Things that sting (and go bump in the night?)

buzz99
buzz99 Member Posts: 404
in Head and Neck Cancer #1
My husband, Buzz is 3 months post treatment. Some foods still sting but we discovered Hidden Valley Ranch Dip mix. Mixed with sour cream and thinned with milk, it is much more tolerable than any dressings he has tried. It seems every salad dressing has vinegar and/or lemon juice in it and he can't tolerate them. Also Trader Joes Alfredo Sauce is a winner. Mixed with vegetables and chicken in small pieces, it goes down easy. Another winner is fresh fruit (peaches, strawberries, blueberries, and grapes) cut up and combined with a mixture of cream cheese, strawberry yogurt and cool whip. Hey, maybe we should come up with a cook book or suggested foods for the post radiation recovery period! I purchased two cookbooks but haven't really used them. It seems we have to figure out what works through trial and error. Bon Appetite! Karen

Comments

  • Glenna M
    Glenna M Member Posts: 1,576
    #2
    Salad dressing...
    I have to agree that salad dressing is one of the worst things to try after treatment. I'm 18 months post and still have to be careful, I can do some of them now but many still burn my tongue. Anything with tomatoes burned for a while also but I'm happy to say I can eat every kind of sauce and fresh tomatoes now!!!

    All of you suggestions sound delicious, I can eat most foods now but I think I might try some of the ones you suggested...yummy!!!

    Tell Buzz it does get better, slower than we might like, but he will soon be eating most of the same foods he ate before treatment.

    My best to both of you,
    Glenna
  • Kent Cass
    Kent Cass Member Posts: 1,898 Member
    #3
    Glenna M said:

    Salad dressing...
    I have to agree that salad dressing is one of the worst things to try after treatment. I'm 18 months post and still have to be careful, I can do some of them now but many still burn my tongue. Anything with tomatoes burned for a while also but I'm happy to say I can eat every kind of sauce and fresh tomatoes now!!!

    All of you suggestions sound delicious, I can eat most foods now but I think I might try some of the ones you suggested...yummy!!!

    Tell Buzz it does get better, slower than we might like, but he will soon be eating most of the same foods he ate before treatment.

    My best to both of you,
    Glenna

    Salad Dressing!
    Every night over the last year-plus for supper it's a chef-style salad for me, without failure. Suggest you try the Orange-colored French Dressing, as it is most awesome to me. The only other dressing I really like is Italian. Thing is, I do like the sting of it all, so be advised. For whatever reason, the tastes of those two dressings register in major Postitive ways to my taste buds, as they are, and this has been going-on for well over a year. Good eats, and glad you are trying to get into the salad thing.

    kcass
  • honeybelle22
    honeybelle22 Member Posts: 70
    #4
    Salads
    Hi there, Just a word of caution. If you hubby still has any trouble with food getting caught in throat or caughing on it be careful. Salads are the most dangerous when it comes to aspiration...which can lead to pneumonia. Be extra careful....otherwise...bon appetite.
    Rose
  • Hondo
    Hondo Member Posts: 6,636 Member
    #5
    Glenna M said:

    Salad dressing...
    I have to agree that salad dressing is one of the worst things to try after treatment. I'm 18 months post and still have to be careful, I can do some of them now but many still burn my tongue. Anything with tomatoes burned for a while also but I'm happy to say I can eat every kind of sauce and fresh tomatoes now!!!

    All of you suggestions sound delicious, I can eat most foods now but I think I might try some of the ones you suggested...yummy!!!

    Tell Buzz it does get better, slower than we might like, but he will soon be eating most of the same foods he ate before treatment.

    My best to both of you,
    Glenna

    Hi Karen

    I love the ranch thing I also learned to like blue cheese dressing also I don’t know why I never liked it before, but love it now. I have problems some fruits but all the rest go down just fine. Good idea on the cook book that would be a really good thing that is needed very much.

    All the best to you and Buzz
    Hondo
  • sweetblood22
    sweetblood22 Member Posts: 3,228
    #6
    honeybelle22 said:

    Salads
    Hi there, Just a word of caution. If you hubby still has any trouble with food getting caught in throat or caughing on it be careful. Salads are the most dangerous when it comes to aspiration...which can lead to pneumonia. Be extra careful....otherwise...bon appetite.
    Rose

    Karen, so glad that Buzz is
    Karen, so glad that Buzz is finding foods that work for him. I can do sour cream ranch too. I cannot to salad dressings, as they still burn, plus I cannot swallow lettuce anyway.

