Cisplatin, Radio therapy, side effects, sore throats, food & other daft questions

Hi M

Can’t help with the chemo as I didn’t have any 

As for Mucositis… it just depends how sore you are.

From 4 weeks I couldn’t swallow at all so took all my food and meds via NG tube. 
Generally anything soft goes down. In no particular order I found slow cooked lamb with lots of gravy was the easiest meat. Poached eggs. Eggs scrambled with Philly to keep them soft. Soups but not tomato. Potato mash was too grainy for months but was improved by making it half and half with sweet potato. The internet is awash with high protein smoothies so do have a look. Tinned rice. Tinned macaroni cheese. Crumpets with lashings of butter. Tinned peaches. I’m sure there’s lots more folk will come up with. 

Thanks Dani Bee

Chemo Chaos said:

Dani Bee

I love that. ️️

Hi

I had 6 weeks of chemoradiation. Cisplatin x 6 sessions. Ask for a PPI meds to prevent the acid. I took soluble lansoprazole via my PEG & then moved into tablets when I could swallow them again. Still take 1 a day of Esomprazole for acid.
Do you have a PEG? I used mine from week 4 of treatment as I could no longer swallow anything other than water. I was ‘fed’ liquid food via a pump each night to get the calories necessary for recovery. When I began eating again I tried custard, cream, mousse type desserts, bland soups. sweet potato, tiramisu, rice pots.. plus once I stopped using the PEG I had a Scandishake a day on prescription. Lost all taste buds apart from salt. Yuk! Gradually returned post treatment but some foods taste horrible now. Stay ahead of the pain - I had a meds schedule that I followed religiously. 

Hi, M, don't worry no questions are daft. As for food, try things like scrambled or poached eggs, milk puddings, yogurts, anything that you can swallow easily, if you can lace it with cream and butter, to keep up the calories. Any questions you have just ask away, we are all here to help. All the best.

Regards Ray..

Hi Blod

Many thanks, I do have a peg but have not needed to use it yet so am thinking about the time between not eating normally & peg. The taste bit does sound depressing (but my wife always said I have never had any taste!) but we are where we are. Thanks for the info on PPI & Escomprazole (is that supposed to improve long term?)

Best of luck & thanks again

Cheers Ray

I could eat normally in weeks 1&2. Week 3 I was struggling & was given Fortisips. Week 4 I was losing weight so was given the pump. What week of treatment are you at?

I am in the 1st week & not struggling at all yet however as my throat gets sore I am just getting ready for what is coming. Forewarned is forearmed

Chemo Chaos said:

Thanks for the info on PPI & Escomprazole (is that supposed to improve long term?)

I was on PPI for years after treatment. It’s taken me three years to get on top of this and I have worked very hard at it. I take concentrated aloe vera to protect my oesophagus and use a training device called an IQORO to improve my diaphragm plus the odd swig of Gaviscon Advance. 
Even so I have to resort to a week of Lansoprazole now and then.