#94621 04-29-2009 05:54 PM | Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 10,507 Likes: 7 Administrator, Director of Patient Support Services Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | OP  Administrator, Director of Patient Support Services Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 10,507 Likes: 7 | Thought this might be helpful to those who are struggling to eat normally. Avoid buying things that are spicy or have alot of salt in them, instead buy low (or no) sodium and make as much as possible from scratch.
soft scrambled eggs with cheese
poached eggs
yogurt
pudding
cheesecake
milkshakes (I used to drink choc/peanutbutter milkshakes daily)
baked beans mashed up like mashed potatoes
mashed potatoes
mashed sweet potatoes
candied sweet potatoes
Baked sweet potatoes** my favorite with a little butter, brown sugar, and sour cream to help mellow it even more
chicken and stars soup
wonton soup
french onion soup... anyone can very easily and cheaply make this at home, just beef broth, sautéed onions, piece of toast on top and provolone cheese (or whatever kind you like, mozz, cheddar etc) carefully broiled to melt the top of the cheese
pancakes w/ real maple syrup or smucker's blueberry syrup
french toast, very lightly fried
canned carrots
peas or green beans mashed
glazed carrots
cottage cheese
buttered soft, fresh white bread with jelly
soft serve ice cream
applesauce
tomato soup made with milk, or half and half for more calories
zucchini squash either peeled, sliced and dipped in egg then lightly fried or sautéed in butter
jello, with whipped cream
canned peaches or pears
asparagus (overcooked)
baked potato with butter and sour cream
Some meats are very tender when cooked in a pressure cooker like turkey legs. Most can get away with buying cheaper cuts of meat as the extra fat in it helps to keep the meat tender making it easier to eat, such as 70/30 hamburger instead of 90/10.
To help balance your diet, add a scoop of dry carnation instant breakfast to milkshakes. Its all about the calories. Try to get as many calories possible per sip or swallow. Buying low fat, low calorie, should be on hold for a while
ChristineSCC 6/15/07 L chk & by L molar both Stag I, age44 2x cispltn-35 IMRT end 9/27/07 -65 lbs in 2 mo, no caregvr Clear PET 1/08 4/4/08 recur L chk Stag I surg 4/16/08 clr marg 215 HBO dives 3/09 teeth out, trismus 7/2/09 recur, Stg IV 8/24/09 trach, ND, mandiblctmy 3wks medicly inducd coma 2 mo xtended hospital stay, ICU & burn unit PICC line IV antibx 8 mo 10/4/10, 2/14/11 reconst surg OC 3x in 3 years very happy to be alive  | | | | | Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 5,260 Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 5,260 | 2 things,, the sweet potatoes should be baked, them smothered in a butter brown sugar and just a touch of cinnamon. these potatoes are as soft as anything and you don't need to mash them. and as for the carrots, get the large ones to cook because the baby ones stay too firm. As for peaches, get the elberta freestone ones, they are much more tender.. the cheesecake of Christines is delicious
Since posting this. UPMC, Pittsburgh, Oct 2011 until Jan. I averaged about 2 to 3 surgeries a week there. w Can't have jaw made as bone is deteroriating steaily that is left in jaw. Mersa is to blame. Feeding tube . Had trach for 4mos. Got it out April.
--- Passed away 5/14/14, will be greatly missed by everyone here
| | | | | Joined: Mar 2009 Posts: 18 Member | | Member
Joined: Mar 2009 Posts: 18 | Thank you so much for the list. Any other input from anyone else would be great too. What about rice, oatmeal, grits? Are these too grainy/dry/sticky etc to go down comfortably (beginning stages of trying to eat again)? AND anything with some calories too it?? Thanks.
Traci ******* Spouse to Lew (59)(5 family members DX) SCC IVA/T1N2M0 BOT DX 9/08 /Tonsillectomy(cl)/ TX 12/08 (TPF)x2 /RT x35 w 7 wkly (Taxol, Carboplatin, Erbitux) Finish 4/09 / Port /no peg lost 105lbs/ 2/10 CT clear/HBOT x30/all teeth out and implants placed www.asilentepidemic.webs.com | | | | | Joined: Jan 2009 Posts: 216 Gold Member (200+ posts) | | Gold Member (200+ posts)
Joined: Jan 2009 Posts: 216 | cream of wheat and oatmeal and ramen noodles worked for my H. My best guess is because they were bland and nothing tastes right. Occasionally he can eat some other stuff (when we aren't battling thrush) and then spaghettios work well.
CG to H with SCC BOT T4N2cM0 dx 12/19/08, teeth removed pre-tx; Erbitux & RT-done 3/12/09, PEG 2/9/09-7/14/09; ND 6/16. Pet 6/12-no mets except lymph node in neck removed on 6/16. Chyle leak,2nd surg to repair. Dilate esophagus 4/15/10. Clear PET 12/17/10
| | | | | Joined: Nov 2008 Posts: 14 Member | | Member
Joined: Nov 2008 Posts: 14 | I find that skim milk is great whereas whole milk is too much. Cream of wheat and oatmeal are also not bad. Mayonaise is okay but catsup is deadly. Almost all of the vegetables if steamed well. A quesadilla is not too bad, but a sandwich is not. It is really weird what is good and what is not, and what you can actually eat and what you can't. Cheryl hit it right on the head when she said that nothing tastes right.
