2 weeks out!

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meaganb
meaganb Member Posts: 244 Member
in Head and Neck Cancer #1
Monday will be 2 weeks since my last Rads. Overall I'm feeling well. I've managed to stop all pain medication other than Tylenol once or twice a day. My mouth is feeling a lot better, no open sores. I'm still very sore under my tongue, but that was where the tumor was so I'm not surprised. I still have not been very brave about eating. I can't taste anything so eating is just awkward. What are some suggestions of good foods to try to get myself adjusted to eating solids again. I definitely want to eat. I look at food and it looks amazing, but then I'm disappointed when I put it in my mouth and I don't get the taste I'm expecting. I did try pudding yesterday and it was pretty disgusting because it didn't taste like anything and the texture made me feel like I was eating straight lard. I know everyone is different but how long does it take most for their taste buds to start regenerating?

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  • longtermsurvivor
    longtermsurvivor Member Posts: 1,842 Member
    #2
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    odds are you will begin to taste something soon
    but it may not all taste good. I have had two complete courses of radiation. The first ime, I started tasting a few things a couple of weeks after rads. But it took four or five years before taste was completely normal. This second time my taste was essentially normal by a month post rads. Go figure.

    Pat
  • Hondo
    Hondo Member Posts: 6,636 Member
    #3
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    Hi meaganb
    For me my taste did not come back until about of third month and after that each week seemed like I was able to taste more and more. Food then was so very good not matter what it was, stuff I did not like before I loved. Just hang in there because it will all soon start to come back.

    Wishing you the best in taste
    Hondo
  • Ingrid K
    Ingrid K Member Posts: 813
    #4
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    you have to find your "go to" food
    Meagan, keep trying different foods. One thing a veteran survivor told me was to go to one of those all you can eat buffets (not that you will get your money's worth), but that way you can try several different things in small quantities and hopefully stumble upon something that tastes OK -- once you find that one thing, stick with it and slowly you can add other foods to your diet.

    I had luck with blueberry pancakes and Skif had luck with his sliced peaches -- you will find your "go to" food and then it will make the time pass so much easier until more and more taste buds come back.

    Good luck to you.
  • CivilMatt
    CivilMatt Member Posts: 4,722 Member
    #5
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    cheers
    Hi meadanb,

    I hear you loud and clear. I am 13 weeks post and eating food is the main thing on my plate right now. The pains, burns and soreness have subsided so I am able to give my attention to my “gonzo” taste buds. I prefer smoothies, but try more foods all the time:
    • I agree yogurt taste like lard (and I ate yogurt for lunch for 14 years)
    • Ice cream little better, not much
    • Milkshakes, Blizzards & McFlurry, fair, couple of bites
    • Anything with Milk is getting better, cereal, sugar coated better than plain
    • Some soups, clam chowder good.
    • Most meats, no
    • Most Chinese food, no
    • Turkey w/mashed potatoes and gravy, ok
    • Corndog, unfortunately no
    • Hotdog, no
    • Dried Pineapple, pretty good
    • Fruit, apples, strawberries, blue berries, good
    I keep trying, it is better. When I was at 2 weeks post I couldn’t stand anything. I checked the SUPER THREAD, but really did not find anything to help me.

    I wish you all the luck in the world (minus what luck I need) with your taste buds.

    It is getting better,

    Matt
  • Sam999
    Sam999 Member Posts: 319 Member
    #6
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    CivilMatt said:

    cheers
    Hi meadanb,

    I hear you loud and clear. I am 13 weeks post and eating food is the main thing on my plate right now. The pains, burns and soreness have subsided so I am able to give my attention to my “gonzo” taste buds. I prefer smoothies, but try more foods all the time:
    • I agree yogurt taste like lard (and I ate yogurt for lunch for 14 years)
    • Ice cream little better, not much
    • Milkshakes, Blizzards & McFlurry, fair, couple of bites
    • Anything with Milk is getting better, cereal, sugar coated better than plain
    • Some soups, clam chowder good.
    • Most meats, no
    • Most Chinese food, no
    • Turkey w/mashed potatoes and gravy, ok
    • Corndog, unfortunately no
    • Hotdog, no
    • Dried Pineapple, pretty good
    • Fruit, apples, strawberries, blue berries, good
    I keep trying, it is better. When I was at 2 weeks post I couldn’t stand anything. I checked the SUPER THREAD, but really did not find anything to help me.

    I wish you all the luck in the world (minus what luck I need) with your taste buds.

    It is getting better,

    Matt

    Meagan,
    In two weeks you
    Meagan,

    In two weeks you made amazing progress...from all that cough to being no pain meds? I am in the cough stage and it seems it is going to make my throat so bad that i will need pain med for a few months!

    For food, maybe try rebecca katz soup recipe? I belive recipes are geared towards cancer patients with limited tastte.

    We tried her magic mineral broth and that tasted good without any taste buds.

    Sam
  • meaganb
    meaganb Member Posts: 244 Member
    #7
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    Sam999 said:

    Meagan,
    In two weeks you
    Meagan,

    In two weeks you made amazing progress...from all that cough to being no pain meds? I am in the cough stage and it seems it is going to make my throat so bad that i will need pain med for a few months!

