You are only 6 months post rads! Thats still well within the recovery phase where you have lots of improving yet to do before you are considered well again. It sounds to me like you have made significant progress with your eating. After everything you have been thru, being expected to return to eating again at only 6 months post rads is ridiculous. To me, it sounds like you are able to eat many different things but you eat very slowly. Every single one of us who went thru rads is a slow eater. I finished rads in 2007, but had a couple recurrences which ended in 2009 so Im 9 years out from any treatments and I still eat slowly. It takes me about 10 minutes to eat a 6oz cup of peach yogurt. I have to pay attention to what Im doing or I can choke. Its absolutely no fun when I mess up and end up choking with yogurt coming out from my nose.... painful and disgusting!!!!

Maybe this would help, can you try to eat by substituting a meal like breakfast instead of 2 cans of formula? That may help get you back into the eating routine. Also doing 2 and 1/3 cans in less than 20 minutes is too much for your stomach to hold and definitely is too fast for your body to absorb the nutrients. Even though you still have a long way to go with your recovery, you can still work on trying different foods and eventually start figuring out what regular food equals one can of formula. Then the next step would be to start eating whatever food instead of doing a can. Several years ago I started a list of foods that are easier for patients that have recently finished rads. It has things that are mild without alot of spices and are smoother in texture. Ive included the link at the end of this post. Practice makes perfect smile I know you can do it, it just takes time and cant be rushed.

Have you done a barium swallow test to ensure you are safely able to swallow? If you are working with a SLP, they should be able to help you get this test taken. Its very important to make certain you are swallowing safely or aspiration pneumonia can happen.

Keep up the good work and eat one of those delicious milano cookies for me smile I used to LOVE them and now they're something I just cant eat.

List of Easy to Eat Foods




Christine
SCC 6/15/07 L chk & by L molar both Stag I, age44
2x cispltn-35 IMRT end 9/27/07
-65 lbs in 2 mo, no caregvr
Clear PET 1/08
4/4/08 recur L chk Stag I
surg 4/16/08 clr marg
215 HBO dives
3/09 teeth out, trismus
7/2/09 recur, Stg IV
8/24/09 trach, ND, mandiblctmy
3wks medicly inducd coma
2 mo xtended hospital stay, ICU & burn unit
PICC line IV antibx 8 mo
10/4/10, 2/14/11 reconst surg
OC 3x in 3 years
very happy to be alive smile