Sammie and Rich , The best advice I can give you is to pour Boost, Ensure or whatever you can get over ice to dilute it to kill the taste and the cold takes the sting out of it.

I know I'd not be here today if it weren't for that stuff. It's amazing what we'll swallow for survival. I can't taste or smell it now but it's all I can swallow, the ice cubes make it a treat in this hot weather.

To this day if I have to take pain meds. cough medicine now for the tickle in my throat, I dilute it with water to take the sting out of it.

Good luck and best wishes to all

Sammie,

David has and is still having trouble and we completed RT 6/22 we are 11 weeks complete and is still having trouble getting anything down except water. However he got "Kesslers Cocktail" which he never goes anywhere without. It is Lidocaine and Maylox. It gives his throat instant relief. Bout it only lasts about 5-10 minuites. This has allowed him to take it wait a few minutes then attempt Campbells Chicken and Noodle soup (A favorite here) vegetarian vegetable and few other things. He may get the soup down a little today but then tomorrow too sore. The Kesslers is really helping make progress. The smile on his face to have food by mouth is worth all of it. Ask your docs for this. It is a miracle worker....Good Luck

Sammie,

I know everyone is different. My husband is 5 weeks post treatment. Dan took great pleasure in getting a french dip sandwich down recently. He loaded it up with au just sauce and the beef was very, very thin. He could only get tiny bites down. It was a lot of effort to get it down, and it was slow, but he enjoyed the feel of food in his mouth.

Also, he just recently had his first McDonald's cheeseburger. And, scrambled and poached eggs work too for him.

His problem is that he fills up sooooo fast that he just can't get in the amount of calories his dietitian wants for him. Oh, and he likes slightly melted vanilla shakes...which we are adding protein powder to.

Tis a shame we don't have a dog. There have been many failed attempts at food here in our kitchen....many, many.

Hi everyone,
My dad is still in treatment, but we just figured out a good milkshake concoction that I thought I'd pass on.

1 can of Carnation VHC (560 cals.)
1 whole egg raw (~70 cals.)
1 raw egg white
whole milk (~50 cals.)
1 banana (~125 cals.)
pinch of baking soda
ice cream, if possible

Egg whites and baking soda are acid neutralizers and take out some of the sting of the Carnation VHC. He only has these shakes, because of the raw eggs, when his blood tests (neutrophils and white blood cells specifically) are normal. The bananas supply potassium and some added fiber and protein, in addition to flavor.

I hope this can help someone.

Stephanie

I was not even allowed water for 2 months because my flap was so iffy. but when I could, I found carnation instant breakfast did not taste bad like Ensure and boost, especially the chocolate flavor, tasted like chocolate milk. Then I tried Oatmeal with butter, sugar and milk. Oh that tasted so good. Then there was chicken and stars soup. The stars were not to big to go down. Then I crunched up saltines in it and it was so good. I am eating pretty good now even though they thought I would not because of my uneven teeth!! It's just fun now to try!!
Good luck to you. Keep on trying and chewing.

I was not even allowed water for 2 months because my flap was so iffy. but when I could, I found carnation instant breakfast did not taste bad like Ensure and boost, especially the chocolate flavor, tasted like chocolate milk. Then I tried Oatmeal with butter, sugar and milk. Oh that tasted so good. Then there was chicken and stars soup. The stars were not to big to go down. Then I crunched up saltines in it and it was so good. I am eating pretty good now even though they thought I would not because of my uneven teeth!! It's just fun now to try!!
Good luck to you. Keep on trying and chewing.

Dear Steph, that sounds like a pretty good shake-but I'll admit I cringed a little at the "raw egg" part. Have you looked into "Egg Beaters" as a possible substitute, or maybe you have cleared the raw egg with a dietician?. Amy in the Ozarks

Yes,

I worried about the raw egg thing myself, especially for those immune-compromised by chemo. While the egg is nourishing, it might be a source of bacteria in the raw state.

Deb

Raw eggs can contain many different pathogens that healthy immune systems find challenging to deal with and end up leading to serious illness and, on occasion, even death.

Immune systems challenged by cancer, chemo, and radiation are probably not up to the challenge, even a little bit, should one of these be present. I wouldn't suggest it and would recommend discussing this with your MO, dietician or nutritionist.

Cheers,

Mike

I totally agree about cringing at the mention of raw egg! I did the same to be honest. But I guess the bacteria in raw egg is comparable to bacteria in any other food. It's dangerous if it's introduced into an immuno-compromised person who is used to those specific bacteria. My dad had been adding raw eggs to protein shakes so his system is used to those bacteria. I just looked this stuff up and found that if you want to add raw eggs to your diet, you should do it very gradually. (For example, a teaspoon on days 1-3, a tablespoon days 4-6, etc.) But, even if his system is used to it, he would NOT eat the raw eggs (or anything raw) if his white blood cell count or/and neutrophil count were low.