Hi All!

My dad is done with his treatment and I have my fingers crossed. He asked me yesterday to "ask those people on your computer", what foods he should try. I know nothing tastes good at the begining. But, he has had applesauce and pudding. What kind of real food is usually well tolerated? Also, keep Tym's father in your thoughts and prayers. He is having surgery today.

Thanks so much,
Boston

Boston,

Look at this thread started by Christine.

List of Easy Foods

She has a lot of suggestions on her list and is the "Go-To" person on this topic (among others).

My thoughts to you, your dad and Tym's father.

Let him try anything he wants. He will make his own favorite list but do tell him to keep trying as our taste and saliva gradually improve during our long recovery so just because something doesn't make his list now, it may in a few months.

If he can imagine it, and it can be put in a blender, go for it. No meats tho. THey just don't make it.

I found that freshness counts as much as anything, still does a great deal for me. So the more locally grown fruits and veggies your can get your hands on the better. Citrus may be a no go for awhile but your mileage will vary.

+1 for no meat, just yet.

Kevin

Hi Boston,

Try Cream of Wheat with cinnamon sprinkled in it made with lots of milk and a sugar. My hubby loved it and MO said it was great because the zinc in it helps him to heal. Also, Nissan Cup of Noodles, chopped up small. Homemade chicken soup made with acini de pepi (balls) noodles, cooked WELL. Scrambled eggs with everything you can get your hands on in it...pureed spinach and portabello mushrooms with butter and a bit of parm cheese tasted good and was easy to swallow. NO pepper...try paprika instead. Fresh fruit...keep trying all varieties staying away from citrus ones. (Nothing with seeds.) Instant mashed pots.-- try different amounts of liquid in it.

These are just a few suggestions. Good luck to you and your father.

Hi:

Thank you for your food suggestions and kind words. I will give them a try.

Boston

There is a wide range of experiences on this matter. For me, my sweet toothe started coming back soonest so I could eat things like ice cream, Jello and fresh fruits as long as they are ripe and juicy. But for over a year just about everything else just tasted like garbage no matter what I did with it so it was Ensure Plus that kept me alive for that time. A few months ago I tried some won ton soup from the restraunt down the street and was shocked that it actually tasted pretty good so I started eating lots of Ramen and other clear soups. Now, I'm getting up to speed at last with meat and potatoes and fresh vegggies as long as I have lots of gravy as dry mouth is still an issue even as taste comes back. It gets very frustrating when something sounds really good and you taste it and it's awful and it's easy to get depressed thinking you may never be able to enjoy food again, I know that's how I've felt for these past 18 months but now food is becomeing enjoyable again. Tell him to take his time and let it come. A lot of people were able to eat a lot sooner than I was so he just needs to be patient. As I was saying when I first found I could eat ice cream "where there's ice cream, there's hope" ;-). Wow, that was kind of a rambling reply but I hope it gives you an idea of the range of possible scenarios.

Cream of wheat with a little coco wheats mixed in is tasty, add the sugar or a substitute. Life and let it soak until it is soggy and the same with cheerios, make poack=hed egss over soggy toast and lots of butter, put poached eggs over well buttered pancakes too, Mine have to be soggy because of no teeth. I been putting real ripe red raspberries over my cereal that I buy at Sam's club. THey are one thing that it seems I can taste. I would bet a slice of bacon still tatse good as well as sausage, I miss my meats big time,, but i am living on what my mij=nd say to try. If you can think of it,, try it. same with other meals LOL but i mostly ended up with the eggs , pancakes and cereals. Good milkshakes work too as do different ice creams melted with toppings then blended

I'm so glad to hear all of these suggestions of foods. My sister is a little over two weeks into a six week tx plan. She has lost some taste, but some sense of taste remains at this point. I understand that all taste will vanish soon.
Can someone explain more about why meat is a no go for a while after treatment? How does one get protein? We are already struggling some with making sure she gets enough protein. The nutritionist recommended 50-75 grams/day for her.

