As I mentioned in another post my husband has actually managed to put on a few (much needed) pounds. But most of his calorie intake is through liquid can stuff. All his intake is oral(doesn't use a PEG for food) but he does struggle with eating solid foods.
There is one small sore left but that is really a minor problem. It seems to be a combination of low appetite, some gagging(we think from mucous) and just very low interest in food. This is from a guy who always loved good food of any kind.
He's coming on three months post treatment. He does make himself try different things but it's slow going. Some improvement but slow.
Did anyone else experience this? any tips?
Food post Tx is just not enjoyable any more plus it usually takes far longer to eat than we are use to but that should slowly improve over the next 2 years. I guesstimate I am back to 90+% of my pre Tx taste and I enjoy eating almost as much as before.
Susan, It took me months until I could eat. I ended up having a throat sticture. The opening for food to go down was soo closed up. Plus, I was so drained, eating took too much energy! I really thought I would never eat again! I did want a soft boiled egg in the worst way for months & just could not get it down.
Give him time. So much can change in just a few months....you'll see!
Lets hope by Christmas, he will be eating like a little church mouse!
Glad your husband has managed to put on a few pounds. It's good that he is willing to try different things. My son's progress at 3 months post treatment was slow and his tastes changed from day to day - when we found something he liked I made the mistake of buying a lot of it only to find he didn't like it anymore - so small quantities are better. My son eats almost as well as before treatment and enjoys all kinds of foods, although he does like to have sauces or gravies as accompaniments. I always found it interesting to hear his odd descriptions of what a particular food tasted like and I knew I wouldn't like it either if that's what it tasted like. The taste buds do weird things while they are healing.
His putting weight on is a big help even if he has to force it down. I am still forcing soft soggy cereal and such down but wish I could add a few pounds. It seems he has a big problem licked if he put some weight on. Give him my best and tell him he has an admirer in me.
Thanks for the feedback. It helped him to know that this was "normal." (Whatever that means).
I am thrilled he put a few pounds on. He still has 10-15 to go but no rush. As long as he keeps going in the right direction!!!
Jim, is it hard for you to gain even with those high calorie drinks?
Looks like your husband and Gordon are at the same point of recovery and are pretty much in the same boat. No appetite, taste is all wonky, no saliva. The gagging has finally let up, thank goodness.
I now refer to dinnertime as "mealtime misery". It takes him forever (maybe an hour) to get down his dinner and he curls his lip at the idea of sauces and gravies. He seems to do better with cereal/fortified milk/blueberries in the a.m. The rest of the day is a terrible struggle with food. I keep pushing the milkshakes (fortified milk/3 TB whey protein powder/1 1/2 Boosts/2 scoops of ice-cream, lactose-free and no sugar added) because they have 750 calories each; he's managing to get two of them down a day. He's not gaining any weight, but at least is holding his own.
So keep up with the liquid supplement and maybe try adding some stuff into it. Good that your spouse has gained a few pounds - certainly a step in the right direction. Best of luck!
Anne