Eve,

Gary is right that the worst effects can show up in the weeks after radiation. Food and hydration (whether by mouth or by tube) are absolutely essential, and your father can't be making decisions based on what does or doesn't taste good. When I was going through radiation, pain management wasn't what it is today, and I remember screaming my lungs out while I forced down water, smoothies, instant breakfast, pudding, and anything else that would slide down and get my daily nutrition quota into my system. I didn't have morphine tablets, but I did have "swish and spit" mouthwash that numbed the lining of my mouth for 10 or 15 minutes at a time and helped somewhat to deal with the feeding process.

If you and your mother are at your wits' end trying to keep him nourished, you probably have to enlist help from his doctors/nurses to deal with the situation. I hope you can get him to focus on the fact that he needs to do this for awhile so that he can start to heal and then actually start to enjoy food again.

Cathy