Male Age 65 non smoker, non drinker T2N1M0 2 Jun 2008 Partial Glossectomy & neck dissection; lymph node tumor right neck 27 Jan 2009 Modified neck dissection, 26 Feb-16 Apr 2009 Erbitux, 9 March - 20 April RT; 11 Sep 2009 lymph node tumor left neck; 4 Nov removal of manubrium and large tumor
| | | | | Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 1,357 Likes: 5 "OCF Canuck" Patient Advocate (1000+ posts) | | "OCF Canuck" Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)
Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 1,357 Likes: 5 | Cream of tomato soup - soak cheese bread pieces in it. Sounds gross but it is wonderful and gives you that carb hit that you need when you are having trouble finding suitable food.
Donna
Donna,69, SCC L Tongue T2N1MO Stg IV 4/04 w/partial gloss;32 radtx; T2N2M0 Stg IV; R tongue-2nd partial gloss w/graft 10/07; 30 radtx/2 cispl 2/08. 3rd Oral Cancer surgery 1/22 - Stage 1. 2022 surgery eliminated swallowing and bottom left jaw. Now a “Tubie for Life”.no food envy - Thank God! Surviving isn't easy!!!! .Proudly Canadian - YES, UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE IS WONDERFUL! (Not perfect but definitely WONDERFUL)
| | 1 member likes this:
NPeterson | | | | | Joined: Feb 2007 Posts: 1,940 "OCF across the pond" Patient Advocate (1000+ posts) | | "OCF across the pond" Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)
Joined: Feb 2007 Posts: 1,940 | oooh tomatoes are very acid,dont they burn the mouth?
Liz in the UK
Husband Robin aged 44 years Dx 8th Dec 2006 poorly differentiated SCC tongue with met to neck T1N2cM0 Surgery and Radiation.Finished TX April 2007
Recurrence June/07 died July 29th/07.
Never take your eye off the ball, it may just smack you in the mouth.
| | | | | Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 8,311 Senior Patient Advocate Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Senior Patient Advocate Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 8,311 | Traci,
Re calories, get Carnation Instant Breakfast VHC. It has a whopping 560 nutritionally balanced calories in a small 8 oz can. I drank them during Tx and for over a year post Tx to boost my caloric intake by mixing it with whole milk, half and half. Lew needs a ton of calories daily now to combat this recovery process.
David
Age 58 at Dx, HPV16+ SCC, Stage IV BOT+2 nodes, non smoker, casual drinker, exercise nut, Cisplatin x 3 & concurrent IMRT x 35,(70 Gy), no surgery, no Peg, Tx at Moffitt over Aug 06. Jun 07, back to riding my bike 100 miles a wk. Now doing 12 Spin classes and 60 outdoor miles per wk. Nov 13 completed Hilly Century ride for Cancer, 104 miles, 1st Place in my age group. Apr 2014 & 15, Spun for 9 straight hrs to raise $$ for YMCA's Livestrong Program. Certified Spin Instructor Jun 2014.
| | | | | Joined: Jan 2009 Posts: 216 Gold Member (200+ posts) | | Gold Member (200+ posts)
Joined: Jan 2009 Posts: 216 | The tomatoe thing is pretty "iffy" at our house - some days Mike can eat tomatoe sauce and sometimes it bothers him. Most food doesn't taste right to him yet so when I cook for me and the kids I have him just taste a little of everything to see if we can hit on what comes closest. He's still using lots of Ensure Plus.
CG to H with SCC BOT T4N2cM0 dx 12/19/08, teeth removed pre-tx; Erbitux & RT-done 3/12/09, PEG 2/9/09-7/14/09; ND 6/16. Pet 6/12-no mets except lymph node in neck removed on 6/16. Chyle leak,2nd surg to repair. Dilate esophagus 4/15/10. Clear PET 12/17/10
| | | | | Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 8,311 Senior Patient Advocate Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Senior Patient Advocate Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 8,311 | Cheryl,
Have you considered Carnation Instant Breakfast VHC? It has appx 50% more calories in the same size can.
David
Age 58 at Dx, HPV16+ SCC, Stage IV BOT+2 nodes, non smoker, casual drinker, exercise nut, Cisplatin x 3 & concurrent IMRT x 35,(70 Gy), no surgery, no Peg, Tx at Moffitt over Aug 06. Jun 07, back to riding my bike 100 miles a wk. Now doing 12 Spin classes and 60 outdoor miles per wk. Nov 13 completed Hilly Century ride for Cancer, 104 miles, 1st Place in my age group. Apr 2014 & 15, Spun for 9 straight hrs to raise $$ for YMCA's Livestrong Program. Certified Spin Instructor Jun 2014.
| | |
| Forums23 Topics18,223 Posts197,077 Members13,268 | | Most Online1,459
Jan 9th, 2025 | | |
|
