Yesterday I tried something that I didn't think I could eat, and guess what?...I could NOT eat it! It was a grilled cheese sandwich. The bread and cheese just stuck to my teeth like Play Doh. I became so discouraged that I cried all day thinking I would never eat normally again. Will this EVER get better? I am only 7 1/2 months out of treatments but I feel like I should be making better progress. Did any of you experience anything similar when you tried eating new things? I am now back to eating bean soups and Salisbury steak TV dinners. I'm getting so sick of eating the same old things. I want so badly to get off this PEG tube! Did any of you experience this kind of plateau? Hope to hear from you.

Yes it is a bummer, believe me I know.

My dogs absolutely love it when I try something different

It's all about trial and error, and trying not to get discouraged. I have found that food can taste great, but I can't eat it because it is either too chewy or sticky, or it simply does not taste the same as it did pre-treatments. For now stick to what works, and slowly start to add new stuff.

Kevin

This sucks.
However, not all cheese is created equal as is bread. You just have to experiment. Generally the more fatty the stuff is the easier I can eat it.... of course that excludes really hard (crumbly) mountain cheese and crusty bread......
Try mixed vegetables, macaroni, mashed potatoes etc. How about seafood? Shrimp etc, croissant, sourdough bread?
I got so sick and tired of canned soups that I cannot even look at them now.

Markus

How about very softly scrambled eggs, with melted cheese on top? That was one of my son's favorites. Chicken fricassee was another which I made by boiling a chicken or just breasts until the meat was falling off the bone and then using the broth to make a cream sauce for the cut up pieces of chicken and adding canned peas and carrots. This can be spread over a piece of soft bread or mashed potatoes. My son still likes a lot of sauce or gravy generously poured over ground beef or chicken. Sometimes I blend in carrots with the mashed potatoes. Tastes do change and I had to learn not to buy too much of one thing because I never knew when it wouldn't be the "favorite" any more! You just have to keep trying new things because you never know when you'll hit something that really works for you. And things really do get better!

I know how you feel your not alone i also get devestated when i think i will be able to eat something then it sticks to my mouth (im trying to get better ) and the taste can be awful i loved strawberry flavoured things pre treatment now i cant stand the taste at all ...we will get better my Dr told me not to be so hard on myself as it can take a good year to start to feel better

we will get there

One other thing about the grilled cheese sticking - I don't know if this makes a difference, but when I fixed a grilled cheese for my son when he couldn't eat much at all, he requested it made with lots of butter spread on both sides of the bread and lots of melted butter in the pan so that when it came out, it was really juicy and he managed to get it down that way.

I am 17 months post Tx and I am just now enjoying eating again. I mean I can now eat and taste anything and I have started to gain some much needed weight back.

I felt like you many times and it has taken me 17 months to get to where I am soooo don't give up and just prepare yourself for a longer recovery period than you had hoped for.

It's been a 1.5 years and I'm still trying to sort it all out. How do go into a restuarant with people when your not sure if there is anything on the menu you can eat? I've found that if I put on enough of any of the following I can eat almost anything, whether it tastes good is another question.

Gravy
Mango & Peach Salsa
Whipped Cream (not Cool Whip!)
Strawberry Jam

It all comes slowly. I loved sweets at first. Also oatmeal was my main source of nutrition and lack of irritation. Couldn't take carbonation for a year. Slowly you will be able to eat all if your saliva comes back.

My PEG tube came out in October, 2007 after convincing my doctor that I hadn't used it for a month and my weight had not dropped. At first if something wasn't slathered in sauce or gravy it couldn't be eaten. Bread and potatoes just plugged my mouth and were avoided. Now I can eat pretty much anything, though I still take it easy on bread. I have found that small bites and lots of water helps. The problem is that it takes forever to eat. The smaller bites and plenty of chewing starts to convinence my brain that I full long before I have eaten enough. Sometimes my jaw starts to ache from the excessive chewing, but I try to ignore it. The excess water also fills me up faster. All in all, though, it great to be eating real food and trying new things to see which I can and can't eat.

I have found that because I no longer can eat grilled cheese or even a sandwhich , No chocolate and the (goodstuff) I used to eat that I am really eating healthier. Yeah I miss that cheeseburger aND french fries but I still enjoy mac and cheese, only a little soupier then normal. Have gone from chicken breast to chicken thighs becasue the thighs are moister. I have thrown away moe food in the past few months then I ever have. I am going to golden corral for dinner tommorrow night guess what they have so many different foods that I can try every thing and not feel bad if I can't eat one thing and still get my moneys worth. Don't get discouraged, Just keep trying things. Oh yeah do keep your water real close. Good Luck, Brenda

As gdavies mentioned above, whipped cream on stuff makes it more readily edible. I have not had any whipped cream during my treatment. However, for some reason we had a can on the house now and I put some in my coffee.
Turns out the whipped cream is very soothing, especially when the mouth is irritated after eating crumbly things. I have been using small amounts for the past week to oil/neutralize my mouth. (It is probably not a good idea to consume the stuff by the can full. On the other hand most of us could use the extra calories).
In the last couple of days my taste has improved in what seems to be a jump, but this is probably not related. Finally, french fries and even a steak begin to taste as they should!! (albeit not for very long) and the texture of the french fries is still a bit of an issue.

I guess the take home message is: experiment! And!!! also periodically try things again.

As far as restaurants are concerned:
Some planning helps. It helps to spread things out a bit.
If you have a soup and a dessert (creme brule, tiramusu, pudding etc) then the main course is less important and you get away with eating less. Even then pasta, (ravioli) works well as does mashed potatoes meatloaf, salmon etc.

.... and once in a while things just do not work out. We were invited to an indian restaurant along with several other people by the gastroenterologist who inserted my peg. So far so good, the problem was that he did all the ordering........ while I used to like moderately spicy food there is no way that I could tolerate now. So I had some bread and rice and pushed some food around on my plate...... This would not have been an issue at all if in this particular case it would not have been improper to order for yourself.

M

Try try try everything. The dogs will love you and the cats will too. I have thrown away more food in the past few months then I ever have. I don't even try cheese anylonger and forget white bread. I don't go to burger king or Mcdonalds anylonger BUT KFC here I come. I get two chicken thighs (used to have white meat but now is too dry) green beans and macaroni and cheese with gravy over it. I soak my chicken in the gravy as well. I try to eat the bisquit but thiers are not as good as mine so I don't fight that. Yes smaller bites are a real good thing. ANd my mom suggested that I drink my ensure or boost with my meals instead of water so I can get the viatimns as welll because as we all know we don't get enough real food when we have to drink so much water. Don't give up just keep picking it really does get better. Good luck, Brenda