maybe not doing this correctly.....need some info re: foods to start on after treatment. Dave is 1 month out and not having a terrible time with the salivary glands not working. Does anyone have any input as to what helped them if they were in this similar position. Had 35 rad and 3 cycles cisplatin. G-tube for feeding. No real food now for about 2 1/2 months. Need some help....He desperately wants to eat and I have no suggestions. Please Help.....

Patience! At 1 month his radiation side effects are just now starting to subside. It can take 18 months or more for salivary function to return (if he had IMRT). The taste buds should start working again slowly as well. The food thing was one of the worst parts for me.

Tammy,
Buy or borrow a blender and put anything in it. Add some milk or gravy and you can turn any meal into something he can eat without saliva. If you search "blender" here you should come up with more on this including recipies. E-mail me and I will send more information.

Take care

Tammy,

Gary is so right! Patience.My friend Rod had the same tx as Dave. As soon as tx was over, he thought he could start eating everything!Wrong! He started with scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes & gravy and soup and that was about it for a while. He just started experimenting for a while and by about 5 months after tx, he was doing so much better! Even now, 10 months after tx stopped, he is finally getting a little saliva & is able to eat pizza! Try to watch his progress weekly instead of daily, someone told us that & it made a huge difference. Tell him it is a slow recovery process & it will get better with patience. God bless & let me know if I can help! God bless!Maureen

You just have to experiment, but don't give up. I can eat anything with enough milk to wash it down. Obviously some things are easier than others. Lean meats are the hardest. Lots of butter! Chicken burger with extra tomato & extra mayo - no lettuce. If he can chew it, it's pretty slippery & goes down with milk. Lots of strong coffee w/cream & sugar seems to coat the mouth & throat. Tomatoes w/everything. I eat a lot healthier these days because alot of processed foods are hard to manage. Steamed veggies w/lots of butter. Steamed squash w/lots of butter & tomatoe, diced onion, basil,salt & olive oil salad! Delicious! Get creative. I love ice cream & I keep eating it but it always makes me cough! You just have to figure out what works. It gets easier with time. Never give up.

Have to second Erik's suggestions. My husband found that tomatoes really helped get foods down. Also, blender stuff didn't work so well for him (but everybody is different, of course). He's 2 years post treatment and, just within the last few months is able to drink milkshakes or smoothies without them sending him into a coughing fit.

There are some good "non-chew" cookbooks out there. The one I bought and used (and still use) is "I-Can't-Chew Cookbook" by J. Randy Wilson. Subtitle is "Delicious soft-diet recipes for people with chewing, swallowing and dry-mouth disorders."

Anita

thank you everyone for your input we greatly appreciate it. I am sure that it is going to be a long haul..we'll truck along. you are all such wonderful people I am so greatful to have found you. Thanks for all the support..God bless Tammy

Tammy, I was in a similar situation post radiation. My throat pain has finally improved enough that I started to eat some food by mouth, but it is hit and miss.

First I started with soft foods that I could swallow easily and not gag. What I do is keep a list of foods that still have some taste and try to keep to the list.

Some of the items on my list are: noodles, crackers broken up in a bowl of soup, cheese, whole milk, sliced canned peaches, bananas, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and spagetti with just plain sauce no meat.

I still do tube feedings generally 6 Boost plus a day as well as what I can get in orally.

Hope this helps.

Morris

Hello Tammy,

When I started eating again I started with soups. They slide right down. Smoothies are also easy to eat and have lots of calories and protien.
Like eating a milkshake. Your choice of flavor on the ice cream & carnation instant Breakfast.

Smoothie:
1 Cup Whole Milk
1/2 Cup Half & Half
1-1/2 oz. Whey Protein Powder (GNC)
1 package Carnation Instant Breakfast
2 cups Ice Cream
1 Tablespoon Malted Milk. (powder)

Mix in blender and serve in a frosted mug. Each one is about 1400 calories. I cut the receipe
in half and one is around 800 calories and about 42% of his daily protein needs. Also the half
fills a 16 oz. mug right to the top. They taste good.
There is light at the end of the tunnel, It justs takes us awhile to get there. Dave will be there soon.

Best Wishes, Danny Boy