My partner had oesophageal cancer. I am struggling with interesting tasty meals to cook!
He does not want to have liquidised food yet just Soft and easily chewed and swallowed .
I do things like Cottage pie and fish pie, Mashed Potato with cheese, Some Pasta dishes with sauce and fish with well cooked potatoes. but it is now very repetitive and not that tasty!
He has soup for lunch every day. Can anyone recommend somewhere I can look for recipes of this nature ( I have tried just typing soft foods in the net with no joy) or give me some handy tips of your own.
I would be grateful for any advice please.
( he supplements with the protein drinks recommended)
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japasa1955
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Firstly, how long ago did your partner have their operation? If recently, the types of food are somewhat limited and not dissimilar to what you have been cooking.
However, if they had it sometime ago then the options are wider.
Their main concern should be to eat foods that do not have any adverse effects. I, for example, cannot take cream or anything too oily whereas other can. I think I am right in saying that the OPA (who operate this site) have produced recipe books with the idea of giving patients some ideas of what to cook. Try calling them to see what’s available.
Thank you. Firstly instead of had I should have said has. He has not had the op yet, he is in the middle of the Chemo treatment prior to op, so sorry about the error. Thanks for the advice on OPA I have ordered their recipe book today so hopefully will help me with some choices.
I have a narrow oesophagus , i eat alot of lentils especially red split.. i make a curry eg fry garlic .onions etc just cut onions very fine & i use frozen blocks of garlic/ginger..
It is amazing what you can hide in an ice cream it is cold and slips down easily. Extra nutrients can be added possibly with the guidance of the dietician. it was given post operative to patients who had difficulty with swallowing. I was only given just over 3yrs to live and found it useful, last month I was able to send my surgeon a thank you card and tell him I was still here and he got it wrong. I have just celebrated 30 yrs post operative. So travel with hope and best wishes sally
Hi right now he needs to be gaining weight as much a possible. You need to feed him meals with as many calories as you can. If he feels like eating on chemo thats a plus. Things probably wont taste right at the moment as chemo often makes things taste horrid and sometimes the smell of food can be really off putting. Whatever he fancies even if its bags of crisps and hunks of cheese and chocolate cake it is good as long as it has calories, small snacks all day long rather than meals can be a good idea during chemo , fortify your milk with milk powder that you use for cooking, you can make some great custards and icecreams. Later between chemo and the op his appetite and taste may return to normal especially if the Tumor has shrunk. Stew and casseroles , mayonnaise mixed with tuna chopped veg, etc. always buy full fat or make your own. Do keep up the calories use butter to cook with add cream or creme freche to sauces custards etc use lots of cheese and cream cheese when making quiches, scrambled eggs. If he cant stand the drinks any more you can use them to make puddings and custards etc add cream and fruit purees, add coffee to the chocolate one use them when making cakes He will lose lots of weight after the op. It is normal Good luck
Again thanks for the ideas, I was really struggling and some of these are simple and easy but did not spring to mind!! Today I am going to try a casserole! followed by something mixed with ice cream. Hadn't thought of tuna so tomorrow thinking of tuna mixed with mash potato. Did not think mixing the drinks with anything else so will also try that. Thank you all for your support. Also Liz thanks for the comments re after the pre chemo and before op the appetite may return that is something to look forward to especially as his chemo finishes before Christmas! ( I may even try Christmas pudding Ice cream!)😁😁
Is he having radio therapy alongside chemo? I did and eating got difficult because of sore throat. I was given medicine to take before meals which helped.Post surgery I found I couldn't cope with the texture of mince and so, though cottage pie seems an obvious choice, I only managed bthe potato and gravy. Add cottage cheese to tuna pasta bakes. One thing I found easy to eat throughout was potato waffle with fried egg!
You need to concentrate on calories and protein. The rest gets back eventually. You should have access to a hospital dietician. Mine has kept in touch until about 7yrs post op.
grandylynda-He isn't having radiotherapy. I have't tried a pasta bake as I though the pasta may get too hard to eat but everything is worth a try and sounds lovely with too and cottage cheese, thank you.. He does have a dietician who is lovely but hasn't made suggestions for specific dishes and at the moment suggest more of the small bottles of drink . As I am not a very inventive cook I struggle a bit with ideas, so grateful for everyones help and suggestions.
hi Japasa, have you tried making mousses, could be some snack ideas- chocolate mousse, avocado mousse, salmon mousse. I hope your husband and yourself are doing ok, it’s a tough journey, take care
Hi, as a small guy weight was a real concern as others have mentioned post op this gets worse so the more he can get on now the better, I am now 4 months post my after op chemo and just getting there, but split the treatment into chunks and he will get there .!!! also think about overall fitness which also helps with the op itself and post op..food wise..I tried shop bought merengues with whipped cream laced with chocolate sauce, high in calories but quite light to eat, add some sliced tinned peach bits if wanted for liquid..., scones, jam and cream... Mains, macaroni cheese with chorizo in it , with smallest pasta tubes, cheese and crackers as well, but it is trail and error as taste is affected which I am sure you may have found out, best of luck
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