Just a question to all of those who have went thru radiation therapy?

I have noticed sometimes even mayo and tarter sauce have a slight burn when eating them. Has anyone else experienced this? Even different brands of ketchup. Mcdonald's ketchup doesn't phase me at all. and anything extremely salty burns also, I am hoping this gets better with time as it has only been four and half months since radiation has been over.

Thanks,

Pam

Hi Pam,

You are not alone. I also get the burning. I have been out of radiotherapy for 14 months now and still some things burn. Like you I noticed sometimes it burnt and other times it didn't but really didn't give it a second thought to being different brands.

Anyway, the burning I had at the beginning of this year was really bad so when I saw my consultant he put me on a mild dose of Amitrypline (anti-depressant) which I have to say has helped a little. I think when I go back to him in a couple of weeks I am going to to ask to come off of them to see whether or not it is still as bad as it was. The medication never stopped the burning altogether but it did help.

If I remember rightly, (cos my memory has been terrible since I had the op and RT) he also said that it could be something to do with the re-growth of the damaged nerves.

Of course the only problem with the burning is that you don't know whether or not it is going to burn and when it does you are then stuck with it for several hours.

Hope this has been of some help.

Can I ask, does your tongue also swell when you have eaten?

Best Wishes

Sue

2.5 years since i finnished treatment and i still struggle with acidic foods. But its a vast improvement on how it was. Fresh orange juice is a difficult one, some ketchup, some mayo, vinegar is a big no-no, white wine is painful (red wine not so bad). Acidity really aggravates the lining of my mouth. So wine with food doesn't work.
My mouth recovers quicker now though. So while ketchup might have stopped me from finnishing a meal at one time, it doesn't do that now.
I can now tolerate some spicey food better (mild-medium).
Too much salt effects me too - as salt absorbs moisture, it takes the very little moisture i have.
I LOVE crisps - but they scratch my mouth and require ALOT of water but they are worth it to me.
To be honest,now, i cant remember how things were before.
You will get there! Keep trying things, as what you cant have one week may be ok a few weeks/months down the line

hi pam
like chell it is almost 2.5 years since i finished radiotheraphy and it has been in the last few months that i have started to enjoy my food more.i thought that eating would be a thing of the past for me,but it really does get better with time.i can't eat anything too spicy but i agree with chelle the mouth does recover more quickly than before.i remember once about 3 months after radiotherapy i fancied some pineapple,the pain and stinging was so bad i just cried for 15 minutes because of the pain.i have no sweet taste buds and savoury stuff is fine but my taste buds are still not there yet.so keep trying and if something works then stick with it until you get fed up with it and try something else.it is a long process for the mouth to heal and it's also very frustrating.good luck love shirl xxx

Sue I have to admit my tongue doesn't swell.But sometimes mayo burns and ketchup doesn't. It is so odd. And if I eat anything with a funny tast I gag. Like cheap hot dogs!

I'm five and one-half years past RT and can report that it gradually gets better. At first, I could not handle marinara sauce or breakfast sausages because of the spiciness. Eventually, that changed. Now I can even drink orange juice.

Its frustrating with the sauces because we need more sauce to make food easier to swallow, but fancy restaurants are so committed to spicing up their sauces it burns up the inside of our mouths.

You just have to be patient and keep experimenting. You live off the few foods that are in your comfort zone, and keep trying to expand the list. I found that if I got a craving for something, or it looked good, then once I got up the courage to try it with ample water nearby it would often be something I could add to the menu on a regular basis.

I'm just over six years from heavy Rad treatment and really suffered when it came to spicy food and alcoholic drinks. I virtually gave up. But....as time goes buy then you adapt to different foods as Ron explained. Even now, ketchup can be a litte spicy sometimes. The basic rule for me is that whatever I eat is usually covered in gravy or sauces...I'm just more comfortable with that and have gotten used to it. Anything for an easy life.

My RT was in early '98 and some foods can be irritating, especially acidic things.
The biggest downer is that cider is definately not happening any more . Hagg.