getting hard to eat

paintmatt
paintmatt Member Posts: 17 Member
in Head and Neck Cancer #1

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  • paintmatt
    paintmatt Member Posts: 17 Member
    edited July 2020 #2
    Three weeks in and it getting

    Three weeks in and it getting hard to eat wondering what food are  not so hard?

     

  • wbcgaruss
    wbcgaruss Member Posts: 2,482 Member
    edited July 2020 #3
    Well Matt Anything

    You would normally know is easy to swallow is good such as puddings, oatmeal, maybe some cereals would work if they are soaked in milk and are mushy, yogart is another. Eggs work good for most people. Anything you can think of that slides down. If you have a blender many of the folks on here lived on smoothies for awhile mixing a solution of foods that provided what they needed. Make sure if you are worried about losing weight to add lots of butter, mayonaise, or anything else you can stand to give you calories and help the food you eat to slide down. Also you may want to get Boost or the Very High Calorie Boost which I think is 530 calories in an 8-ounce serving. I used it for awhile and I couldn’t find it anywhere local so I bought it online at eBay but you can get it at numerous places online here is a search link--- https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=boost+vhc

    Also here is a recipe of a mix to give you calories but I can’t remember where I got it but all you need is a mixer. I have never tried this myself but it looks like it should work---

     

    Deb,

    So sorry I’ve taken so long to get that recipe for your dad! I checked with our nurses and here it is:

    1 box (3.4oz) of instant pudding
    3/4 cup half & half cream
    1/2 cup of water
    1 cup of carnation evaporated milk (use canned not powdered etc.)

    Mix together in a bowl then mix with a mixer for one minute until it begins to thicken. This recipe makes 4 servings. We use it to help individuals we serve who are under weight to assist in gaining weight. As you can see…it is very rich and full of calories, etc. Let us know how your dad is doing!

    Karen

    So I hope this is a help I know others will post and probably have some smoothie recipes for you. I know it is getting difficult but hang in there and push yourself to eat and I know one of the things going on is your taste is not so good but get yourself through each day and you will make it. Do you have a feeding tube and or have the doctors considered it or mentioned putting one in? They are a lifesaver if you need one so if you do don’t hesitate to get one if that’s the case. Wishing you the best-Take Care-God Bless-Russ

  • motorcycleguy
    motorcycleguy Member Posts: 483 Member
    #4
    paint,

    I'm sorry to hear where you're at now. It's one of those things that's hard to describe to people, unless they've been there.

    My girlfriend made smoothies during my treatment, with extra protein and vitamins - which really helped me handle it!

    I found that over-easy eggs were easy to eat, and did those for breakfast and dinner for a long time.

    Keep trying with soft foods, and you should find something that works.

    All I can tell you is that you'll get past it, and eat normally again, in the future - hang in there!

    mg

  • paintmatt
    paintmatt Member Posts: 17 Member
    #5
    wbcgaruss said:

    Well Matt Anything

    You would normally know is easy to swallow is good such as puddings, oatmeal, maybe some cereals would work if they are soaked in milk and are mushy, yogart is another. Eggs work good for most people. Anything you can think of that slides down. If you have a blender many of the folks on here lived on smoothies for awhile mixing a solution of foods that provided what they needed. Make sure if you are worried about losing weight to add lots of butter, mayonaise, or anything else you can stand to give you calories and help the food you eat to slide down. Also you may want to get Boost or the Very High Calorie Boost which I think is 530 calories in an 8-ounce serving. I used it for awhile and I couldn’t find it anywhere local so I bought it online at eBay but you can get it at numerous places online here is a search link--- https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=boost+vhc

    Also here is a recipe of a mix to give you calories but I can’t remember where I got it but all you need is a mixer. I have never tried this myself but it looks like it should work---

     

    Deb,

    So sorry I’ve taken so long to get that recipe for your dad! I checked with our nurses and here it is:

    1 box (3.4oz) of instant pudding
    3/4 cup half & half cream
    1/2 cup of water
    1 cup of carnation evaporated milk (use canned not powdered etc.)

    Mix together in a bowl then mix with a mixer for one minute until it begins to thicken. This recipe makes 4 servings. We use it to help individuals we serve who are under weight to assist in gaining weight. As you can see…it is very rich and full of calories, etc. Let us know how your dad is doing!

    Karen

    So I hope this is a help I know others will post and probably have some smoothie recipes for you. I know it is getting difficult but hang in there and push yourself to eat and I know one of the things going on is your taste is not so good but get yourself through each day and you will make it. Do you have a feeding tube and or have the doctors considered it or mentioned putting one in? They are a lifesaver if you need one so if you do don’t hesitate to get one if that’s the case. Wishing you the best-Take Care-God Bless-Russ

    Thank-you to every one forthe

    Thank-you to every one forthe advice I did not think it would get so hard this fast just have to buckel down and find out what food work thanks again

     

  • PipLily
    PipLily Member Posts: 130 Member
    #6
    Hello-

    My husband, who just finished radiation June 3, lived on scrambled eggs with cheese, soft pastas/ sauces, and the 2 high protein, high calorie shake I made him daily. His issue was not pain, or swallowing difficulties, but just the lack of taste made eating very challenging to force things down. Hang in there......he is about 6 weeks post treatment, and is eating any type of food he wants, and says taste is around 50%. You’ll be there before you know it. Just do what you can right now to get the most bang in regards to calories whenever you take anything in. 

  • ERomanO
    ERomanO Member Posts: 323 Member
    #7
    Someone on here coined the

    Someone on here coined the term "foobricant" (foods that are lubricants).  You will have to experiment a little, and don't be surprised if things change along the way.  The biggest challenge I had was getting enough calories with those foobricants, so keep that in mind.

    Best of luck to you!

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