Coquito;
As Amy stated, the key is to keep experimenting and just as important keep eating and swallowing. The more you do the easier it will get. The weight gain will come, although slowly. I now joke with everyone about spending most of my life fighting weight gain, and now, all of a sudden I'm fighting weight loss!! As far as the tube, I just recently had mine removed. My Gastro Dr. wanted to put me out to remove my tube. One of the surgical nurses told me that some just yank them out but my particular Dr. does it this way. I was good with that. Anyway, best of luck and keep eating. Everything improves.

Best Wishes,
Steve

Right now i am eating eggs, potatoes, rice, broccoli, hot chocolate, chicken noodle soup, soft chicken, ensure, boost, muffins, tea and bread. my list is not too big because i am having a hard time swallowing, not to mention that everything tastes like cardboard. I got rid of my roxinol (morphine) and now i only deal with the pain with tylenol with codeine. i hated the feeling of being "high" so still very hard for me to eat bu i do it anyway. I don't want to forget how to swallow which, i heard it can happen. all food suggestions continue to be greatly appreciated. by the way i gained one pound this week. up to 115 today.

Coquito,

I was in a fairly similar situation after my treatment -- I was about the same size as you and trying to regain 12-15 pounds. My diet was also similar to yours at that point, although I usually did try to supplement it with some of the higher calorie "creamy" stuff that Amy mentioned in her post. Also, my main pain medication was tylenol with codeine, so I have some sense of what you may be feeling in that respect.

I know it's hard when food still tastes bad, but you have to remind yourself how critical it is to keep a steady intake of calories. The weight gain should come, although it may be a slow process. It took me several months to get it back.

Cathy

Hi Coquito-
When I saw the nutrionist at my hospital, she said the fastest way to add calories is to add sugars and fats. She suggested adding a tablespoon of olive or canola oil to soups(it's unsaturated fat that way), you can hardly taste it and it adds 100 calories, or adding a tablespoon of jelly to hot cereal. Peanut butter milkshakes are good too(peanut butter, ice cream, milk- you may need to eat it at room temperature)
Also, avocados are high calorie and slippery.
For the first few weeks after treatment I lived on soup made with top ramen, overcooked asaparagus, eggs and olive oil. Sounds gross but it actually was pretty good.
Mel

Hi Coquito, It sounds like you're doing pretty well there with that list. It's still early and you're handling a lot of variety there. That's a good sign. Also you're motivated to keep swallowing and that's the biggest advantage.

Cream sauces also add calories, as does ice cream to blended shakes. You can put all kinds of things in a crock pot or blender.

Regards JoAnne

Coquito, add a couple of teaspoons or a tablespoon of powdered milk to the eggs[scrambled], oatmeal, mashed potaotes and creamed soups. Add canned chicken broth or beef broth to the rice[not alot of cals, but the taste might be good to you] Cook Angel hair pasta and concoct any slippery creamy sauce that appeals to you, especially those with a cream and cheese base and throw in some soft asparagus, brocalli, etc.. Pour cheese sauce over or puree with your brocalli [have you tried very soft cauliflower, steamed or pureed cabbage?] Pureed stewed tomatoes[in cans] make a great soup with a dollop of cream on top. Dark meat chicken is the easiest to swallow. The addition of olive or canola oil to appropriate foods is a good one for adding calories. It sounds like you are doing well. Keep it up. Amy in the Oz