Hello,
I am new to this forum. I am a 46 year old two-time oral cancer survivor who went through tongue reconstruction (flap), neck dissection, and 6 weeks of radiation treatment. I would like some suggestions on foods to eat. My mouth is dry, so I have a hard time with eating meat. I do a protein replacement, but would like to hear what other people are eating. I have lost over 40lbs since my surgery in July of 2017. I am slowly gaining a few pounds back, but really need to put on more weight, so any suggestions are welcome.
Also, I would like to hear from people who have been through the tongue reconstruction, and if you have any words of wisdom.
Thanks for your time, and I look forward to hearing from people.

Welcome to OCF, Scurrie! Its always nice to have fellow survivors join our family

It takes 2 years for a complete recovery from rads so you still do have a ways to go before you are considered completely healed. Thats actually good news for you as you will still notice improvements in your dry mouth and sense of taste. When your body is recovering it burns up an incredible amount of calories trying to repair itself. Most OC patients take a long time after rads to begin to notice any weight gain. It took me at least 5 years after rads to notice my cheesecake habit was catching up to me. But, everybodys different and will respond to things in their own unique way. Ask your doc about adding high protein whey powder to your diet to help boost your protein intake which helps with healing. Im also including a link to a list of easy to eat foods that are less spicy, have a smoother texture and easier for OC patients to chew and swallow.

If you havent already been going to a SLP or speech therapist it would be a good idea to see one. Most people are their own worst critics and will notice imperfections in speech where the majority of people wont notice a difference. I had a good friend who I considered to have excellent enunciation but boy what a difference it made after seeing a speech therapist for a few weeks.

List of Easy to Eat Foods

Hi Christine,
Thanks for your response. I have completed speech therapy, and I am back to teaching full time. As for the food list, I eat all those already; I was hoping for some 'real' food suggestions. I supplement my protein with a shake (30 grams), but I still miss eating good quality food, not just mush. I have no problems with spicy anymore, I'm just in a slump with cooking at home and finding foods to eat at restaurants.
Thanks for the advise