Not eating finally got to me and yesterday i zapped a marie calender chicken alfredo frozen dinner. It smelled great. I chewed it up real good and got the first bite down. It taste like crap. I went ahead and probably ate about a third of a cup. Each bite tasting a little worse than the previous. I got a small container of grapefruit sections and ate 2 or 3 before calling it quits.

Today, I don't really have a desire to try again. Not because i can't eat, but because it just didn't taste good. And, I'm not picky!!!!!

I have not given up. I just have to mentally work my way through this.

Yea...that's pretty much it. I finished tx 11-4-08 and it does get better but drinking VHC is so darn easy.

Make sure to take some supplements like protein, fiber and amino acids to keep your levels up to par and your system working a little better. I'm on a high dose of vitamin E for the next two months or so. It helps to get the body to repair itself.

Soups taste great, especially chicken broth...I throw a lot away...after a while you get use to it and just kind of shrug it off....Eating and an occasional drink(wine or beer) was...hell...I loved it!!

Yep that's why I just about lived on VHC for well over a year. Nothing tasted good and it was just so damn tiring to eat so I would mix the cold VHC with an equal part of whole milk and drink it along with whatever I was trying to eat so I knew that at least I was getting about 750 cals each "meal".

I did find early on that sweet things tasted the most like before and pancakes with runny eggs and smothered in syrup was not only easy to eat but tasted better than most so I ate that a lot, of course with my half and half VHC.

I'm sure glad those days are a distant memory and one day they will be to you two so grin and bear it.

Update - Docs gave me Bacitracin for the neck burns and results were great. Saw results in less than 48 hours. It's great stuff.

Eating. Tasting bad and texture going down are my biggest problems, BUT i bought a frappaccino like coffee at my grocery story and while it didn't taste right, it didn't taste bad. Later that day i made a vanilla shake at home and it was the same story. So, I have couple things to start with. I'm going to make noodle soup tody and see how that works.

My strength is slowly coming back and i'm able to do more around the house to help out my wife who has been great throughout this whole ordeal. I don't know how anyone could do this without family support.

Hey Ray,

Here here on the frappaccino. I make my own with way too much sugar, vanilla creamer and vanilla extract. Making up about 2 cubit feet, bottling it and freezing it. Trust me, nobody ever steals it from me at work, too strong, sweet...

Tinkering with food is important and you shouldn't create food with anyone but you in mind. Quaker Oatmeal flavored packets, like cinnimon roll, with a extra sugar is a slimey way to get some fiber in.

Stangely enough, honey mustard pringles go down at about 2 a day now. Flavored yogurt without fruit chunks works for me too. Chocolate turns to glue, however I found that the fruit jelly sticks work since they don't stick as much.

The rule I follow is: If you crave it, try it. While I am dissapointed alot, now and then I find something I actually like and eat it until I can't stand it anymore.

My home made suppliment, "Vern Food" (1 can carnation instant breckfast 1 bottle of malt ovaltine and 2 cups sugar) Really seems to help keep my weight up and get stubborn food down when mixed thick enough.

For the stuff you cook up and won't eat: Dogs, compost barrel, freezer... Oh yeah, a dishwasher is a must! LOL

Good luck!

UncleVern

[quote=Ray in Texas]Update - Docs gave me Bacitracin for the neck burns and results were great. Saw results in less than 48 hours. It's great stuff.[/quote]
That's what they put on all my neck wounds where the Cutthroats were comparing the relative sharpness of the various brands of scalpels -- However, on a recent followup visit the nurse said that now that the wounds had pretty much healed (I have two small spots in one scar that seem to still be open to the inside of my windpipe and leak secretions from time to time) I should stop using the stuf as it will interfere with further healing.

[quote]My strength is slowly coming back and i'm able to do more around the house to help out my wife who has been great throughout this whole ordeal. I don't know how anyone could do this without family support.[/quote]
I know what you mean, looking back to when I was still married and went through some surgeries and injuries -- It was just plain nice to have someone care and just give a human touch -- I really appreciate it when friends give me hugs going through this stuf. It's not the same of course, but that's why having a pet or Quack Pack or whatever can be quite a help. Don't forget to get something nice for your wife for Valentine's Day!

Ray in Texas
Post Tx some of my staples were eggs, buttermilk (tasted rather strange but I drank lots of it), "pan de leche" sweet rolls, red and white grape juice. Ham tasted OK, but was a bit hard to swallow so I was told to try Spam and found that it also tasted OK and being greasy was easy to swallow.

For that first couple of months, I really didn't have much of an appetite.

Salty things were really good early -- soups, etc. Fruity things were next to come on line. Patience is the key. Tough to do, but things get better piece by piece.

I lived on biscuits ( the center fluffy part ) and gravy for awhile. I had to make sure there wasn't alot of pepper in the gravy. That and scrambled eggs with cheese. Not the healthiest stuff but slid down the sore throat fairly well.

Thanks to all again. I'm checking these posts as i watch an old movie and drink a frappaccino. I will try some of these foods and see what happens. Yogurt was a daily staple for me before all this. I'll have to see if i can add it back to my diet.

I've always been one of those healthy eaters. No high fat, fish and poultry and my red meat was limited to one burger a week.

Living in San Antonio my recovery won't be complete until i can get an plate of enchiladas verdes. That's chicken enchiladas with tomatillo sauce, rice, refied beans and a taco on the side. For those of you living in the northeast, Mexican food down here is as common as Italian food is up there.

thanks again.