Margaret,
We are in the same boat.

Seem like everything stings my tongue, nothing tastes good for more than a bite.

I keep buying stuff only to find out after a bite that I can't eat it.

My PEG got infected and I am on antibiotics.

It is getting depressing

My husbands doctor gave him Reglan. It really helped him get digestion and appetite stimulated. He really started eating with yogurt and fruit. I was concerned because the fruit didnt have much calories but i found a fruit dip loaded with calories and he ate it all the time. Take your time it is a personal process and you need to do all you can.

Every day is different,
Cray

Don,

As Stephanie said so eloquently said to me, "You can do it!!!!! I have faith in you!! Hang in there!!!"

You're only 3 weeks out and you've got some healing left to do. Believe me, I understand exactly how you feel. I keep buying food and throwing it away. I exchanged messages with my Speech/Swallow therapist yesterday and she reminded me to just keep at it as best I can.

That really stinks about the infection. It should clear up in a couple of days though.

Try to stay focused on that day-to-day thing, Don. I know you're going to be alright.

- Margaret

Do you by any chance have thrush? When EVERYTHING including water burned my mouth, I had thrush. Changing brands of water helped as did the thrush meds.

Of course anything with any heat(spicy) in it will burn. I'm eleven years out and still cannot not tolerate anything spicy but I then I never could tolerate much heat. I laugh when I hear some of the spicy things others like Brian can eat.

As for the taste thing, Zinc is supposoed to help improve taste.
I took 220 mg Zinc Sulphate from about 6 weeks after rads until last year when I stopped all supplements and xtra vitamins due to a diarrhea problem. I'm pretty certain the zinc worked for me because most of my taste returned within a few months after the radiation. The rest took a few years. Give it a try.

Take care,
Eileen

Margaret- I drank a lot of stuff- and slowly slowly over this past year have remastered some of my old favorites. Find some soft mild foods that you liek and look forward to and then supplement with ensure and other energy sport drinks- that relaly helped me get enough nutrients and calories in so I felt strong and my tissues rebuilt a lot faster. I know its very frustrating and depressing at moments! Hang in there

I am just now 15 mos out of treatments. I have been learning to eat again for over a year now. I started out with broths, soups, canned peaches, etc. Gradually I have worked my way up to eating a regular meal. However, I have to take very small bites of meat with a few bites of moist vegetables at the same time in order for the meat to go down though. I still don't have much saliva, and I don't know if it will improve anymore than this so the things I still cannot eat are breads. For now hamburgers and hotdogs are out. I cannot eat pizza either. I really miss those things and I miss being able to be spontaneous about my eating. I still drink Ensure Plus to supplement my diet when I don't feel I've gotten enough throughout the day. Learning to eat again is a long process and is easier for some than it is for others...depending on their recovery process and any side effects of the treatments. Hang in there and keep trying new things. I've tried things that didn't work then tried them again a few months later and was able to eat them.

That no taste just burning after the 1st bite , should say swallow not bite, gets your mind wondering if you will ever really taste food again. I have tried anything I can tyhink of and ended up giving the food to the neighbors. LOL They say it tastes very good and will take anything I cook. I am slowly going back to the nothin but good soups, oatmeal. cream of wheat and coco cereal mixed with the cream of wheat. I can get some toast down in smal bites with coffee. Some day we will all be able to eat food. Keep trying.

Try dipping the dry bread in olive oil, like they do in the Italian restaurants.

Several years post-radiation, I'm still finding that I will get a burn reaction from seemingly innocuous foods, but spicy stuf DOESN'T burn more than it ever did.

Remember all I was 16 months post Tx when I had a big improvement in my saliva and taste and it really made a big difference in my outlook so please don't loose hope until you are at least 2 years post Tx. Even recently I have had some change in my saliva so it tells me that my body is still doing something in the post Tx era. Keep a positive lookout. May not cause anything to happen but it's way better than a constant negative lookout.

PeteD, I thank you for reminding me of that. I will do it today.Olive Oil it shall be.