Hiya Famula Boost up anything you can eat with calories. Protein is important and you can get that in soup and then put some pasta in there as well. If you can tolerate drinking you can get those calorie drinks which your dietician should be able to steer you in the right direction of. They are similar to up and go and that sort of thing. Eggs are a great source of meals for you. Omelettes of different varieties can be goo. You can even put some vegetables in the omelette. I am trying to drag my poor old brain cells back to those times and think that is pretty much what I ate and slowly but surely I was able to eat a greater variety of foods. Good luck Julie ... View more

Hiya gboothy will inbox you with an email addy. Thanks!! ... View more

Hiya gboothy Thanks for that and have read the speech therapist excerpt. I am sure if I asked I could get the whole paper from the hospital that I attend. I had radiation for BOT but no surgery, so am guessing if I develop problems I would need to go back to the ENT or speech pathologist as opposed to the surgeon. THere is a local guy that I have been told has had problems with dysphagia some years after treatment, however, I have not personally spoken to him and the old chinese whispers could be rampant. 🙂 Thanks for bringing up the issue as it is certainly a life impacting one, as are most side effects from head and neck cancer treatment. GOod old radiation the gift that keeps on giving! THanks again Julie ... View more

Hi Gboothy Dysphagia can be a real problem (as you already know) for a lot of head and neck patients. I am going to copy something that was posted in a group that I belong to on facebook. It is a head and neck survivor group and the man that posted this is pretty knowledgeable. Over the past 20 years, Head and Neck cancer (HNC) mortality rates in New South Wales, Australia have improved by 23% (from 9.5 to 7.2% deaths per 100,000 per annum). This has, however, occurred against an increase in morbidity. One such serious morbidity of treatment is dysphagia (swallowing dysfunction). Although well documented during the acute phase of HNC treatment, dysphagia has unfortunately been under- reported and managed as a late treatment effect. We know that changes to swallowing function are common in HNC patients and that it may have a negative effect on people ‘surviving well.’ In our recent review of patients from 2-8 years following multi- modal treatment for HNC, 64% of patients (n=80) reported dysphagia. Further, in a recent cohort study of laryngectomy patients in Australia, 72% of survivors (n=120) reported having a marked swallowing dysfunction (Maclean, Cotton & Perry, 2009) so this is clearly a common problem, regardless of which mode of HNC treatment is chosen. The long-term management of dysphagia in HNC patients is challenging for clinicians as it often presents after cancer surveillance has been completed. Additionally, treatment options for dysphagia due to fibrosis are limited. It is just another thing with head and neck cancers that needs more attention and more information passed on. ... View more

abs Give it time and your taste buds should settle down. Mine still disappear on occasions adn I am 3.5years post treatment. Trying to type with a kitten on the keyboard is challenging!! Julie ... View more

Krystal Palliative care might be a good option for your day. Not all people that go into palliative care stay there. They might be able to give your dad more help and in turn help the family more. Julie ... View more

Amelia Jane As someone who has had cancer and had exactly the same question asked of me (in the guise of "being-oh-so-caring") I felt the same. It is a crappy thing to ask someone. That sort of information is shared not extracted!! Julie ... View more

Allicat DOing ok thanks and a good explanation on braveness. I have never been able to get my head around that one in relation to cancer and subsequent treatment. Food for thought! Julie ... View more

Hey Allicat Just read your blog and one thing that springs to mind for me is that I am wondering if your counsellor has the perception that you were brave. Perhaps she has this perception because she knows how scared you were and yet you continued on with your treatment? Good to hear that you are still around the boards. Julie xo ... View more

thanks Karen, hope you have a frog free night. I have Squeak (the girl) up for a cuddle. TIme for bed I think, they all want to go and they all sleep on my bed. :) Julie ... View more