Welcome to OCF! Im glad you have found our group so we can help you both get thru this.
During rads, the sense of taste goes thru major changes. Things get progressively more difficult to eat and swallow. The taste of food changes so much it eventually turns even the most appetizing things into cardboard.
By focusing on what you have within your control to get your husband thru this, you can have a major impact on how easily your husband gets thru rads and recovery. Focus on his intake, and pain management. His intake must be the very most important thing to pay attention to. Every single day for at least the first year post rads he needs to take in a bare minimum of 2500 calories and 48-64 oz of water. Gat a handle on this right away before things become even more difficult for him. Plus, every single day (even if it tastes bad and hurts) he must take a few sips of water several times throughout the day to keep his swallowing muscles actively working. If he is struggling with water intake, ask his doc to write a prescription to get extra hydration a few times a week. It will help him to magically feel better right after he gets a couple bags of fluids. If you can push him to take in 3000 or even 3500 calories its not too much and will only help make everything easier. This must be something he does every single day without skimping as he is only hurting himself. 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 help your husband to 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 absolutely miserable.
After rads, it takes weeks for the patient to feel somewhat human again. His sense of taste takes a long time to bounce back. 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. Enough about that phase, sorry Im getting way too far ahead of myself. When cooking, avoid spices (even salt), anything that takes too long to chew and things that are thick like peanut butter. If he wants peanut butter try putting it in milkshakes to add calories and protein. The following list should help you to find things your husband can eat like canned peaches (these are the easiest, they slide right down) or cream soups. I also enjoyed yoo-hoo and chocolate milk during rads and recovery plus the extra calories helped.
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.
As a caregiver, make sure you take time to take care of yourself too. Its not easy watching someone you love go thru difficult treatments. Try to take a break at least once a week so you can do something nice for yourself. Even walking around the block will help you clear your head.
Stop back often, post, vent and read thru others posts. You will see you arent in this alone. Many here have been where you are and with the help of OCF's members, gotten thru all the ups and downs together.
Best wishes with everything!!!
