I have had to endure the worst of the pain anyway, have a huge scar, and now my mouth will not open all the way AND I am still suffering from TORS-related dysphagia and still cannot swallow liquids properly.  Had I gone straing chemo/rads I would be in Week6 and almost on my way to recovring what I had lost during tx.  And after this I STILL have low dose chemo rads to come (60 and 55 gs).  Week 1 post TORS was unbelieveably difficult.  I am, obviously, not pleased with my decision.  
How was your husband's port-TORS chemo/rad experience?
Thank you.

Don (Beagledad)

Mattie65

BeagleDad said:

Husband TORS

Thank you for including me.  Today is my 2 week mark.  I'll second the notion that TORS is a bad actor.  I'll reserve judgement until after my 33 rad treatments, but it seems to me that I should have avoided TORS and just gone into chemo/rads.  Heck, I have had to endure the worst of the pain anyway, have a huge scar, and now my mouth will not open all the way AND I am still suffering from TORS-related dysphagia and still cannot swallow liquids properly.  Had I gone straing chemo/rads I would be in Week6 and almost on my way to recovring what I had lost during tx.  And after this I STILL have low dose chemo rads to come (60 and 55 gs).  Week 1 post TORS was unbelieveably difficult.  I am, obviously, not pleased with my decision.  
How was your husband's port-TORS chemo/rad experience?
Thank you.

Don (Beagledad)

Hello BeagleDad

I'm sorry to hear that you don't feel comfortable with your treatment.

I had a conservative neck dissection, following which I spent over three weeks in recovery at the hospital. Also, free flap from my arm to my throat and removal of all nodes in the jaw area. They also cut a tongue nerve that was trapped within the tumour, so that half of my tongue is numb. Even though I have many side effects from the operation (lymphodema in my chin, numbness, scars, etc.), I still consider it the best option.

I had a long time to read about different therapies for a tumour like mine, while I was spending time at the hospital and I read dozens of articles about the options and outcome and, believe me, my conclusion is that rad + chemo is not the best option, neither in relation to outcome and prognosis, nor side effects. In fact, surgery has the least side effects of all, and of all kinds of surgery, TORS is the most advanced and precise.

We, understandably, all come to a point where we doubt that the therapy we had was the best. I've been there many times too since this all started.

Cancer therapy is a destructive process and is bound to get anyone frustrated and sceptical. Don't you think?

BeagleDad

Mattie65 said:

Hello BeagleDad

I'm sorry to hear that you don't feel comfortable with your treatment.

I had a conservative neck dissection, following which I spent over three weeks in recovery at the hospital. Also, free flap from my arm to my throat and removal of all nodes in the jaw area. They also cut a tongue nerve that was trapped within the tumour, so that half of my tongue is numb. Even though I have many side effects from the operation (lymphodema in my chin, numbness, scars, etc.), I still consider it the best option.

I had a long time to read about different therapies for a tumour like mine, while I was spending time at the hospital and I read dozens of articles about the options and outcome and, believe me, my conclusion is that rad + chemo is not the best option, neither in relation to outcome and prognosis, nor side effects. In fact, surgery has the least side effects of all, and of all kinds of surgery, TORS is the most advanced and precise.

We, understandably, all come to a point where we doubt that the therapy we had was the best. I've been there many times too since this all started.

Cancer therapy is a destructive process and is bound to get anyone frustrated and sceptical. Don't you think?

Thanks for your resposne

Clearly it is a destructive process.  I know, in terms of survivability, this 3 course action has best rate.  But, MAN, did I have a hard time postop.  Today is exactly 2 weeks and my throat is finally feeling a little better.  I do not know why, but I STILL cannot swallow "properly" and have my NG feeding tube (what a pain in the nose!)  We are scheduled to see a surgeon Friday who might do a gastric tube and get rid of this nasal one.  
My radiation oncologist said I will be getting what I think I remember you getting... 60 and 55 g and even a little to the side not affected, for good measure I assume.  So just about the time I might actually start eating again, I will begin the side effects of rads and deal with all that.  So here comes loss of taste, sore throats, fatigue and the rest of the complications associated with killing cancer. 

I also recognize that dealing with these issues is superior to a terminal diagnosis, and for that I am grateful.  

At this point I have to believe that these postop issues are *worse* than what I will deal with from the rads.  (I certainly hope so) even if the rads issues last longer.  This seems kinda like a "radiation boot camp" for me.  At least I won't be up all night coughing and throat clearing over top of a surgical wound...man was THAT painful.  I really look forward to swallowing again so I can use this Vitamix my sister bought for me for this.     Ice Cream here I come!!!

