Just reading about Olive Garden, bread-sticks and marinara is making my mouth water (along wit some birthday cake)

Seems better for dry mouth than Biotene spray

I can't wait to get thru tx and get back a few taste buds.

Pete, I did start doing something I haven't done over the year since tongue and left neck dissection. Now it's getting to where when I cough, it's productive. I hate to say this, but it sure feels good to spit again and get it out. LOL Sorry , but I know no other way to say it. Think I'm going to Margarets and have a smoothie. LOL

I was dismissed from speech therapy today - she said she was sick of my slacker attitude and never wanted to see me again! HA. No, she really just said I'm doing well and she had told me everything she knew to tell me to do and it was now up to me to actually do it and that I'm doing really well! I just have to check in with her once in a while to say hi!

Don-

Breadsticks will give you something to shoot for when you are done with your treatment! I won't talk about what foods I'm eating on here anymore for fear of retaliation!!! I will say that I have not had any birthday cake yet, and I'm afraid too because I tried some during radiation and that's when I realized my sweet taste buds were fried (it tasted like crisco). So even though they have mostly come back now, I'm still afraid of the cake - because I LOVE cake!

Jim-

Did Margaret make you that smoothie yet?

Stephanie!

That is excellent news! You're my new hero.

I'm planning a rendez-vous with Jim somewhere in upstate NY - just me, him and my blender

Stephanie,
Actually a menu list of what tasted good early after the ending Radiation Road would be nice to have.
I really want to get back right away to real food like you have.

Just six more to go.

My laryngitis is subsiding and I felt really good today -- sever cabin fever.

It was overcast so I went out and worked in the yard a bit (still wore my cowboy hat and kept my collar up). Then noticed how bad my car was looking so I washed it.

I think I am actually starting to feel more energetic -- for sure my tongue is better -- may be I have adapted to getting zap or something.

Probably not. It will probably hit me like a flying cinder block in a day or two!

Don:

There are all kinds of food ideas under eating, speech, swallowing and feeding alternatives. Lots of recipies too.

Christine
Thanks for pointing out that sub-topic. It has some nice recipes that I printed out (yummy meatloaf).

But, starting out I am still not sure which foods might at first taste decent.

I saw one of my RO's today and she said I could start getting my taste back about a week after RT is over because my saliva flow is good and the only RT I have left is only on the right side of my face and neck.

Don,

I think you just have to play around with it. BTW, I tried sipping some of the Carnation VHC today - totally disgusting. Of course, my tongue was blasted with rads and still covered in mucositis. Start with mild foods, like pureed soups, yogurts and mashed potatoes and go from there. And I've been told that things can change day to day, so something that works today may not work tomorrow, and vice versa. Its truly a moving target.

- Margaret

Hey Don-

Remember: what worked for me may not work for you - I only lost my sweet taste (except when I had thrush, then everything tasted off). At first I did a LOT of chicken noodle soup (it was the easiest and tasted the best), chicken flavored ramen, yogurt smoothies (they're in the yogurt section, taste like yogurt but liquid so they are easier to get down), carnation instant breakfast, ummm...a lot of fish (catfish and cod mostly). If I went out to eat I ate pasta with alfredo sauce and shrimp was easy to eat. Baked potatoes with lots of sour cream and cheese (this is probably better when the mucositis gets better because the potato tends to coat your tongue and stick places). Guacamole / Avocado. Ice cream. Watered down juices (I started with peach and eventually worked up to apple - but it's more acidic and will burn at first). I raided the baby food section and ate a lot of baby food oatmeal with mashed up banana in it, the pureed bananas, and a few others (just experiment). I can now eat regular oatmeal and I get the kind with peaches in it. I've heard scrambled eggs are good, but I'm not a big egg eater (they kinda make me gag) but I managed to eat some with lots of cheese, they were alright. Pudding was okay as well but it's kind of bland if you can't taste sugar, but it's calories. Start with those ideas and when you get brave start eating anything and everything. Wash everything down with lots of liquids. Also, my speech therapist told me after I finished treatment that basically I needed to suck up the pain (not really in those words) and start eating (the mucositis is temporary but I needed to keep swallowing to help myself out in the long run). So even if nothing tastes good you need to keep eating...one day you'll be eating something and realize it tastes good, slowly but surely! So if something doesn't taste good today, shelve it and try again in a few days or a week or a month - it takes time for things to get better so don't give up on things forever! (I had cake today...tasted alright, definitely not like crisco anymore, but it was a cream cheese frosting so that may have helped! YUM!)

Margaret-

Boost and ensure and the 2cal all tasted horrible to me - still do, but I can drink the Carnation Instant Breakfasts without any trouble. Don't know if you might want to try those? You can add ice cream and blend them or add peanut butter to the chocolate ones and blend that, or add protein powder for some added protein. Just an idea.

Margaret,

I will add those to my new "food list".

Last night I dreamed I was flying back from New Zealand and they served Big Macs on the flight. They were delicious! Before when I have dreamed of eating food it didn't have any taste, but last night those Macs were fabulous

I guess I took a fork in radiation road that will bypass that rough finish.

I had my weekly today with one of my RO's and she said I am one of the very few that gets through this without any bad side effects. She had a big grin!

She said the program changes tomorrow for the final five (boost) sessions and they are unlikely to effect me at all.

They finished my oral cavity a week ago and my oropharynx today, but she said there would still be some radiation hitting the right side of those areas although now they will just be boosting selectively to the right side lymph nodes.

So she thinks, at this point, it is doubtful I will get any of those mouth sores but that it is still possible on that right side.

I asked her if not having a hard go it might mean the cancer didn't either
She laughed and said everything was fine.
Hope so!

She said not to try swallowing solid food for of a couple weeks.

My saliva is good.
All I need now are taste bud