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?