Hey Ray:

You sound like you are doing really well, all things considered. Don't be discouraged but it will take a relatively long time for things to return to relative normality...

My problems were complicated by a trach but your experience sounds very familiar. Tastes and textures seem all wrong at first but gradually begin to recover. Even now, for me, six months after the end of radiation, sweet tastes still don't seem right. I used to enjoy a lot of citrus fruit...not anymore, at least not yet.

I have been encouraged as tastes returned, albeit slowly. My RO has also been a big help, reminding me continually that healing is a long-term effort and that no side-effect should be considered permanent until at least a year has passed.

When I was at your stage, I went through a lot of chicken noodle soup! The next thing that worked was greasy noodles, followed by greasy eggs...yes, anything that tasted about the way I thought it should and that would slide down easily!

It took me about two months before I abandoned the PEG altogether but needed to spread my meals out, six small meals a day and each one still took far too long, but at least I was eating. Perhaps not healthy eating but it was eating. Each (re)discovered food was a small victory and my first (small) Quiznos sub eaten at one sitting was a celebration.

Good luck and keep it up!


Mark