Hi Sue

I am so sorry to hear all this but glad you reached out. Cancer is such a fickle beast. I went thru radiation of neck and tongue in June-July this year. It was rough but manageable. Surgery was more intense in my opinion. Radiation was more like a long slow burn with completely jacked up taste buds. I am about 5 months recovered from radiation and I can eat almost anything now that is not spicy. But, i am still recovering and they say all that will come back. I have some minor dental issues (cavity and root canal) that were likely there before and got accelerated from radiation.

The key to radiation is eating and keeping your weight. I also exercised every day, some light and some heavy, but everyday. I think that helps but you have to offset it against weight loss and pound more calories to support it. In the end, i was always within ten pounds of my start weight. Thrush was one of my bigger issues. Stay on top of that as it is hard enough to eat without thrush.

There is lots of advise on what to eat as the list of what you can stomach gets really short. Let me know if you want some ideas with that. Also, lots of different treatments for exposed skin and inside your mouth that can help. Buy or borrow a vitamix (or similar) if you don't already have one. Makes hiding calories in liquid meals much easier.

Just a start but we are here for you. Please keep us up to date. Stay safe and keep the faith.

Nels