This is my first post here. I can't quite articulate the immense emotional turmoil I am in, so I will focus on practical things that I have a hope of achieving and keep me from worrying myself into madness! My darling brother is mid chemo for throat cancer and has lost his normal taste buds. He's got a sore throat from radio but the cisplatin weekly chemo has left him utterly wretched with vomiting and nausea so he's barely eaten a morsel in a month. 4 weeks on he's lost nearly 3 stone from an already skinny frame. He's been admitted to the lovely Freeman Hospital with a feeding tube and IV fluids, but I would love to find a sweet or drink, or treat that might stimulate appetite joy or simple enjoyment He's found water tastes like emulsion paint, can't stomach tea but enjoying (weirdly) horlicks and bovril... How very 1940s? His nasal feeding tube pre cludes solids mostly, but can I treat him with acidic or his favourite salty flavours without aggravating his radio therapied sore throat? He claims his tongue is dead to anything but bericcca tablets, antacids flavourwd by peppermint or lemon flavoured green tea? When he is released from Ward 35 next week, with food tubes, pumps and other paraphernalia it would be lovely to have another smorgasbord of tiny hunger inspiring morsels to offer him? Thank you very much for any help you can give. I feel helpless in any other way than to find tiny things that might make his life more enjoyable? Thank you
Hi and welcome to the online community
I'm sorry to hear about your brother's eating problems since being treated for throat cancer. Whilst I don't have any experience that I can share with you I thought I'd suggest that you join the head and neck cancer group and post your question there as well. I'm sure there will be others in that group who will know what you're brother is experiencing and be able to offer advice.
To join the group just click on the link I've created and then choose 'Join This Group' on the page that opens. You can then copy and paste your question from here after clicking on 'Start A Discussion'.
All the best
x
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
Have you tried lime and soda water or bitter lemon? My mum really struggles with taste after chemo and says they are the only things that taste nice and are often the only thing she can keep down. As for food she likes the hartleys jelly pots, melon and oranges, mainly anything that is refreshing. Also the small pots of ambrosia custard and rice pudding when she isn't feeling so poorly. She has bowel cancer so a different chemo regime but we struggled to find any advice on taste so I hope this helps 
Vanessa
