As can be seen on this website quoting many other websites that this affects 50% of people who underwent chemo and radiation. The doctors dont tell you this and I have yet to see on this site anyone complaining of it. I certainly have it and can only eat pureed foods and often also with difficulty. I undergo also an endoscopy often. I dont seem to gain much because I always have to go again. I would like to know if I stopped going would my food pipe close altogether or at least always stay partially open. If this is the case I might as well stop going. I do have a Kenwood attachment to make these foods but they have stopped manufacturing this special attachment. I would like to know if anyone else makes an electric puree machine or an attachment.
Hi Seeker Because of the treatment it can screw things up. I am just getting on with it and do have trouble swallowing and had a real issue yesterday with a bit of fruit. I have seen a specialist say if you dont use it you lose it if you dont do the swallowing exercises. Regarding your Kenwood special attachment , have a look on ebay as you will defo get it there . All the Best Regards Min
Hi sun seeker have a look at nutri bullett they are around £100 used for pulverising any food. A lady I know in Australia uses one is a h n c recovering patient. I gave one for smoothies early on in treatment I would pulse purée some of husbands tea to eat. Maybe worth looking at
Hazel
Hazel aka RadioactiveRaz
My blog is www.radioactiveraz.wordpress.com HPV 16+ tonsil cancer Now 6 years post treatment. 35 radiotherapy 2 chemo T2N2NM.Happily getting on with living always happy to help
2 videos I’ve been involved with raising awareness of HNC and HPV cancers
I wrote I do have a Kenwood one already but they are discontinued and my food is just as good as the commercial Wiltshire ones. Believe me it makes a huge difference than normal mashed food.I wrote for other people who may need one. You wont find a new one on ebay and second hand they are £150. They could hardly have costed even £50 originally. I suppose still a lot cheaper than buying ready made food. The nutri bullet seems to be a blender not a puree maker which is really a very, very good masher and strains the liquid out. I dont think a blender can make sure no thick pieces are left in or strain the liquid. That seems to be the main purpose of a puree attachment. Up till now I have hardly been eating anything. Today I ate pureed potatoes and pureed courgettes. I shall keep you informed of my progress with other foods.
Well I quoted 50% do not recover their mouth. I hope yours do. On here I seem to be the odd one out. Everyone seems to recover. My hospital and I suppose others will never tell the truth to a patient that some dont recover. For that one has to look at the internet like this site.
Hi Seeker Have you spoken to your team ? as they usually put each person down with what swallowing problems they may have. I bought a red blender called BERG for £89 after doing a bit of research compared to a magic mix. this one blends nuts and does everything that I want. Milk shakes are really easy and simple to make , bananas , blueberries , ice cream , milk , maple syrup , The worlds your lobster , Throw anything in you fancy All the Best Regards Min
My 'team' gave me pureed meals in hospital. What I really need is none of the things you mention but fish meat and vegetables what they gave me for dinner or lunch in hospital. I have not really eaten properly any of these things since my operation and am losing weight. Now I am starting to experiment on them. Once i can eat them and gain weight I have every expectation of getting off the peg which is my main goal.
If you read my other posts you will know that my dietitian has also become a personal friend of mine. She now knows my issues very well. But like I wrote they wont admit that anyone gets dysphagia. She tried to get me the hospital meals even when I left and returned home but was unsuccessful. I would have thought they are a lot cheaper than peg food which the NHS pay for. But it doesnt work like that. I hope I will succeed now with the puree attachment to eat everything.
Sorry if I am repeating myself as I think I may have responded to one of your posts a while ago but I will go ahead anyway.
My operation was different to yours but after 2 operations one a partial mandibulectomy in 2013 and in 2019 a maxillectomy (i.e. removal of part of my right lower jaw and removal of my upper jaw on left side) I now no longer have enough teeth or moisture in my mouth to be able to eat normal food and have to live on a very soft/pureed diet for the rest of my life. I do not have dysphagia but did suffer with it for a short time when I was having radiotherapy and got dehydrated resulting in my obturator not fitting properly. (it is like a dental plate that covers the hole in my sinus). I was hospitalized for this to sort it out.
Hopefully your swallow may improve but I can tell you if not talking from experience it is something that you come to terms with over time. I keep experimenting with lots of things but have found that I can no longer tolerate meat even when pureed. The radiotherapy has made my mouth too dry to manage the texture even with lots of gravy. I have now substituted meat with poached or boiled eggs to get my protein and that is working well.
I also top up daily with 2 Fortisips on the recommendation of my dietician and that has definitely helped to keep my weight stable. I know lots of people don’t like Fortisip so if you are in that category try some other supplement that you like.
I find for breakfast porridge or weetbix works well and I have a daily smoothie that consists of kale, oranges, apples, spinach but you can add in anything that you like.
I make a variety of different soups and puree them and can manage stewed fruit with custard.
There are the other odd things I can manage like a really soft pudding such as bread and butter pudding and very soft spaghetti but as I said I keep trying things out and hope to surprise myself.
It is nothing like normal eating but you do get used to it after a while. I went through a down time really missing my old foods especially a toasted sandwich and a roast dinner amongst many others but as I said before over time you do get used to it.
When out eating with family I always go out prepared with food I can eat and a Fortisip.
I do hope your eating improves but keep experimenting with things and you will eventually come up with a diet that you can still enjoy even in a pureed form.
