Good advice I'll endeavour to follow. Went to a lecture on oral cancer and care of teeth where we were given the fear of God talk and charts about the horrible dangers of sugar and carbonated drinks and fruit juice. So on the one hand, you can taste only sweet stuff and you have to consume mega calories and on the other, your teeth and bones will rot if you allow sugar to pass your lips. Lose, lose situation. My compromise will to continue with my sweet thick shakes, drink them with a straw and follow up with a drink of water. Sooooo hard to keep teeth as clean as I would like because of trismus and discomfort. We're not given fluoride trays here, they were mentioned only in passing and I would have to go to my dentist to get them made up or have fluoride applied to my teeth. Fluoride toothpaste hurts like hell and has for the last few decades for me. If it stings so much, I feel it is not good for my mouth.
BUT some good news. I have started to get SOME taste back after two weeks and three days. Because I was at the hospital for so long yesterday without my trusty powdered Fortisip, I bought a chocolate milk for lunch. It tasted almost nice. The chocolate taste was almost spot on, not just the vague taste I used to get from choc ice cream and sauce. Later I tried some blueberry juice and the same again ... true flavour, although I can't say I actually enjoyed it.
I might get me some pea and ham soup, Oz .... and I wish I had a wife!!!