ENT Visit

eat drink and be merry
Hi mechanicman2,

Today I am 20 weeks post and I am still living on smoothies. As much as I try to eat, things taste so bad I find it easier to drink my meals. I do want to eat and I try all the time. Believe it or not sweet-n-salty granola bars are ok (ok = 4 on taste scale). My radiation onc told me how important getting enough calories, protein and nutrition was because my body is still fighting to repair the damage (she made it sound better and more important). She instructed me to quit losing weight, so I do try to maintain where I am at, but it is hard.

So listen to the ENT and eat everything you can. Soup is pretty good too.

Best,

Matt

phrannie51 said:

Easy for the Dr.'s to say....
having never experienced the pain themselves. There is a difference in pain tolerance for everyone....and it depends on if the food is stinging like a million bees in your mouth, or if it's a sore throat like step used to feel. Does he have magic mouthwash, or 2% Lidocaine to numb his throat and mouth? I'm like Matt....still doing "liquid meals"...but in my case everything stings quite a bit...I can do tasteless, but pain sends me in the other direction. As long as he's drinking water, he's making his swallower work...are they pushing him because of his weight?

Mashed spuds sting in my case, tho a baked potato smothered in sour cream and butter did not sting near so bad. Macaroni salad with shrimp in it (lots of creamy dressing), also had some taste and very little sting...these are things I was eating before I started the last 3 chemo treatments...and had I been spared the mouth sores, I'm sure I'd still be eating them.

p

It's harder than they say!
The Dr's don't always know how we really feel. It is painful beyond painful to eat and they make it sound like we need to toughen up.
I'm 7 weeks out today and lost my feeding tube a week ago so now it's eat by mouth or get Pegged again. I'm choosing to eat by mouth. Part of the problem is, we are hungry and we get cravings however when we eat those foods we cravve we realize they taste "off" or even horrible.
It's been hard findin g things that taste even close to what they should taste like. I've had luck with mashed potatoes with lots of butter and mixed with corn, who knew? Baked potatoes, cream soups, Mac-n-cheese (good old fashioned Kraft) peaches from Dole and some yogurt. Just 5 mins ago tried string cheese and it was ok, went down well and even tasted a bit like what it should, maybe I'll have another. Each morning I have a carnation instant breakfast(got tired of smoothies) and I also love dipping cookies in milk and getting them all soggy so they don't hurt. Calories calories calories!
Good luck and hopefully more people will post what foods are working for them so you can have more ideas.
Billie

Billie67 said:

It's harder than they say!
The Dr's don't always know how we really feel. It is painful beyond painful to eat and they make it sound like we need to toughen up.
I'm 7 weeks out today and lost my feeding tube a week ago so now it's eat by mouth or get Pegged again. I'm choosing to eat by mouth. Part of the problem is, we are hungry and we get cravings however when we eat those foods we cravve we realize they taste "off" or even horrible.
It's been hard findin g things that taste even close to what they should taste like. I've had luck with mashed potatoes with lots of butter and mixed with corn, who knew? Baked potatoes, cream soups, Mac-n-cheese (good old fashioned Kraft) peaches from Dole and some yogurt. Just 5 mins ago tried string cheese and it was ok, went down well and even tasted a bit like what it should, maybe I'll have another. Each morning I have a carnation instant breakfast(got tired of smoothies) and I also love dipping cookies in milk and getting them all soggy so they don't hurt. Calories calories calories!
Good luck and hopefully more people will post what foods are working for them so you can have more ideas.
Billie

Potatoes
Baked with lots of butter & sour cream. Mashed but can't be pasty.
(I too often mix corn in with my mashed taters) Pudding, tapioca, oatmeal, eggs, pancakes, cream soups, cheese and milk. Some mac & cheese too thick, my fav was Bob Evans. Those were some of the things I started out with. Temperature made a difference to me. I drink my water now at room temp. but can still drink milk cold or a shake.
Early on had ice cream but one day it felt like a hot poker on my tongue. I'm good with it again now. For some strange reason, rice krispies with allot of milk got me thru allot of tough days.

DOWN THE HATCH
Best wishes for progressively easier and pain free eating. There are lots of soft choices to work with, so have at it, as they say.

PATRICK