Ive been wondering how you were making out! You are near the end which is when most patients start to struggle and worry about recovery. When I was near the end, I attempted to quit because of being so weak and sick but my son and nurses refused to allow me to even mention the word quit. That word is
NOT in any OCF members vocabulary either!!!
Unfortunately you are correct, the weeks immediately following the end of rads are the hardest. Please dont borrow anxiety by thinking too much about what
might happen, it could but maybe it wont too. By focusing on what you have within your control you will get thru this much easier. Focus on your intake. This must be the very most important thing to pay attention to. Every single day for at least the first year post rads you need to take in a bare minimum of 2500 calories and 48-64 oz of water. Every single day you must take a few sips several times throughout the day to keep your swallowing muscles actively working. If you are struggling with water intake, ask your doc to write you a prescription to get extra hydration a few times a week. It will help you to magically feel a little better right after you get a couple bags of fluids. If you can push to take in 3000 or even 3500 calories its not too much and will only help make everything easier. This must be something you do every single day without skimping as you only are hurting yourself and skimping here and there quickly becomes a bad habit turning it into the norm rather than the exception. Im speaking from experience as Ive done this myself and been admitted to the hospital several times for dehydration and malnutrition. Im hoping you avoid the pitfalls I encountered by listening to my advice. Ive nagged many members over the years and found the ones who "know better" end up just like I did... in the hospital feeling terrible.
Try your best to entertain the ideas that are positive and not put too much thinking in what might happen in the future. By making your intake the primary daily goal then you are doing everything in your power to fight the upcoming difficult weeks.
Most patients will notice small taste improvements that come and go about 3-6 weeks after finishing rads. Recovery is a time that can be frustrating with ups and downs plus a few setbacks too. We can never recover quick enough so its common to get depressed at not seeing major improvements. What tastes good one day can taste like burnt cardboard the next and in a couple more days it may be the best thing you've ever tasted. Keep this in mind when grocery shopping, buy small quantities of things. If going out to eat, try buffets where you can try tiny bits of many different foods and will find a couple things that you are able to enjoy. Avoid spices (even salt), anything that takes too long to chew and things that are too thick like peanut butter. If you want peanut butter try putting it in milkshakes to add calories and protein. The following list should help you to find things you can eat like canned peaches or cream soups.
Hang in there! Most of this is already behind you.
List of Easy to Eat Foods PS....Here is a recipe for something I used to make and drink when I went thru treatments. The shake has anywhere from 1200-2000 calories depending on how you make it. The list of foods might help too, they mostly have a smoother texture and arent spicy which should be easier to tolerate.
(All measurements are estimates)
Giant High Calorie Choc-Peanut Butter Milkshake3 or 4 cups chocolate ice cream (regular/full fat type)
2 tablespoons peanut butter (smooth type)
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
1 or 2 cups whole milk (can substitute half and half to add even more calories)
1 scoop carnation instant breakfast
1 scoop high protein whey powder (check with doc if this is ok)
Blend this extra long to make it very smooth and creamy so it goes down easier. If the shake is too thick, add more milk to thin it down to what works best for you.
