I am sorry to hear about your BF situation, but you are being a wonderful caregiver! My husband has really worked hard to help me out and it was so invaluable - you have no idea!! He still keeps on me to make sure I am doing what I need to and helps me with my speech therapy and arm strengthening (from flap) - which I really need and appreciate!

I had a partial glossectomy in August. My tumor also grew quite rapidly between my diagnosis and surgery and I too had to wait a while (over a month)- something that was quite difficult for us to do. But he is going to one of the top places, and you have to rest assured that they know what they are doing and that he can handle the wait. Like your BF, I was also in a lot of pain and had trouble talking, eating, and was quite fatigued. I found that eating flavored, high calorie and protein yogurts helped (like Greek yogurt and one brand I particularly like now is Liberte even if it has sugar, but weight is no longer an issue for me and this is my one sugar splurge). My husband also confided in me after my recovery that my breath hadn't smelled good for a while so this may be normal.

Someone else suggested aloe vera juice - if your BF is on stronger pain meds then he is likely also experiencing constipation from it and the aloe helped me a little. I didn't like the medicine for constipation so I used alternative methods.

As others have suggested whey protein is good. During my recovery, adding this to shakes helped me keep up my calorie and protein counts (and tasted delicious too). It took me some time to drink them, but by adding these in with the usual foods (pudding, yogurt, soup, eggs) I was able to get 2000 calories a day with 100 grams of protein. He should be sure to try for 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight to help with healing and maintaining body weight. Shakes also let me add veggies, fruit, and other healthy foods to my diet. Mashed potatoes and homemade gravy (store bought is so salty and has so many bad additives) was a favorite of mine at that time also. Glutamine and Arginine help with recovery so he should try and add those in to his shakes (you can buy them online in non-pill form). I found that soft foods that had a grainy texture were hard to eat during recovery (like oatmeal, cream of wheat, lumpy mashed potatoes, mashed beans were harder than just baked beans).

As far as an anti-cancer diet goes - Well, post surgery my tastes have completely changed. Prior to my surgery some food additives made my tongue numb - now I can't handle most of them at all - so most of my food is fresh and not premade. I used to have a major sweet tooth and now most foods that aren't healthy for me no longer taste good at all - Halloween was a shock for me . I limit my coffee intake and now mostly have green or black teas. I get most of my protein from plants and fish. I eat a lot of red, yellow, and orange veggies, mushrooms, and dark leafy greens. I also eat more avocado, whole grains, flax seeds, berries, and nuts, and garlic/onion. All in all it is a really healthy diet and I'm finding tons of new recipes and flavors that I like each week.

I wish both of you the best. Be strong and give it your all every step of the way! I know it is a tough and scary time but try and stay as positive as possible. We are all rooting for you guys and anytime you need to talk please feel free to PM me.