i am now 6 mos post treatments and am still on my peg tube. although i can now eat some solids like scrambled eggs, i can take only tiny bites and have to chew it up really well and chase it with water to get it down because my mouth is so dry. this is so frustrating for me. i was just wondering if any of you are experiencing the same thing. and, if any of you ahead of me in post treatments can tell me if you still have to take small bites or are you eating more like you were before you started treatments. has your mouth gotten more moist yet? i get so discouraged that i lose my appetite all together and just resort back the the peg tube for nutrition. any input will be much appreciated.

After 5 months I still have that problem. I'm thinking about startin on Gerbers again because it's so much easier to swallow and doesn't hurt as bad. I have lost 26 lbs since this OC started. At least now i can see my kneecaps. LOL I hope this 2nd go around does't make me loose any more teeth or it's bottle time. It all takes time.

Hi, I'm just over 6 months out of treatment, have been off the peg for 3 months now. I wanted to get off the peg ASAP, so I took as much nutrition as I could orally in the form of soups, blended fruit & veg etc - pretty much anything can be blended.

Now I can eat a certain amount of 'normal' food - fish, boiled potatoes, biscuits etc - but bread and 'chewy' meat is still beyond me. I also find I can eat a lot quicker than when I started - what used to take me an hour now takes me half that time. I still take small bites, I had half my tongue removed so I have difficulty manipulating larger amounts in my mouth.

Even if you can't manage 'normal' food, it's worth taking as much as possible orally in order to get off the peg sooner - it helps you feel much more 'normal'. I've not noticed any change in the amount of saliva I produce, it's still at the same level as after radiotherapy.

007,

You must be patient and let your body recover from the near death state it was taken to. You will see slow gradual improvements and a year from now you will notice a great improvement in your eating enjoyment. I am still noticing slight changes for the better. Just over 16 months post Tx and I eat anything I want; I depend less on liquids than ever before; I taste more foods and even subtle favors are creeping back into the picture and as a result I am enjoying the food experience more now than ever before. Am I back to pre Tx levels ? No. Do I hope I improve more? Yes. If I stopped improving would I be bummed out? No.

Please relax because you aren't able to make these improvements happen any quicker than they will.