Nelie,

In comparison to my eating progress after treatment, I think you are on track. My treatment ended in 6/04 and I got PEG removed in 1/05. I remember last Thanksgiving that I cooked the regular meal, but I only ate a few bites of stuff like sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie. Just keep doing what you are and you will see improvements. Seems like I have noticed improvements every 3-5 weeks in the last few months. Also, I've found that there are days when something I ate last week or the week before doesn't work - don't let those days discourage you - move onto something else and try again later. You will find you have "fall back" foods - many times I have ditched the dinner I cooked and had high hopes of eating and moved on to an omelet - that's one of my new comfort foods - you'll know what yours is. I have read your posts about your swallowing. I still have difficulty swallowing - food seems like it lands on a "ledge" when I swallow and it takes several drinks to move it on and sometimes I get totally blocked. I also cough quite a bit when I swallow - Doc says it is mainly scar tissue from the rads - I was blasted from both sides and front and back. Doc also said to turn my head to the "bad" side and then swallow. This is supposed to force the food to the "good" side and make the swallow easier. It does work for me although not every time - probably 7 out of 10 times. How is your taste coming along? I have been pleasantly surprised to regain probably 90% of my taste - sugar remains a mystery to me, most of the time it burns my mouth but I can tolerate mild salsa's - that perplexes me.

Anyway, keep on what you are doing - you're headed in the right direction.

Pam