    For food, maybe try rebecca katz soup recipe? I belive recipes are geared towards cancer patients with limited tastte.

    We tried her magic mineral broth and that tasted good without any taste buds.

    Sam

    Sam, I felt awful a few days
    Sam, I felt awful a few days ago and was still taking liquid Lortab at least 2-3 times a day. One day I just kind of made it my project to see how long I could go without it because for me it's another energy zapper. That day I went all day and only took some before bed. The next day I tried to see if I could swallow Tylenol (500mg). I took 2 and they handled the little bit of pain I do have. So now I usually take Tylenol in the morning and then before bed. Coughing is still sometimes a challenge. I'm not sure why, but it's always worse at night. I've been trying to sleep elevated with pillows and that does help some. I know I'm very blessed. I know some people have a really difficult recovery after Rads so I'm trying to take my little annoyances ( taste buds) in stride. Everyone is different as far as how long you'll need pain meds after you're done. I'll be praying for a quick recovery for you as well!:) I might try that mineral broth....I want to eat real food so badly. I did manage to take 3 small bites of a chicken finger tonight and I had about 1/3 of a vanilla milk shake. Small steps....small steps :)
  • hwt
    hwt Member Posts: 2,328 Member
    #8
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    meaganb said:

    Sam, I felt awful a few days
    Sam, I felt awful a few days ago and was still taking liquid Lortab at least 2-3 times a day. One day I just kind of made it my project to see how long I could go without it because for me it's another energy zapper. That day I went all day and only took some before bed. The next day I tried to see if I could swallow Tylenol (500mg). I took 2 and they handled the little bit of pain I do have. So now I usually take Tylenol in the morning and then before bed. Coughing is still sometimes a challenge. I'm not sure why, but it's always worse at night. I've been trying to sleep elevated with pillows and that does help some. I know I'm very blessed. I know some people have a really difficult recovery after Rads so I'm trying to take my little annoyances ( taste buds) in stride. Everyone is different as far as how long you'll need pain meds after you're done. I'll be praying for a quick recovery for you as well!:) I might try that mineral broth....I want to eat real food so badly. I did manage to take 3 small bites of a chicken finger tonight and I had about 1/3 of a vanilla milk shake. Small steps....small steps :)

    food
    Try pancakes and syrup. My doctor suggested them and they went down easily. In reading threads, they seem to work for several people. May also want to try eggs.
  • phrannie51
    phrannie51 Member Posts: 4,716
    #9
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    Tho I'm mostly liquid food
    at this time (90%)....I can see where cottage cheese has a future with me soon...it doesn't sting, but the texture is a bit shady. So far the only thing that I can eat is mac and cheese, as long as I mix a little milk in it to make it soupier. It doesn't seem to matter if it's the kind from the box or from the deli...it goes down darn easy as long as it's soupy.

    Milk is still my very best friend...it gives me pretend saliva for a while after I drink it, it mixes with nearly anything...and I swear I can taste it.

    p
  • Ingrid K
    Ingrid K Member Posts: 813
    #10
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    phrannie51 said:

    Tho I'm mostly liquid food
    at this time (90%)....I can see where cottage cheese has a future with me soon...it doesn't sting, but the texture is a bit shady. So far the only thing that I can eat is mac and cheese, as long as I mix a little milk in it to make it soupier. It doesn't seem to matter if it's the kind from the box or from the deli...it goes down darn easy as long as it's soupy.

    Milk is still my very best friend...it gives me pretend saliva for a while after I drink it, it mixes with nearly anything...and I swear I can taste it.

    p

    pasta is good
    Hi Phrannie, you are doing really good. At least you are thinking about food ! at your stage I couldn't even look at food. If you can do pasta, try some with alfredo sauce (no tomato based anything yet !) I have done fettucine alfredo in the past 2 months and it has worked. Have you tried ice cream with your milk and put in a blender. Shakes helped me swallow the food when it felt like it wasn't going down. The thick shake helped to force the food down my throat.
    Hang in there !
  • ooo
    ooo Member Posts: 105
    #11
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    Ingrid K said:

    pasta is good
    Hi Phrannie, you are doing really good. At least you are thinking about food ! at your stage I couldn't even look at food. If you can do pasta, try some with alfredo sauce (no tomato based anything yet !) I have done fettucine alfredo in the past 2 months and it has worked. Have you tried ice cream with your milk and put in a blender. Shakes helped me swallow the food when it felt like it wasn't going down. The thick shake helped to force the food down my throat.
    Hang in there !

    Pastina is the perfect kind
    Pastina is the perfect kind of pasta in these circumstances. The grains are so small that you don't even need to chew.
  • robinleigh
    robinleigh Member Posts: 297
    #12
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    ooo said:

    Pastina is the perfect kind
    Pastina is the perfect kind of pasta in these circumstances. The grains are so small that you don't even need to chew.

    Smoothies
    Take a look on the super thread for some great smoothie recipes. They save us and I make one every day to ensure we are getting lots of protein and calories in one meal. Adding protein powder really bumps up the protein content that is really important to maintain lean muscle tissue. Berries and bananas give some variety of flavors and adding yoghurt gives good probiotics!

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