Hello Everyone,

It's been 18 months since radiation ended.. I was vwry fortunate to have phys.therapy on face and neck -- really loved treatment but medicare ceased and I was no longer entitled.. My mouth still doesn't open as widely as is normal and I chew like a rabbit when injesting solid food. My normal diet consists of yogurt, pudding, soup, ice cream. Have no taste for mashed potatoes and spaghetti tastes bland.
Anybody else experience these symptoms?

Thanks for your care,

Sheila









etti tastes bland. I continue with facial exercises but notice minor swelling to the surgical side on few occasions. When will the dry mouth ever end?

Yes. I still have difficulty fully opening my mouth, called trismus, since radiation. There are a number of exercises to do to help, which a speech and swallow therapist can help with if they have one where your were treated, elsewhere or do on your own. Taste slowly returns when some saliva production starts again, is stimulated, but I still have difficulty with salt, sweets, and work around it, and just expose my taste buds to everything I can. Besides radiation gland damage or destruction. you had the parotid gland removed, so that is a factor with the loss if taste, difficulty eating, due to the lack of saliva. Where in NYC were you treated?

Like the man says, "expose your taste buds to everything you can". Food definitely tastes different since my first tongue surgery, even more so after radiation, but my memories are strong and fervent. Comfort food, to me, is my panacea; most of the time it doesn't really matter (to a degree) what I'm actually tasting-it's the knowing that it's one of my favorites (or used to be, anyway) that brings on the magic. I feel this whole journey is an 'evolvement' and taste is but a part. The not being able to open the mouth thing, though-I don't think I would ever have 'evolved' enough to make okay; I literally counted the days to when I had surgery to cut through my resected lips so I could open a bit wider. Hang in there!

My husband was finished with his radiation treatments December 2010 and continues to have eating issues. He can open his mouth fully, but the taste buds are VERY different now than they used to be. Sweets are now bitter and many other things just don't taste the same. Dry mouth is always an issue, I hate to say. We haven't found anything that helps. Xylitol is something that helps in mouth wash and they also have it in gum & mints. You can find it on Amazon or in Sprouts or maybe other health food stores. Stevia has a little less bitter than sugar. He drinks several glasses of water or coffee with every meal. He uses a lot of Tostito Queso to get most meals down. So, yes you're not alone in your symptoms.

Hi, My father had finished radiation for throat before 4 months. still have much pain,weakness & swelling...kindly share your experience..