How are you progressing through your last few weeks of tx now??

Don (beagledad)

Mattie65

BeagleDad said:

Thanks for your resposne

Clearly it is a destructive process.  I know, in terms of survivability, this 3 course action has best rate.  But, MAN, did I have a hard time postop.  Today is exactly 2 weeks and my throat is finally feeling a little better.  I do not know why, but I STILL cannot swallow "properly" and have my NG feeding tube (what a pain in the nose!)  We are scheduled to see a surgeon Friday who might do a gastric tube and get rid of this nasal one.  
My radiation oncologist said I will be getting what I think I remember you getting... 60 and 55 g and even a little to the side not affected, for good measure I assume.  So just about the time I might actually start eating again, I will begin the side effects of rads and deal with all that.  So here comes loss of taste, sore throats, fatigue and the rest of the complications associated with killing cancer. 

I also recognize that dealing with these issues is superior to a terminal diagnosis, and for that I am grateful.  

At this point I have to believe that these postop issues are *worse* than what I will deal with from the rads.  (I certainly hope so) even if the rads issues last longer.  This seems kinda like a "radiation boot camp" for me.  At least I won't be up all night coughing and throat clearing over top of a surgical wound...man was THAT painful.  I really look forward to swallowing again so I can use this Vitamix my sister bought for me for this.     Ice Cream here I come!!!

How are you progressing through your last few weeks of tx now??

Don (beagledad)

Hey BeagleDad

I also had a very hard time post-op. Never been hospitalized before, in the first place, so that was a hard thing to swallow already. Alone in a different city because my doctors said the teams were better there. Woke up, post-op, to find out there had been much more work done on me than predicted. Doctors initially thought it was just a small tumour, then it was a T4 and I went through 9 hours surgery.

My time at the hospital was horrible for me. Feeding tube for half of my stay, the other half intravenous feeding, which is worse. You're just always hungry, always losing weight (I'm a thin person) and always tied to an infusion, all day and all night. I felt miserable. They took a free flap from my arm, so that one arm was bandaged. Took one from my  belly too, to repair my arm. Then I finally got a PEG, which caused an inflammation and had to be removed.

I went through pain and despair. I'm not the kind for despair, I tell you. Been through very harsh times from early in my life, never had to be medicated. This time, I begged for a sedative. Literally cried in front of the doctors in a nervous breakdown. I'm usually a fighter but every person has his limits. Had to take a sleeping aid for some nights too. I was a pile of misery, to the point where I reminded myself that there are many people enduring life in prison camps, who have a much harder fate. That's how far this all went under my skin.

But then again, I met one person there whose post-rad and post-chemo fate was so hard, due to receiving more rads and chemo than their body could tolerate, that I accepted that surgery was a way of distributing the damage equally, so that the body had a chance to recover.

For me, hospital was the real boot camp but I'd say that 75% of what was done there, in matters of "destruction", is okay now, 4 months ofter op. Some will remain. Half my tongue will probably stay numb, but That okay, I guess.

As to rads, I'm at 20 sessions now. I get the same as you, approximately: 60 and 54. Most of it unilaterally. I suffer from dry mouth, but only at night. Hope it stays that way but I'm in good hope. Taste issues were the worst, which is why this thread exists. Even they seem already a little less bad due to the constant bad taste slowly going away. I live on calorie drinks. They don't taste any good to me. I can smell how they aught to taste but they're easy to swallow.

Rads are really a surprise bag and side effects can appear even years later, so I wouldn't say they really beat the post-op effects. Those are quite calculable. Rad effects seem much less calculable. That's what makes me fear them much more. I like to know my adversary. Rads are like a ghost warrior who's going to ambush you from unsuspected angles. Perhaps I'm getting a bit too far here, but something like that, anyway.

What I learned: never regret, always look forward, never backward. It could always have gone better, or worse.

BeagleDad

Mattie65 said:

Hey BeagleDad

I also had a very hard time post-op. Never been hospitalized before, in the first place, so that was a hard thing to swallow already. Alone in a different city because my doctors said the teams were better there. Woke up, post-op, to find out there had been much more work done on me than predicted. Doctors initially thought it was just a small tumour, then it was a T4 and I went through 9 hours surgery.

My time at the hospital was horrible for me. Feeding tube for half of my stay, the other half intravenous feeding, which is worse. You're just always hungry, always losing weight (I'm a thin person) and always tied to an infusion, all day and all night. I felt miserable. They took a free flap from my arm, so that one arm was bandaged. Took one from my  belly too, to repair my arm. Then I finally got a PEG, which caused an inflammation and had to be removed.

