I am three months post-radiation, and I cannot seem to gain any weight. I was able to stay off of a feeding tube during treatment and only lost about 5 lbs, but once I was able to eat and got off of the Ensure (once my taste returned I could not stomach drinking them anymore), I have continued to lose weight. I am eating constantly, but cannot get my weight over 100 lbs. The easiest and most fattening things for me to eat are sweets, but I am nervous to eat too many sweets, as I have been told sugar is a carcinogen for cancer. Does anyone have any advice? And since I am still underweight, is it a bad thing if I continue to eat sweets now?


Emily - 24 years old at diagnosis
HPV-, no risk factors
T2N2b Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Left oral tongue, poorly differentiated
Hemiglossectamy, reconstruction, partial neck dissection
30 Radiation treatments, weekly chemo (cisplatin)
1/13/12 last day of treatment
Diagnosed October 2011