Ken,

I had to wait quite awhile before I could handle moderately spicy foods, but I finally got back to the point where I could eat medium grade Thai curry and Mexican food -- I still can't tolerate the hottest stuff, but there's enough of a range of good food that I can enjoy. Like you, I've come to rely on a variety of seafood since it's readily available here and generally easy to eat (last night it was catfish with a lime/cilantro/Caribbean spice sauce).

I also had field radiation and lost some salivary function (but not all of it). For the past fourteen or so years I've been taking 3 doses of Salagen daily, which gives my saliva a much-needed boost, and more recently I started using Biotene mouthwash and gel, which seem to be helping as well.

Hope you continue to see improvement bit by bit. Happy eating!

Cathy