I went through pain and despair. I'm not the kind for despair, I tell you. Been through very harsh times from early in my life, never had to be medicated. This time, I begged for a sedative. Literally cried in front of the doctors in a nervous breakdown. I'm usually a fighter but every person has his limits. Had to take a sleeping aid for some nights too. I was a pile of misery, to the point where I reminded myself that there are many people enduring life in prison camps, who have a much harder fate. That's how far this all went under my skin.

But then again, I met one person there whose post-rad and post-chemo fate was so hard, due to receiving more rads and chemo than their body could tolerate, that I accepted that surgery was a way of distributing the damage equally, so that the body had a chance to recover.

For me, hospital was the real boot camp but I'd say that 75% of what was done there, in matters of "destruction", is okay now, 4 months ofter op. Some will remain. Half my tongue will probably stay numb, but That okay, I guess.

As to rads, I'm at 20 sessions now. I get the same as you, approximately: 60 and 54. Most of it unilaterally. I suffer from dry mouth, but only at night. Hope it stays that way but I'm in good hope. Taste issues were the worst, which is why this thread exists. Even they seem already a little less bad due to the constant bad taste slowly going away. I live on calorie drinks. They don't taste any good to me. I can smell how they aught to taste but they're easy to swallow.

Rads are really a surprise bag and side effects can appear even years later, so I wouldn't say they really beat the post-op effects. Those are quite calculable. Rad effects seem much less calculable. That's what makes me fear them much more. I like to know my adversary. Rads are like a ghost warrior who's going to ambush you from unsuspected angles. Perhaps I'm getting a bit too far here, but something like that, anyway.

What I learned: never regret, always look forward, never backward. It could always have gone better, or worse.

Great response

Thank you for that detailed response.  I can appreciate the "rawness" of your descriptions.  One thing that caught my attention was that, for each of us, regardless of what we can or want to tolerate, there are others that have gone before and alongside of us with something harder.  

As with most folks, the unknown is the biggest fear of all.  How can one prepare for that which they cannot conceive?  

From what I have read by most folks on this board, your radiation is closest to what I have been told to expect.  Of course, I do not look forward to losing taste nor dry mouth, but I take heart in hearing from everyone that the taste comes back even if the occasionnal dry mouth remains into my future.  Of all things that could "last" I suspect a dry mouth at night is fairly tolerable.  

I look forward to your updates as you navigate these last 13 treatments for I feel they will give me a good insight into what I can expect, at least to a reasonable degree.  I am not looking forward to bad taste nor losing taste, but after what is now 3 weeks without being "allowed" to taste anything, I think I am getting prepared for that reality.  And, to be honest, I like to try to approach things looking at whatever positives I can ... unlike you, I am still 30# over what BMI charts say I should be.  So I can certainly afford to drop 20 or more during treatment.  I need to stay healthy, but if I can be healthy and drop those pounds, then I can take some pleasure in knowing I am finally accomplishing something I would not do on my own.  

Thank you again, be well, and congrats on how far you have come.  

Don (Beagledad)

Mattie65

BeagleDad said:

Great response

Thank you for that detailed response.  I can appreciate the "rawness" of your descriptions.  One thing that caught my attention was that, for each of us, regardless of what we can or want to tolerate, there are others that have gone before and alongside of us with something harder.  

As with most folks, the unknown is the biggest fear of all.  How can one prepare for that which they cannot conceive?  

From what I have read by most folks on this board, your radiation is closest to what I have been told to expect.  Of course, I do not look forward to losing taste nor dry mouth, but I take heart in hearing from everyone that the taste comes back even if the occasionnal dry mouth remains into my future.  Of all things that could "last" I suspect a dry mouth at night is fairly tolerable.  

I look forward to your updates as you navigate these last 13 treatments for I feel they will give me a good insight into what I can expect, at least to a reasonable degree.  I am not looking forward to bad taste nor losing taste, but after what is now 3 weeks without being "allowed" to taste anything, I think I am getting prepared for that reality.  And, to be honest, I like to try to approach things looking at whatever positives I can ... unlike you, I am still 30# over what BMI charts say I should be.  So I can certainly afford to drop 20 or more during treatment.  I need to stay healthy, but if I can be healthy and drop those pounds, then I can take some pleasure in knowing I am finally accomplishing something I would not do on my own.  

Thank you again, be well, and congrats on how far you have come.  

Don (Beagledad)

Actually, it's …rel

… only 9 treatment from this day, so I expect to be released from this unpleasant journey before Christmas. If all goes well, I may even recover some of my taste at my birthday, end of January. That would, of course, be perfect. I dream of plunging my teeth into a nice burger with some fries, which is usually my birthday treat. We'll see how that gets. By what I read here, I might have to wait several months. But, the better it will be when it happens.

