Hi,has anybody got any hints and tips for dry mouth,I am really struggling to eat anything because I spend ages thinking about and making something which I think will be palatable, I follow all the advice and common sense of what to eat but when I come to eat it it turns in to sawdust in my mouth and I have to thow it away.I made soup yesterday and couldn't eat it ,all the moisture just disapears from my mouth,I can drink Bovril OK but everything else is revolting,I'm even struggling to drink water now.
I have the Royal Marsden cookbook with some lovely recipes but when I've made them I can't eat it.This is a temporary side effect I know because it happened last time for 4 days on docetaxl part of fec-the treatment,does anybody else know what I mean or had experience of this,when I tell people it just sounds silly and they say" you must eat!" but it's really not as simple as that- I'd love to eat sometching that's tasty and not Sawdust!
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Vic1970
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I had something like that. My doctor told me to keep a packet of sour sweets in my.pocket have the odd one. They might stimulate your salivary glands a bit. I found they helped. Starburst or skittles were my fave. It's awful
That sounds a good idea,thank you, I spent a good 10 minutes looking at sweetsome the other day but I couldn't imagine they would not taste horrible, I'm going to try sour ones though.x
Only 2 more docetaxl to go,had fec-t x 8,can't wait to finish It! My quite large lump disappeared after 2nd treatment though-amazing!may only need small surgery to remove cells and radiotherapy doctor says.It s all good news I'm just struggling with this chemo.
I sucked on frozen slices of pineapple and ate loads of pink lady Apple's. I hope you find something suitable soon. Good . Luck with your remaining treatment.
Oh boy do I know that situation. It is a total nightmare. Not a recommended diet but a sure fire successful one. If you buy some pineapple chunks in a tin (not fresh as the acidity in them will be too harsh for your mouth at present) chew a couple of chunks before a meal. That helps to open the saliva glands and slightly improves taste too. Itwont make a vast difference but it will help you to get some food down. I would get really irritated when folks said... well you must eat... far easier said than done. I used to buy in ice pops and suck them through the day too. All the best. I hope this helps even a small bit. Love Lainey 66
Thank you, I tried pineapple yesterday,it tasted awful and I ended up giving to my chickens-they loved it!I'll get some ice lollies today,sounds good advice. Thank you. Xx
Yes it's one of the side effects that unless you've had Chemo that other people really don't understand!
My gums went almost black (dark purple really) & my mouth was so dry, I drank as much water as I could, l preferred sparkling & was very specific on the brand! I was prescribed Gel Clare to help with my mouth & it did work but tasted vile!
I could not eat bread as it stuck to the roof of my mouth. Melon was my mainstay for breakfast & to suck on any time of the day.
I eventually stumbled on runny porridge made with milk for my breakfast after the melon.
I could only eat chicken (meat wise) & it had to be warm. I couldn't bear anything spicy or highly flavoured. I'm actually struggling to remember what I did eat & it's only a year ago!
I know I basically only ate because I had to but much of it is now a blur! Omelettes weren't too bad, not much taste to me but didn't scratch or hurt my mouth!
I found the Taxol the worst & I couldn't eat at all so my husband bought me a ready made Build Up Drinks just to try & get something down me!
I more or less lost 8lb in weight at each session but then put 4lb back on in week 3 when my taste returned & I started eating again & now 8 months later I've returned to pre Chemo weight.
Good luck with the rest of your treatment & remember there is an end date in sight.
Remember to drink as much water as you can to help flush the toxic effects out.
Yes I've had this & still got it now & again 12 months on from chemo, I found fruit sweets or chewing gum helps , everytime I have anything with spice in it all starts again but sometimes I just have to have that curry ha ha. Good luck you will find what suits you. 😘
Oh the joys we have to go through. I didn't have a dry mouth when on fec-t but after being on fulvestrant for 21 months, the dry mouth gets worse with every successive injection. I had an injection yesterday and had to drink about 3 pints of water during the night! I find (sugar free) fizzy drinks and boiled sweets help a lot. I suck on Ricola sweets and have them in my handbag, in the car , in the bedroom and just anywhere I think I might need them. As regards eating, I haven't got back to normal since radiotherapy on a lump in my neck which ended March. It must have shrunk my oesophagus! I will speak to the oncologist about this when I see him on Monday. I have to be careful what I prepare to eat as I can't always eat it because of the dry mouth. I have found juicy grapes quite good in the past few days. I think it is trial and error! What works for one doesn't always work for everyone. Good luck and hope things inprove soon xx
Hi guys I was on fec-t and it made me feel lousy and sick for about a week out of each three between treatments. I ignored people telling me I had to eat! Our bodies can survive without food for longer than without water, so I just made sure I drank plenty water. It often made me sick, but I just made sure I wasn't getting dehydrated (check colour of pee). That was 9 years ago now and I have never got back to my pre chemo weight and my split nails are still testament to taxotere!
That's how I will do it next time because nothing is any good to eat,it's just a waste of time and food when I throw it away,I'm so glad its not just me!Thanks for your help.x
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