Hello

A friend of mine underwent bil RND in January, has started on Chemo/Radiotherapy and his main issues are diet. He does not have a PEG tube, and we are hoping to avoid this. All food tastes as bland as you have all described, and he says he is only going to ear porridge for the next 5 weeks.(He does take the occasional build up drink!). Can anyone advise us on how you got round this stage?
Thanks, coz i know you will be thinking about what to advise, and you will have many suggestions.

S

Dear S I will try and help with ideas that have worked for me but my situation will be different from that of your friend. I cannot eat anything that is solid - everything has to be liquidised. I have had two major ops for cancer in the jaw which means I will never eat solids again, although I was spared the ravages of radiotherapy. One thing which slides down and is packed with good stuff is Scandishakes (a milkshake supplement which knocks the socks off Build up and Fortisips) It is only available on prescription from the doctor. I buy every vegetable that the supermaket has to offer - peel, cook and liquidise and divide into lots of containers for the freezer - apart from the one on the go, which acts as a base for whatever I fancy putting into it on that day - tuna/chicken/any fish but check for bones/avocado added makes it nice and creamy! then pop into microwave or re-heat on hob. Once it's ready then add cream or grated cheese. If it needs thickening add a bread bun/pasta/more potato before blending.

As you say, lots of others will be giving you their tips on what has worked for them. Good luck to you and your friend. Brenda

thanks Brenda, that sounds great.........am tempted to try myself!
Take care
S

Dear S

Like your friend I found most food lost its taste during radiotherapy or would irritate my mouth. I remember eating a lot of fish pie, pasta in cheese sauses which are very calorific. Also creme brulee which you can buy at most supermarkets were good - you don't have to put the sugar on the top if your friend finds the topping too rough for his mouth but they are very calorific (about 230 calories a go) and they go down very easily.

Like Brenda, I did use the Scandishakes as well but did find them a bit constipating so it's important to keep eating the vegetables. The only fruits I could really eat were stewed pears and tinned peaches although stewed plums might not be too acidic (I enjoy eating them with my porridge in the morning ). Once it gets too hard to chew bread because even that gets too rough for your tongue, your friend might like to try potato cakes/farls with lots of butter which are nice and soft and also fill you up.

Wish your friend all the very best from me - I hope this helps and please try to get him to eat as he will be much better off in the long run. Hope this helps.

Best wishes
Sue E

Thanks you so much for your time Sue. You bunch really are the experts and so supportive of people you don't know.

Thanks again

s

Hello to everyone!

I think that one of the best lessons in life is if you learn...teach. I remember the truly horrible & difficult time when all the surgery & treatment is all very new & if getting use to the changes & challenges in your body is not hard enough you are then faced with the overwhelming reality that food is no longer a pleasure or even a possibility, & then even when it is you cannot taste much or handle the different textures of some foods. In my case alot of foods burned or stung my mouth, no longer was it possible to eat anything with hard or rough edges, as along with the difficulty in chewing the inside of your cheeks become highly sensitve.

I was off solids for months & lived mostly on Ensure & Sustagen which were good but had I more knowledge on wholesome nutrition I dare say I could have done a better job of healing my body.

For example the medicinal qualities of bone broths cannot be emphasised enough & even the advantage of eating fermented vegetables for easier digestion. The wonderful healing properties of whole butter & organic coconut oil, two marvellous fats that do not require bile for digestion & are very healing to the lining of the gut wall & great added to any purees to build your immunity.

I am not a nutritionist nor am I making any claims other than to share with you what I have learnt in my experience.

An amazing man to research is dentist & nutrition pioneer Dr Weston A Price, I'm not sure if I'm allowed to paste a link here so until I ask you can google his name & his foundation will be easy to find. I promise you its worth your while just to have a read through all of the amazing research on the absolute importance of consuming a diet rich in nutrient-dense foods, & at no other time is this as importabt as when your immune system is taking a pounding, like when you are fighting cancer.

If for no other reason than an interesting read you'll be amazed at the finds of his research.

Take Care
Kelley

Hello Kelley--The best nutrient-dense thing I have found is by Kiki, called 'Nature's Living'. It is a green soluble powder and contains so many good green derivatives that the contents are like a mediaevcal herb garden. It is expensive--abvouit £30 a month--but it is very easy to waste that amout of money on rubbish things as you know!
I was recommended to try this about six months ago by a fellow laryngectomee, trying like myself to regain some semblance of normality in looking healthy and addihg some lbs to the scales. Well I have put on 6 lbs since I've started taking it. Friends and family are genuinelt amazed at how well I look.
They, Nature's Living. ahve their own website, but if you have any troubles contact me.
I am going to look up this Weston A Price to see what he has on offer!
Rosalie

Hi Rosalie

Yes I think a friend of mine gave me a brochure on Natures Living but if I remember correctly there was an ingredient in it that I could not have. Any of the power green foods are supposed to be good. I use to take Spirulina for a long time as it is not just a supplement but infact a wholefood. Unfortunately as a result of my lowered immunity & the terrible mouth dryness from radiation I ended up with candida & it is proving a nightmare to get rid of. I have tried so hard to remain positive & bask in the glow of survival but at the moment I feel I am being tested beyond my limits, it is one thing to survive but what about quality of life. I'm sick of the shadow of fear lurking, I resist mostly but its always there even on the good days.

So for me the two things that make a huge difference to the state of my mind are following a good wholesome organic diet & exercise.... which I'm struggling with at the moment, but head up I say & tomorrow is a whole new day & 2007 is a whole new year

Lastly one word of advice I will offer to all is to do your research on the importance of cutting sugar from your diet when fighting cancer or recovering from it. German physician Otto Warburg was actually awarded a Nobel Prize over 75 years ago for first uncovering cancer cells' massive dependence on sugar as a fuel source. This has to do with high levels of insulin that the pancreas releases after you eat carbohydrates ie.sugar High levels of insulin have been linked to a vast majority of chronic illness not just cancer. Exercise is a powerful way to improve insulin & leptin(powerful hormone) sensitivity... so whatever stage you may be at on your journey just a little bit of exercise if you are able can make a world of difference

Here's to good health for us all
Kelley

quote:

Originally posted by Brenda Brady:
Dear S I will try and help with ideas that have worked for me but my situation will be different from that of your friend. I cannot eat anything that is solid - everything has to be liquidised. I have had two major ops for cancer in the jaw which means I will never eat solids again, although I was spared the ravages of radiotherapy. One thing which slides down and is packed with good stuff is Scandishakes (a milkshake supplement which knocks the socks off Build up and Fortisips) It is only available on prescription from the doctor. I buy every vegetable that the supermaket has to offer - peel, cook and liquidise and divide into lots of containers for the freezer - apart from the one on the go, which acts as a base for whatever I fancy putting into it on that day - tuna/chicken/any fish but check for bones/avocado added makes it nice and creamy! then pop into microwave or re-heat on hob. Once it's ready then add cream or grated cheese. If it needs thickening add a bread bun/pasta/more potato before blending.

As you say, lots of others will be giving you their tips on what has worked for them. Good luck to you and your friend. Brenda

thanx for that brenda i am not swallowing and getting terrible pain in the top of my throat after ive tried to eat (so far ive lost a stone) but i have 15 left which hopefully will see me thro.... i would never have thought of liquidising food or even mentioning it on site as it didnt seem important compared to what others are going thro

If you are on Build up or Fortisips try having the fruity ones as a shake with Cornish Ice cream!

You might find my web site / book of interest: 'Safe In The Shadow' via www.brownstar-publications.co.uk

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Heather M. Marshall,