Having trouble with bad taste in food is not unusual. With me it lasted for awhile and slowly went away. If the doctors said it's okay okay to eat by mouth, then it's best to try. It will help your sustain your ability to swallow.

One thing I never thought of back then is trying a local anesthetic such as sugar free Cepacol lozenges.

I don't have the info handy, but there are guidelines for post treatment. Strange as it may seem, some doctors are not up on this (such as how often to see an ENT). Or what to do about post treatment dental care.