I agree, Cheryl. I get together every Friday morning with a group of friends at our local coffee shop. I'm fine to just drink a latte, but then, they usually all go out to lunch, as well, and I am still so limited as to what I can eat. So, unless they go some place where I can have soup, I usually don't go with them. It also takes me a long time to eat, and that's frustrating, too. This is the only place that I can talk about this issue where people understand.

Female, nonsmoker, 70, diag. 5/09 after tongue biopsy: stage IV. Left hemi-gloss. and left selec. neck disec. 30 lymph nodes removed May 20. Over 7 weeks daily rads. with three chemo. PEG removed 12/4/09 Am eating mostly soft foods. Back to work 11/09 Retired 4/1/11. 7 clear scans! Port out 9/11. 2/13. It's back: base of tongue, very invasive
surgery involving lifestyle changes. 2/14: Now speaking w/Passey-Muir valve. Considering a swallow study. Grateful to be alive.