Hi all: After having most of my tongue removed and all the ensuing treatment, I am well on my way. This all started in 5/04. I'm still on my feeding tube and struggling with what foods work or not. Doing well but anxious to hear what foods work for other folks. Anxious for suggestions from those who have made it through. Thanks to all.

Hello,

Depending on what you are able to swallow, the blender works great to make smoothies out of anything. Several have said that hamburger dosn't work well, while rare steak works pretty good. I use whole milk as a liquid while eating, (it can be cold or warm) works well too. Most of us have stayed away from breads and potatoes (except mashed) Soups sauces and gravy for starters. Scrambled eggs are good as well.

I think you have to let your imagination go to work.

Hello BsRVs,

I had a feeding tube for seven months. I was inputting 8 to 10 cans of Jevity per day. Each can was 250 calories and I gained weight with it. Eating on my own now and it's diffucult to input enough to maintain my weight. Eating alot of ice cream and drinking alot of smoothies.

Each smoothie has about 1300 calories in one.

Recipe for smoothie in blender:

1-Cup Whole Milk
1/2 cup half & half
2 cups ice cream
3 Tablespoons Ovaltine
1 Tablespoon Malted Milk
1 package Carnation Instant Breakfast.

Mix in blender and it's like having a large Malt.
You can mix the ice cream to the flavor you like. When I got sick of chocolet I started using strawberry ice cream and Nestles strawberry mix instead of the carnation Instant breakfast.
You should be able to inject this into your tube or you may be able to drink it.

Best of Luck as you continue your recovery,

Danny Boy

Hi BSRVS, What you eat depends on what you like and if you feel like blending foods in a blender. In the beginning start swolling ice water to get the throat ready for swolling and proceed to liquids, milk, juice and ice cream which has been mashed and made softer. White and sweet potatoes can be baked or boiled and then blended or mixed with a hand mixer with 1/2 to 3/4 cup of warm milk until it is confortable for you to swollow. Always add margerine and salt as you like. Progress to things like jello, apple sauce, and cooked cereals such as oatmeal or cream of wheat. Instant is O.K. - add as much warm milk or warm water to make it comfortable for
you. The goal should be to include blended fruits
and have someone buy baby food such as peas, spinach,& baby beef is especially good. The trick is to warm it in the microwave and add salt and margerine. No microwave?, Use a pan of water heating the baby jars with lids off and with enough water about an inch. Use tongs to remove from water. Gerber makes wonderful Dutch Apple Desert,Peach Cobbler, & Blueberry Buckle. The baby Bananas are like a pudding or puree your own. If you puree your own, eat right away as they turn color. To jazz up white potatoes, add grated cheese while the potato is hot and add brown sugar and margerine to sweet potatos.

Other than the oatmeal in low fat milk as breakfast, my diet during lunch and dinner was quite different from those mentioned in the earlier posts since I am Chinese. When I had swallowing problem, I relied a lot on congee ( rice boiled with a lot of water for an hour). This gave me a better feeling than taking fluid which could get me choked. Every day I would think of what to add in the congee to make it more nutritious and tasty. I never lost all my taste or appetite after treatment. I started with very soft veggies, then fish and meat. All prepared in tiny pieces. I ate much more steamed fish during that time than the total amount of fish I consumed in the past.Other than the three regular meals, I also took some milk in between but I don't know why, swallowing the milk was more painful than swallowing the congee. I gradually gained weight with this diet for about 3 months and shifted to a normal diet when I could join my family at the dining table. In 6 months' time, I gained back all my lost weight.

Karen.

BsRVs, welcome to the site. Sorry you had to find us, but glad your treatment is over? or close to it. Would be interested in hearing your staging, etc. I was on a peg also and used the WalMart brand of liquid stuff. It was 350 calories per can and I got 4 per day down. Also added instant breakfast to it. When I started to try eating again, I started with poached eggs, salmon, macaroni & cheese, noodles with butter and cheese, sweet potatoes, vegetables (overcooked), whatever I could get down. Also was able to drink Pepsi. Stayed away from pepper, salt, vinegar, citrus, chicken, and other dry foods. Gradually have been able to add things to the list so that 11 months out can eat almost anything. Will add you to my prayer list.

i wish you a hasty recovery keep smiling through take good care .
best regards .maz

I have dysphagia and I am a "silent aspirator". I cannot take any liquids by mouth due to aspiration. I can however, swallow moderately viscous substances (Apple sauce) and other blended substances. I have actually blended smoked chicken adding applesauce until the correct viscosity was achieved and then at it in small bites without aspirating.
My tastebuds are fried, so taste is not a big deal. You just learn to evolve. I cannot tell you how many times I have fixed something I thought I could swallow only to find myself disappointed and the local scavengers got a free meal.
Hang in there
Darrell

OK, Darrell, I give up...weren't the chicken bones a bit rough on the throat???

Ed

Hi, BsRVs.

All of the blender stuff sounds great, but I relied on some stuff called Nutren 2.0 -- 500 calories in an 8 oz. can. Sure, I did blender shakes and smoothies, but sometimes I just didn't feel like going through all the hassle.

I ordered the Nutren from a pharmacist by the case. It was cheaper than Ensure, had twice the calories, was nutritionally balanced for cancer patients and -- believe it or not -- actually tasted pretty good (once I started to get my taste buds back).

Ken