On anti-inflammatory steroid and swallowing is pretty easy. I should be able to ease off the pills by the end of the weekend. Still a little tight but clearly getting better. Taste is coming back very slowly. I can taste sweet and salt, but bitter and sour are still coming back really slowly. But the best so far is that the burning from anything acidic has really gotten much better. Everything has some kind of citric or ascorbic acid in it it seems and it had been burning me up something good. Tonight, I had some chopped tomatoes and some V8 juice, and there was a little burn but nowhere near as bad as it had been.

All and all I'm on the mend and feeling stronger and better every day. My tumor is on the shrink and I still have a few months to go with the Tx working on it. I think I'm gonna make it people!! Next stop? ALL CLEAR!!! Praise God!!

That's so great! I'm glad you're feeling better - it's a slow process but it does improve!

isence that taste comes back faster with cemo than with rad. I'm 5 weeks out of rad and still have any appitite and can only force one or two eggs and some vegies down a day.

Well I had IMRT to my larynx, not my actual oral cavity, so that could explain some of the recovery difference as my oral cavity was not as effected as yours would be. I did have chemo and rads both however. So I don't know, everyone heals differently. Hang in there Patrick.

If the bulk of the rads is to your tongue I think it makes a difference time wise as to when your taste returns. I know people who've had it to their throats etc... and taste does return faster to them. Your tongue is where the bulk of your buds are. So if you fry them it takes longer to recover.

I think... everyone is different though... good luck... it will come back eventually. It's just a slow process.