Hello, I realize my question is not as dire as most. I am a little over two years out from a partial glossectomy and radiation on my mouth and neck I am still very limited on what I can eat without creating pain or sores. No carbonation, no hot foods or spices at all. Most fruits make me break out in sores. I've found I can eat peaches and pears in moderation. Crispy or crunchy foods cause pain. My question is..... what do people grab for a quick snack? Chips or crackers don't work. Popcorn hurts. I've gone to appetizer parties where there was not one thing I could eat. Since I've been told I may have to live my life this way, I'm just wondering if anyone else has this problem and can offer some suggestions. Thanks....

Nancy,

On this forum we try as best as we can to give support patients irrespective of the seriousness of their condition. It sure sounds like you are having a hard time with mouth pain and teeth problems. Some people on this forum use a salt and baking soda mixture as a rinse to help with their sores. I have not used it so I am not sure what the proportions are. However, if you search for “salt and baking soda” I bet you’ll be able to find it. Or maybe someone who has used the rinse will jump in and tell us about it.

As for your mouth opening becoming smaller as a result of radiation, that does happen. It happened to my husband. Some people use Therabite for stretching the muscles, others use a stack of tongue depressors (and add more to it as the muscles slowly relax). However, it’s been a while since you finished radiation, so I am not sure if these will be helpful. Your dentist should be able to advise you on it. If you still have the mouth exercises the hospital gave you before the radiation started, maybe you could start with those. Is there a dental department at the hospital where you got treated that you can access? Those are dentists who deal with oral cancer patients day in day out. Can you check with the hospital to find out?

Your dentist should be able to call your oncologist and ask them if you can have the extraction. A consultation on the phone will clear it up your status for you.

There are loads of information on the forum from patients, I would suggest you look around using the search function. You may well find information including recipes that will be helpful to you.