Eating during treatment:Tips and Recipes

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We all know how important proper nutrition is while having Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy yet we are often left unable to. There have been lots of ingenious tips from the members in the community so with grateful thanks and inspiration from

 

 "Hi All Something to look at is the happy Pear on Utube and they do a carbonara or white sauce made with 100g of cashew nuts and milk and nutritional yeast , just liquidised and its ready  to go"

I added cream to everything I could think of particularly soups (not tomato), cereals, eggs.

   is adding Fortisips to his morning Ready Brek, a clever way to both add flavour and make the horrid texture of the drink go away.

I thought I'd kick off a new thread and bump it up every week.

Over to you. Please add whatever you can think of 

  • Hi Sue. Ensures are much the same as Fortisips. Meritene do soups and shakes that you could try and there’s always good old fashioned Complan xx

    Dani 

    Base of tongue cancer. T2N0M0 6 weeks Radiotherapy finished January 2019

    I wrote a blog about my cancer. just click on the link below 

    https://todaymycoffeetasteslikechristmasincostarica.com 

    Macmillan Support Line - 0808 808 00 00, 7 days a week between 8am-8pm

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  • On the food front, home made soups have been an absolute godsend for me both in providing something I can eat normally and in ensuring I get vital vitamins and minerals. If you haven’t got one and have a spare £50 I recommend buying a soup maker. They are incredible. Basically you throw whatever raw or leftover food you like (my current favourite is carrot, parsnip and cheese) into what looks like a standard kettle, turn it on, go away and in 19 minutes you pour out 3 pints of perfect, piping hot soup. It’s amazing!

    There are several models but here is a link to mine...

    www.amazon.co.uk/.../ref=sr_1_3

  • Good evening Dani, hope all is well, its so cold in Kent at the moment. I just noticed you mentioned Meritine, have you tried them? I have tried Aymes soups but they did not taste nice, the cup of soups are ok with me as long as there are no big bits in it but they don't have enough calories to stand up on their own. Why cant these nutritions come up with flavours like cup a soup etc. Moan over L.O.L 

    Best wishes, take care Dani.

                                                                 Chris xx

    Its sometimes not easy but its worth it ! 

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  • Hi Chris....no I haven't tried them but I do know folk who have.

    Maybe a soup maker and a liquidiser is the answer?

    Take care too Chris....Have you managed to get the Covid jab yet?

    Dani 

    Base of tongue cancer. T2N0M0 6 weeks Radiotherapy finished January 2019

    I wrote a blog about my cancer. just click on the link below 

    https://todaymycoffeetasteslikechristmasincostarica.com 

    Macmillan Support Line - 0808 808 00 00, 7 days a week between 8am-8pm

    Community Champion badge
  • Sorry Sue. I only just noticed your post. If Fortisip is too sweet just dilute it with the same amount of milk. It makes quite a nice milkshake. I find the Mocha flavoured one particular nice! I guess you’ve started your treatment already, but good luck and I hope it goes well. M

  • Hi,

    Im just at the end of week 3. My treatment is 30 Radiotherapy sessions and 2 chemotherapy so half way through, this weekend my tongue is on fire if I try to eat anything even plain porridge, my wife is now worrying. I am using Difflam before I eat and having pain relief 30 mins before but nothing takes the pain of my tongue away when eating. Has anyone any suggestions?

    Thank you

    Ian

  • Hi Ian. Are you taking your analgesia by rote? At the same stage as you I was taking  oromorph and paracetamol every four hours so that I was taking something every two. On top of that I had MST ( long acting morphine ) night and morning. 
    Pain is better managed proactively than reactively. 
    Do you have Ensure or Fortisip drinks? These are 400 Calories each and six a day will feed you. They are easier to swallow than even soft food. 
    I had abandoned food intake orally and relied on my NG tube. 
    Have you a feeding tube? Might be time to use it as you need at least 2.5Kcals a day to get you through this 

    Best wishes 

    Dani 

    Base of tongue cancer. T2N0M0 6 weeks Radiotherapy finished January 2019

    I wrote a blog about my cancer. just click on the link below 

    https://todaymycoffeetasteslikechristmasincostarica.com 

    Macmillan Support Line - 0808 808 00 00, 7 days a week between 8am-8pm

    Community Champion badge
  • Thank you I am taking 2.5 ml morphine and paracetamol every 4 hours, I.m thinking it may not be enough? will take to nurse tomorrow.

    I am worried about not eating orally as they keep telling me if I do I could loose my swallow.

    Thank you

    Ian

  • Deep breath.

    This old chestnut about losing your swallow. Why do dieticians do it? Surviving the treatment is hard enough without struggling to eat. You can do exercises. The easiest is what's called a hard swallow. Swallow forcefully and hold for a second repeat often in the day.

    I didn't take anything apart from water orally for weeks.

    With the analgesia alternate the Morphine and paracetamol so you have something every two.Morphine is very forgiving, you can easily up the dose and my oncologist told me I could take it every two hours if it was really needed. I was waking in the night for a dose so they put me on the MST

    I was on 6 or 7mls for a time. The thing to remember is the more you are on the more you have to pay attention to taking laxatives and the longer it takes for a phased withdrawal.

    Dani 

    Base of tongue cancer. T2N0M0 6 weeks Radiotherapy finished January 2019

    I wrote a blog about my cancer. just click on the link below 

    https://todaymycoffeetasteslikechristmasincostarica.com 

    Macmillan Support Line - 0808 808 00 00, 7 days a week between 8am-8pm

    Community Champion badge
  • Without wishing to appear indelicate, I hope you’re keeping up with laxatives too. The impacted constipation I had, caused by morphine, was one of the most miserable aspects of the whole experience. It’s a good idea to preempt it with something like Movicol.