Post Rad Coughing & Eating

Hi Kara,

A friend of a friend had radiation on somewhere in the throat area, not exactly sure where...anyway, post radiation, he would cover his food with gravy (mashed potatoes with brown gravy, vegetables with chicken gravy, etc.) and that made eating much easier for him. Hope this helps.

God  bless you and your family. 

 

 

things will get better I am 5 months since last treatment still sore throat but getting better. I did drink alot of ensure when it was to painful to eat good luck hank in Md

Hi

I'm Sue in the UK.

after intense radiotherapy with cetoximab, by husband too could ne eat, drink or swallow and was fed through a tube.  He coughed insesantly but after a few weeks he was able to start eating and drinking,  I think the coughing is caused by excess fluid in the area

of the radiotherapy, whilst the salivary glands in the mouth tend to dry up..  After 3--4 weeks.things started to  improve a little and he could take small sips of the same feed as he had been taking from the tube - he could also take finely seive soups and thin porrige.  I found he was better with these than with things like juices and water, which because of the damage caused by the chemo and radiotherapy, tended to "go the wrong way" and make him cough even more.  Many things you wouldn't expect like citrus drinks,would burn his throat so you have to use trial and error, and as things improve introduce thicker feeds (mashed potatos are very cloying and difficult to swallow) try baby foods which are quite bland. Nothing even slightly spicey, as this too will burn his throat.

good luck

getting into he lungs

gradually

 -

Hello,

I am 2 years post radiation.....I am also a type A person....Your husband will learn patience....he will get better, but, it takes a while, he will feel a lot better in a month. Don't get in a hurry to remove the tube, he can survive on liquids and he must give his throat a chance to heal. One day at a time at this point.He will never be the same and the quicker he realizes this is the "new me" the sooner he can go on with his life.Keep your head up and remain positive, things could be a lot worse.

 

May God be with you,

 

Ronny Raines

Hi Kara

Firstly, let me say I wish you and your husband well in his recovery. My husband finished his radiation for throat cancer on Dec 8 2006 and now 16 months later has just had another clear checkup with no return of the cancer which we are very thankful for. We identify with the problems in swallowing for he had great difficulty also. We got around this by blending many things for him in a regular blender. At first it was just bananas with a little added water and some other fruit and gradually he ate a little more. He loves bananas so that helped and after a while he got to where he could eat soft foods and then regular foods. Hang in there. It gets better. God bless. Carol-Newfoundland, Canada

Oh my gosh!  You guys are all so wonderful.  I really appreciate all the responses.  I'm hearing a common theme with the coughing: get a nebulizer.  I was already pondering this because his cough is often so dry and deep.  It sounds similar to me when I get bronchitis.  The other common theme with eating seems to be: it varies greatly, except taste.  I've decided to just give him a bite of everything soft I eat.  It really doesn't hurt going down, but just irritates.  What makes him crazy is wanting to eat when he can't taste.  Supposedly, his salivary glands weren't damaged in his rad fields.  Supposedly, this is temporary.  Call me skeptical as I read thru all of your postings!  So, I'm going to implement a lot of your suggestions, one at a time.  Trial and error with each of them wll let me know what works for my hubbie I suppose. 

As always, thanks.

Kara

kara, I am 4 months post rad for cancer base of tongue. I still have some difficulty swallowing and I cough a bit. Soda water is constantly at my side. it takes a good deal of time to recover and with that, a great deal of patience. Most of all patience. yu cannot judge improvement based on "how am I today versus yesterday". You hve to look at where you were a month ago. Eating will improve. I eat soft wet things mostly - eggs, French Toast, stews (though meat is difficult often). I had the tube for 3 months and it was a good thing. I am now on 3 or 4 Boosts daily plus about 100 calories by mouth. it's true that most food tastes bland at best( often like sand or wood or string) and that salivation is a problem that will likely remain so. but I am told the taste will improve. The mucositis will dissappear but the mouth remains very sensitive - no spices! Kepp up the tooth care and mout washses with baking soda. Best to you both. Laurence

Laurence you are so right on the nose.  Patience is not my husband's virtue.  He has NONE.  This is something I was blessed with but him, not.  I will say this stubborness has helped him thru treatments.  He faired so much better than the majority.  He was never ill from the chemo and barely ill from the radiation.  He dealt mostly with sore throat and skin damage, both which are healing.  If he would just be patient now that he is done, he would be okay.    Thank you.  Kara

Kara, when I started eating again the thing that helped me were buffets. 

Yes, buffets.  Especially the breakfast type (soft food, eggs and whatnot).  I didn't eat my moneys worth, not even close, but it did give me a chance to try different things. It helped me figure out what tasted good and what types of things I could or couldn't eat. At first we experimented fixing meals at home, but if I didn't like or couldn't eat something, we have to throw it out.

Well, at first we didn't throw it out, Joyce would eat it.  I'd take one bite of something, not like it and hand it to her. After she gained a few pounds, that practice stopped :)

Now, I know people are going to freak out because going to a buffet is like jumping in a germ pool. I was very careful.  I tried to take things from "fresh" pans and used gel hand sanitizer after each trip. I never had any problems.

Tom

Hi: Congrats for getting past the rad it seems so benign at first but catches up with you. I am one year past my op and had my tube removed two months ago after nine months of use. For coughing, I too spent a long time sleeping in the upright position in order to drain my mucus while using a humidifier and a power vacuum. Unfortunately your husband is going to probably have to give it time as its been said that radiation is the gift that keeps giving and thats unfortunate. As to saliva, I still am not fully able to keep my mouth moist especially when eating or talking-water helps if he can swallow if not I suggest Biotene both the rinse and the toothpaste. I still use both of these items especially the rinse at night as my mouth just dries out. Once again, tell him to take his time this too shall pass. Good luck. Ed