Good to hear that it was better Tom. I would close my eyes before they put the mask on and just remove myself from the room in my mind. I always tried to think of something else that would not set me into panic mode since I don't do small, closed spaces well. I once passed out in a crowded theater lobby. Good luck.

Patty

I guess I'll handle these just fine. I just make sure to rinse before going down and clear out before going in. Then just breathing exercises do the trick. They also lowered my gown a bit to make sure nothing was between me and the mask, as there is a tight space between my adams apple and the mask. The one or two millimeters this bought me really helped. It was getting tight.

TomHD...I just came across this thread. How are you doing with your treatment?

Surprisingly well. I have one chemo and two radiations to go. SInce this is a three day weekend, I have three days to heal before the last two bolts hit me.

The chemo has been pretty kind to me so far. Weary, but seem to take it quite well.

I'm planning on staying on the tube feeding for about 10 days after the last treatment before starting to migrate back to real food. I'm thinking that should give me enough time to heal to be able to eat soft foods. As soon as I can get 100% on food, I want to yank this PIG outta here.

My goal is to be on real food 100% by the second or third week of March. When do tastes start coming back? I can already taste sweets (as per Apple Juice), but I'm be curious when food is going to start tasting like food again?

I wish I knew the answers to those questions. I have not had the same treatment as you. All of my treatment has been surgical. I know there are many here who have had the same tx and I'm sure they will able to answer your questions.

Good luck to you. It sounds like you have a great outlook and we all know that is very important.

As you can imagine taste can return differently in each of us but for me I posted about an improvement about 4 months out and then again at 5 months post Tx. I really didn't see much in the way of improvements again until 15 months out and then again at about 24 months and it's held steady since then. I am pretty much back to normal but not 100%.

One thing that I did was overestimate my recovery. For example when I was just 4 months post Tx I think I said that my taste and saliva were about 90% back but as time went on I realized each time I saw an improvement I still felt like I was 90% back so I guess I was wishfully thinking and wanting my recovery to be better than it really was but it's hard, for me anyway, to put a percentage to any phase of my recovery because I can't remember what 100% was like anymore and I don't know how much more it would take to be there. Ninety percent sounds a lot better than fifty so I'm sticking with that.

Tom,

Expect things to get worse before they get better as far as taste goes. It may not, but be prepared. I'm about 6 months out from treatment and I still haven't gotten all my taste back. Some foods are good, but others... nothing at all, or they taste good for a few bites and then nothing.

Now, I also had a partial glossectomy and lost a lot of tastebuds, so your results may vary.

- Margaret

I am just about 12 months out of the Rad tongue implants. I have no taste except for the 1st taste of anything, this even goes for coffee. I have no saliva and won't have any in the future. I like an honest Dr that tells it like it is . No holds barred.

Right now I don't have any taste at all, except that I taste the saline wash that I'm using, but before this last surgery I was also having the 'First Taste' syndrome, where I taste something, but repeated spoonfuls have no taste, something in my system having shifted that taste to the "background - ignore' category.

It sure is different to read of someone having too much spit for a problem. LOL Wanna trade for an extra dry mouth?? I admire people with spit if that makes sense at sll.