Oh, and ab out the fatigue, it's not that severe. Actually, it's good to stay fit  and keep moving. Your vessels need that blood flow more than ever. On YouTube, I found a video of a guy who was running marathons during his rads, and he surpassed every expectation in healthiness. I'm not the type to go that far but I see that I drive to my rads by bicycle, even though I have free taxi rides all paid by my health insurer. That keeps me on my toes.

skidog

wbcgaruss said:

Mattie65 Just a Couple Comments

Get with your docs on the trismus as they may be able to help you on it or over here we would probably see what they call a speech therapist who helps with swallowing, speech, etc.

And I don't know if you can get it over there but here I order it online. It is called Boost VHC (Very High Calorie) and has 530 calories per 8 ounces serving.

Keep at it Mattie and before you know it you will be recovered-wishing you the best-Take Care-God Bless-Russ

cool pic Russ...

All them rads and you can still grow a full beard?? I'm jealous!

wbcgaruss

skidog said:

cool pic Russ...

All them rads and you can still grow a full beard?? I'm jealous!

Actually skidog That Is

An older pre-cancer picture not recent. Like a lot of guys on here once you get the rads the full beard idea equates to crop failure. I still remember that it was probably 3 months after rads till I finally had to shave again. I have tried to grow a beard a couple times but shave it after a short while as it grows sorta here and there patchy looking.

Mattie65

Ugh, I'm such a klutz. So I

Ugh, I'm such a klutz. So I got a mixed package of calorie drink flavours and I tried them all and decided there were two flavours that are tolerable: berries and strawberry. Other flavours were banana, vanilla, cappucchino and chocolate.

So, I told the doc to order me a box of strawberry and another box of berries, not considering that my sense of taste, or at least what was left of it, tends to change on a daily basis. Now, I'm stuck with a supply of berry and strawberry drinks, and they just taste bitter, because my taste changes, obviously, according to what I ingest. Anything I taste regularly becomes intolerable, and I really wish I had any other taste at my disposition.

Just wanted to vent my frustration. I learned that, the next time, I'll stick to the mixed flavours, so that I can alternate the tastes.

motorcycleguy

Mattie65 said:

Ugh, I'm such a klutz. So I

Ugh, I'm such a klutz. So I got a mixed package of calorie drink flavours and I tried them all and decided there were two flavours that are tolerable: berries and strawberry. Other flavours were banana, vanilla, cappucchino and chocolate.

So, I told the doc to order me a box of strawberry and another box of berries, not considering that my sense of taste, or at least what was left of it, tends to change on a daily basis. Now, I'm stuck with a supply of berry and strawberry drinks, and they just taste bitter, because my taste changes, obviously, according to what I ingest. Anything I taste regularly becomes intolerable, and I really wish I had any other taste at my disposition.

Just wanted to vent my frustration. I learned that, the next time, I'll stick to the mixed flavours, so that I can alternate the tastes.

Mat,

It is weird - it's almost like your taste buds "give up", after a person has had a few bites (or sips) of something.

I recall an Oncologist telling me that the average taste bud's life span is only 6 months. They are supposedly constantly regenerating.

Chug if you have to - but I hope you can finish up, without that feeding tube.

I wish the best of luck to you!

mg

Mattie65

motorcycleguy said:

Mat,

It is weird - it's almost like your taste buds "give up", after a person has had a few bites (or sips) of something.

I recall an Oncologist telling me that the average taste bud's life span is only 6 months. They are supposedly constantly regenerating.

Chug if you have to - but I hope you can finish up, without that feeding tube.

I wish the best of luck to you!

mg

Thanks

Right now, I feel that I reached a critical point. Only 7 rad sessions to go but I'm just nauseous from my throat's swelling. Luckily, it's only on the left side, but the swollen parts occasionally touching each other give me waves of sickness.

Trying to hang in there, but it's getting harder now. I tried icy water, which just tasted odd. Perhaps because it was tap water. Perhaps also because the ice cubes had taken over some fridge air or smell. My taste buds are so hypersensitive, at the moment. I hope I can get through the last part of treatment.

wbcgaruss

Do The Best You Can

Many have been at the critical point where you are. I am rooting for you and praying for you. Concentrate on only necessary things. Eating, sufficient calorie intake, rest, and getting your treatment in each day. Just concentrate on getting these last 7 in one at a time day to day and think of the goal that after this it is over and you can be in complete recovery mode and rest mode. Best wishes-Take Care-God Bless-Russ