No taste during radiotherapy for neck and throst.

Hi Mbb 

Do you have a feeding tube fitted? If you do It might be the time to use it. 
Im afraid tasting anything is a good few weeks if not months away. 
I couldn’t taste anything for a long time and even then it came back slowly. 
The important thing is to get those calories and protein in to help you heal. 
Keep moisturising your neck , it will start getting better as soon as your treatment ends. 
Really well done on getting through this so far on your own. You must be made of strong stuff! 

Hello there, Just as Dani said, well done to have come this far,especially on your own, my husband is now 7+ months post treatment and he's still experimenting with food,some taste buds have come back,some food still hurting his throat,spicy food mostly.Not long now and your treatment is finished ,then you can heal.All the best for the rest of your journey. Mel x

HinWell done for getting this far on yiur own. As others have said any taste can take r8me if yiu can still swallow food well done. Yiu can try t9 make smoothies with ice cream added nut butters for protein lots of recipe is 8nline. If yiu can do sou9 add double cream m use full fat milk. Scrambled eggs wit( Philadelphia cream cheese. If yiuve a feeding tube it coukd be time to start using it. Yiur go tmay take a while longer the bubbles alone 8n the tonic will be hard. Try a flat Diet Coke as a change tondrin’ 

hugs Hazel xx

Hi there and welcome.

As tasting the food you eat is the most satisfying experience, it must be grim to lose that, along with the difficulty a sore mouth and throat adds to swallowing.

There are solutions.  Although taste will take time to return, at your next treatment, which I guess could be tomorrow, ask to speak with your dietitian and tell them everything you've posted here.  They'll suggest the best foods for nutrition and protein, which you really must try to get down as maintaining weight is essential to power you through treatment.  However, if eating becomes difficult, have you been prescribed nutrition supplements like Fresubin or Ensure yet?  And if you haven't already got one, ask about a feeding tube too, as these help enormously if eating orally becomes a trial.  They can be used as a conduit for the nutrition drinks and can also be used for meds to make sure your body keeps getting everything it needs.  And do ask for pain relief as there's no need to suffer unnecessarily.

You've done brilliantly, travelling by yourself this far, but if these last couple of weeks become too much, patient transport is a great alternative to public; the drivers are fantastic and so considerate - all you'll need is patience and a good book.  Others in the waiting area are usually up for a chinwag and we made some new pals during my OH's RT.

All the very best for the rest of your treatment, but I'm afraid you'll have to knock the G and Ts on the head for a good while yet - they'll be the last thing on your mind as fatigue will take over soon and all you'll want to do is sleep.

Sending hugs to you xxx

I had a PEG feeding tube in place for 6 months, it was a life saver, Ensure 2cal helped maintain my weight until my appetite and taste recovered, took around 6-12 months for it to recover to anything like 'normal', some recover quicker.

As for food I found that trial and error worked, some things were OK and some were a definite no-no, tinned Baxter's soups (not tomato), carrot and butterbean was acceptable (mash up the butterbeans), tinned macaroni etc.

You are doing very well for a 74 year old, using public transport to attend appointments with the aid of a stick, brilliant, you will certainly finish the course.

As for G&Ts? I'm sure that will come in time, maybe try the Alcohol Free version for the time being?

If you have the time, and strength, keep the forum updated daily with your progress, most of us, if not all, will be very happy to help you through the rest of the difficult days to come, plenty of tips and support, we've all been in the same boat to varying degrees. It will help to keep your spirits up and we enjoy helping each other.

I don't have a feeding tube so will keep having eggs,porridge and soup Each time I try something I'm hopeful I might taste something  but we'll you know the as answer.Thanks for your advice.

Thanks,I'll just keep on keeping on.

Cheers Mickey.Will keep trying but don't have a tube fitted so more porridge and eggs.

Hi Mbb. It is so important to keep your calories up so you don't lose too much weight. Try a drink supplement from the chemist such as Sustagen or talk to your dietician and get some Fortisip, Ensure or something similar. If eating becomes too painful discuss with your medical team and ask for a nasal feeding tube. This way you get the nutrition but avoid it going through your painful mouth. To try and fill yourself up try weet a bix smooshed down with lots of milk and add in a flavouring such as stewed apples and cinammon. The taste will not be there for a while but it does return after time. Unfortunately a phase that we all have to go through when having radiotherapy.

Best wishes

Lyn