What to eat?

Hi, I understand what he is going through, I had problems even with the ensure milkshakes. If he can still swallow some foods I found sloppy foods like anything made with minced meat spaghetti Bolognese, chilli etc and soups. I ended up not being able to swallow these foods so I just bought a juicer and drank green vegetable juice. It's important to try and keep his weight up so fatty foods and proteins if he can swallow these and keep them down. I had the surgery just over 4 years ago and have regained all the lost weight. Good luck to your dad.

Hi,  i'm sorry to hear about your Dad.  My Mum had Oesophageal cancer, and she had lots of 'slushy' meals like Shepherds Pie, Cottage Pie, that type of thing.  But then she reached a stage where she couldn't eat solids, so she had lots of Soups.  But finally she needed a Stent - she was very worried about it, but it absolutely changed her eating!  Once she had recovered from the Stent op (she was elderly, and became very weak and not really interested in food, for a few weeks), she then tried out all sorts of foods  and found that as long as she was really careful and sipped fizzy water after every mouthful, she was able to even eat things like a Roast meal, Fish & chips - things that she thought she'd never eat again.  So if your Dad is told he has to have a stent, try to look at it as a good thing.  

Meanwhile, he'll need foods with liquids - gravy, sauces, etc.  Mash up any potato so it's soft and slushy. Chew everything as small as possible. Follow it down with fizzy drink. You want foods that will mash up soft.  For instance, my Mum could eat softened Cauliflower, but not Peas because of the outer skin.  One of the Specialist Nurses suggested raising both hands above the head and stretching up, as an aid to get some stuck food down.  That did sometimes help.

One final thing that may be of help.  My mum took a really long time to eat meals, and hated the fact that everything ended up cold and horrible. But what really helped was a Food Heater  (those type of things that are heated by a tealight underneath), and she used to put her plate of food or soup on top of it, and eat every meal like that, and it was brilliant.  She praised it all the time.

Everyone is different of course, so I'm just giving tips that helped my Mum, and maybe they will help your Dad.

Best of luck xx

Hello LivinOnAPrayer

I was wondering how your Dad is doing now, has he started any treatment, or had further positive success with his eating?

I hope to that you are ok

Lowe'