Courtney, remember everyone is different. I did not lose all sense of taste. Almost but not all, I could still taste the chocolate in yoo-hoo and couldnt stomach drinking the liquid formulas.

Meat isnt something that most of us were able to chew and swallow. It becomes work even trying to swallow a sip of water. Carnation very high calorie drink or ensure, boost etc will give full nutrition. If your sister has a feeding tube then she would be using prescription liquid formula for her nutrition. She should be taking in minimum 48oz water (more is even better) and 2500+ calories per day. Being young will help her recover, but she needs alot of calories to help with fighting this and to heal. I was taking in 5000+ calories daily while recovering and didnt gain an ounce.

Best of luck with your sisters treatments and progress.

I like that yahoo chocolate too, YAHOOOOOOIE

I am sitting here eating fresh from the garden fired red tomatoes. I just gave the recipe to Davu=id in another post so I better give it here too. LOL If you have very ripe and soft red tomatoes, just dip them in pancake flower and be sure to get the flour on all of it. If they are firm, then make a kind of thick pancake batter and dip and fry them to a nice dark brown.. Delicious to eat and I have been eating them this way since I got married about !#$ years ago. I like to invent when I cook.

Great idea Jim. I havent had those for years. I think I will stop at a farmers market today and get some tomatoes and fry them up. I used to love fried tomatoes, my grandmother made them for me.

Another good one is fried zuchini.
Peal it
slice it thin
mix 2 eggs with a cup of milk
dip in the egg mixture
fry them in a tiny bit of butter or oil
when they start get soft or turn brown they are done
add a little salt (if you can eat that)

They sound good, I'll try some tonight

I just saw your entry while looking for some information for my husband. Blueberries, my husband ate lots and lots of blueberry pancakes. Many years before the cancer an older friend of ours spontaneously came running up to him at the grocery store one day carrying some blueberries and told him � �blueberries cure cancer, you know� It stuck in my husband's head and he wanted to try them and they went down well. He also ate a lot of beans, mainly navy beans, but a fairly good variety of them. Then there was his mainstay iced cold Chocolate High Protein Boost. He also ate a few really weird things that the oncologist couldn�t believe he was getting down in the middle of his radiation � fried oysters once and fresh pecans. But blueberries, beans and Boost were his main foods for many weeks

Christine , I like the zucchini fried too, Can you believe this year noone has dropped any off and I didn't plant any. LOL Usually they take up too much room from so many donations.

Egg plant too but my seeds must have rotted from too much rain this spring.

I have looked all over this site for information regarding the treatment for cancer on the epiglottis. Has anyone ever gotten cancer there and if so what were the outcomes? Feb. 2008 I came up/down with an SCC stage 4 on the base of tongue. I had all the usuals, cleared several times, now with esophageal constriction, can't eat solids or liquids. Will be starting swallowing treatments/exercises next week. At last visit with Dr. he found a 'bug' on my epiglottis. Go back next week to get a Tx. Radiation is not an option. Surgery is ok with me. ? who has had this situation themselves? thanks been on a PEG ssince last Feb. Doesn't really bother me. thanks

Gnoled. your Dr can dialate your esophagus and stretch it. I get this done about every 3 months. I had surgery where 1/3 of your stomache is wrapped around your esophagus, but was left with Barretts esophagus. It isn't a bad procedure at all., Been gettin it done since 1996.

Pasta salad (One box of shell pasta cooked soft, 2-3 cut up green & yellow peppers, 3-4 cut up fresh tomatoes, Kraft Free Italian dressing). Keep chilled in fridge. NOTE: I like to heat mine up before I eat it because it goes down easier and is more soothing to my throat when it's warm.

To eat this, I have to cook the pasta to overdone and doughy, the veggies the same way only I cook them in oil to make them soft enough to mash with my gums and make sure it is oily. It does vary this extra soft diet some.