Jellybean --

It is a very good idea to have gotten the PEG beforehand -- this forum is full of cases of folks who didn't and then had to have one put in when they became unable to maintain nutrition (and especially, hydration) by mouth. I spoke to our radiation onc nurse last Monday and she said they had had a rash of folks (at Hopkins) who had refused a PEG -- their legal right -- and who now were having to have IV hydration and will end up with a PEG anyway, having the surgery while in much worse shape.

So please don't interpret what I said as an urge to not use the PEG -- use whatever you have to, to get through this difficult process. But try to keep swallowing - as I said, even if only sips of water -- and make sure your nurses and doctors help you do this by providing adequate pain medication.

You will lose your sense of taste, but perhaps not completely -- my husband was able to taste certain things, esp. some fruit flavors as well as seafood (!) although flavors were muted and faint. So I made a lot of strawberry smoothies with high-calorie nutritional supplement as a base, as well as a pureed cream of crab soup that is quite nice! However, he also said (frequently) "Food is Medicine" so ate stuff that also had NO flavor, at least to him.

Folks on this forum have a lort of recipes for soft foods that go down as well as can be expected!

Good luck, keep strong!

Gail