    I do buy romaine, but it goes into my juicer or blender for smoothies. Gotta get the greens somehow. :)

    It's really funny how I like things I didn't used to now. I even had a dish last night that I never liked before, baked corn. It went from being gross to me, to the best thing on the plate last night.

    I have developing recipes over the last few months to possibly put together a cookbook.

    Hoping Buzz continues to improve with his eating.
  • rozaroo
    rozaroo Member Posts: 665
    #7
    sweetblood22 said:

    Karen, so glad that Buzz is
    Karen, so glad that Buzz is finding foods that work for him. I can do sour cream ranch too. I cannot to salad dressings, as they still burn, plus I cannot swallow lettuce anyway.

    I do buy romaine, but it goes into my juicer or blender for smoothies. Gotta get the greens somehow. :)

    It's really funny how I like things I didn't used to now. I even had a dish last night that I never liked before, baked corn. It went from being gross to me, to the best thing on the plate last night.

    I have developing recipes over the last few months to possibly put together a cookbook.

    Hoping Buzz continues to improve with his eating.

    Dressing
    I love the ranch & also can do Cesar! I find certain lettuce soft are harder to work with but chopping it fine really help's! Vinegar is a big no. But it is getting better. I eat alot of fresh salad's as they taste great to me!
  • abbimom
    abbimom Member Posts: 87 Member
    #8
    dressing
    The only dressing that doesn't burn me is Kraft Ranch dressing in the bottle. A cook book is an awesome idea, I would buy it! For fruit I usually make smoothies it just is easier to eat. Good luck with everything.
    Linda
  • abbimom
    abbimom Member Posts: 87 Member
    #9
    dressing
    The only dressing that doesn't burn me is Kraft Ranch dressing in the bottle. A cook book is an awesome idea, I would buy it! For fruit I usually make smoothies it just is easier to eat. Good luck with everything.
    Linda
  • jr58
    jr58 Member Posts: 9
    #10
    soothing and effective.
    A 1/4 teaspoon of bi carbonate of soda with about 1/2 pint of water is great,not only does it coat your mouth it also helps with constipation,a 95 year old ex army nurse gave me this mixture,gargle it when your mouth is sore post radiation it really worked for me.
  • Greend
    Greend Member Posts: 678
    #11
    honeybelle22 said:

    Salads
    Hi there, Just a word of caution. If you hubby still has any trouble with food getting caught in throat or caughing on it be careful. Salads are the most dangerous when it comes to aspiration...which can lead to pneumonia. Be extra careful....otherwise...bon appetite.
    Rose

    aspiration
    I can name that tune in one note. Twice in the hospital for that.
  • fisrpotpe
    fisrpotpe Member Posts: 1,349 Member
    #12
    Few
    I have a few, blue cheese dressing is only on that works for me but very little. Fruits that work well cantaloupe, watermelon, and honeydew and banana's with blueberries the best as they seam to sooth the gums and tissue for quite some time. Well ripe cantaloupe and honeydew is wonderful as they are one of few foods I can eat without having to sip water at the same time.
    Meet is not one for me except for chicken thighs and turkey dark meat, as they as very moist. Another is sweet corn and try some fried sweet corn with onions, do this is pan with some olive oil and you will see the natural sugars come out and start to brown. I fork chicken thighs and add them into steamed cabbage, onions and very steams carrots. bread does not work for me so I use alot of wraps. take a wrap and put a little peanut butter on it, place a banana and fork flat. Roll up and put in microwave for 25 seconds. Oh my it is great.
    Gram crackers and milk early on in recovery... i liked to water down milk and it melts down the gram and easy to swallow.

    John
  • Hondo
    Hondo Member Posts: 6,636 Member
    #13
    Greend said:

    aspiration
    I can name that tune in one note. Twice in the hospital for that.

    Hi Greend

    The Doctor at MD Anderson sent me to get checked for aspiration, when I got to the appointment it was with speech therapies. I asked him how is this going to help me with aspiration, he say I don’t know all I can do it to help you with you speech. I ask him if my speaking sound funny to him, he say no, then I told him well then guess I was sent to the wrong place. It makes you wonder who sets stuff like this up, and what if they set you up for the wrong surgery. Scary to think about sometimes for a big place like MD Anderson

    Take care
    Hondo

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