Anyone else no longer able to eat/drink?

Hi Mick,

I have to say, you are a better man than me. Even after nearly 5 years I cannot get used to not eating. I used to love my food and frequently my wife and I would dine out. I’ve tried everything to get used to it but even food adverts on tv make me feel quite down. Like you, I really miss bacon and although I never used to have them often, I miss fish and chips! I do have periods when I cope with it but then it just comes back and hits me hard.  If you have got any tips on how you dealt with it they would be gratefully appreciated.

i know it sounds bad as no one wants to be in this situation but it is nice to come across someone else in a similar position. When you read all the success stories you can end up feeling you are the only one out there.

I don’t know Where you are in the country but as I said in my first post, I went to Derriford hospital in Plymouth where I was operated on by Mr Taz Malik, an ENT consultant.  By going in through my peg hole and down my throat at the same time he was able to make a hole thus allowing me to drink. A bit painful for a week but it was worth it. 
anyway Mick, all the very best and I’m always available for a chat.

Take care.

Clive

Hello Lyn,

I guess we all have different ways of dealing with our particular circumstances, don't we? I get really bored feeding myself Fortisips through my stomach. No pleasure, no fulfilment, just like filling up a car with petrol, but then I think of people worse off than me and I carry on. Also, I can't make myself understood over the telephone which is a real drag! Thank God for texting and email!

Keep well,

Mick

Hello Clive,

Christmas is definitely the worst time. All those bloody ads for food! Unfortunately I don't have any tips on how to avoid cravings. Look out of the window? Stare into space? Write a book? I live in London and had my operation done at Guy's by Mr Jeannon. He and his team did a great job and managed to preserve my rugged film star good looks quite well (ahem, yes). By the way, what are these 'success stories' you talk about?

Cheers,

Mick

Hello Chris,

I occasionally try sipping water but it invariably won't go down. I'll keep trying though. Now then, a toasted fish finger sandwich with melted cheese? Wow! That's quite a thought. How about a large bowl of tiramisu (with strawberries) drowned in a tsunami of extra thick double-double cream, topped with a delicate drizzle of chocolate shavings?  

Mick

Hello Mick, tiramisu sounds delicious would certainly pile on the pounds with the added cream

                                                                          Chris 

Hi Mick,

you’re absolutely right, Christmas is a nightmare and then we have Valentines, Easter, summer bbq’s and evening bonfire night where everyone seems to want to celebrate with a meal devised by the supermarkets.  Hey ho though things could be worse.

what I meant about the successes was just a throwaway line about the lucky ones. I don’t know how long you have been monitoring the site but I found it early on. Initially it gave me great hope as everyone that was posting were talking about how soon they started eating again but soon I realised that I was not one of them. This is when I started to feel  a bit of a failure as no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t eat or drink anything. I now know it was because of the blockage. Now I just check it every now and then to see if my experiences can help anyone.

all the best.

Clive

Probably best not to think about it!!

Hi Clive,

I've only just joined this group so I'm the new boy I guess. My view on what constitutes success or otherwise is that it's all relative. Yes, we can't eat or drink but when you see a Syrian boy on television who has had his arms blown off by a bomb, it certainly puts things into perspective doesn't it? Be thankful for what you have.

Mick

Hi Chris,

Probably best not to think about it!

Mick

Hi Mick

You are so right that we all cope with things the best way we can.

Until it happens to you, you don't realise how much our socialisation involves eating together. As Clive says there are so many different occasions, Christmas, Easter, birthdays, just family catch ups. Everyone is enjoying themselves eating away without even thinking about it and there you are eyeing off the food and realising that you can't manage any of it and wishing you could and nobody wants to hear you banging on about it so you keep quiet.

I  try to enjoy the getting together component now and forget about the food side of it although that is hard sometimes.

I am  trying to become a glass half full person and think about the positives about my life rather than the negatives and that does help but sainthood is hard to achieve ( ha ha ).

There are certainly more in a worse state than me so I am trying to get things into perspective.

We all recover from our cancer experiences differently, at different rates with variable outcomes and there are definitely no failures.

This forum helps me put my thoughts out there and I always learn so much from others experiences. That has really helped me.

Best wishes

Lyn