Amy,

For at least the latter half of my radiation treatments and for many weeks after that, NOTHING tasted good to me, and it took months for "normal" taste buds to come back. I figured out early on that I couldn't make my eating decisions based on taste, but had to make myself eat foods that were nutritious and soft enough to go down my throat easily. Mealtime was simply a task to get through to reach a daily calorie goal in order to survive. I used variations on the high-calorie shakes that are posted here on the site, as well as yogurt, ice cream, creamy cereals, lots of baby food, soups, and a variety of blender concoctions that I experimented with using fruits and vegetables. I should point out that none of these tasted good at the time -- they were just the simplest way to get what I needed.

The most important thing is maintaining a good calorie intake (whether by PEG tube or by eating things that are very easy to ingest). Taste buds are a temporary casualty of radiation, but they do come back with time.

Cathy