When was everyone able to start

Sandy,

Eating was not as big an issues as was the feel of food and since I am in the minority here I will talk about eating not feelings.  Whoaaaa, whoaaaaaa feelings (I digress).

I could always eat, little bites here little bites there.  Sampling foods was ongoing from day 1 of post treatments.  I tried virtually all the suggestions (pancakes with syrup, scrambled eggs, sliced peaches, etc…).  Very early on I found that crystal light ice tea tasted great and so did sweet corn, but plain old  white sugar I could only faintly taste (go figure).

Often, very often I would have one bite, one spoonful, one French fry or ½ of French fry.  Even during treatments I would do that.  You see, I have dinner at my parents (with siblings) every Sunday and if I did not show up I could not hear what was being said about me, i.e. “he looks pretty run down and eats like a bird and talks about some character named Phrannie or Skiffin”  You get the point.

When you are ready try everything, just a taste, just a bite, just something.  For me it was smoothie main course, but always trying things.  Don’t let it get you down, that is no fun.  Many, many times my wife was eating normal food and I was drinking normal smoothies.  The same goes for time spent in the field with my boss.  I would bring along an igloo cooler full of water and protein drinks.

The H&N way is a crazy life,

Matt

for me to actually eat real food again.  I did keep up swallowing, water, a couple of spoonfuls of jello, and after rads ended, it was about two weeks of forcing myself to actually eat something.  There was no enjoyment, nothing tasted good - or actually had any taste.  I couldn't tolerate temperature extremes.  Cold milk was too cold so I'd nuke it in the microwave so it was more room temperature.  I'd make something soft or wet like soup or eggs and have to push myself to actually eat it.  I was not always successful.

Taste started coming back around week 4, just salt at first but within a couple of more weeks, sweet came in so chocolate milk worked.  I did a lot of chicken soup and could only manage a few noodles and a lot of broth with each 'bite'.  It would take so long to finish that I'd have to put the bowl back in the microwave and reheat it a couple of times.  The chicken chunks just did not work at all.

It was about month 3 when my throat finally allowed me to swallow something more than just those few noodles.  Things accellerated once that happened and it wasn't but a couple of weeks after this that I had my first sandwich.  It wasn't perfect and nothing like it was before, but I could eat.

I'm 11 months out now and can eat just about anything, I still need to sip small amounts of water with each bite, but compared to where I was in the couple of weeks after rads, I'm so much better. 

It will get better, I know it may not seem like it now, but it will.

Peter

jcortney said:

2 Weeks Out

Hurt more than two weeks before the end.  Tell Rob to hang in there, just another week or so will see him over the plateau and small improvements come along.  I'm now four months out and I can see things get better almost daily.  I'm still not eating anywhere near where I was pre-treatement but I did have some fried shrimp last night.  Took a great deal of tarter sauce, but with water was able to get it down.  Fries however were still impossible, sigh.....

J.

...and I did not eat by mouth for well over a month after tx.  Also, not that it makes you feel any better, I felt my worst just days after tx and did not feel better, not one bit for almost 4-6 weeks.  Awful.  I remember eating a PB&J sandwich,  just half over a month after tx and was so excited ....but did not have much taste for it.

My peg tube did not come out until five months after treatement...and I started to use my tube 4 weeks into tx.

Your are not behind, you are just like everybody else, your body is healing your mind is healing and it won't be long before you are enjoying steak and potatoes!

Tim