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Please Note: For those of you who linked right to this page and are not aware, the Never-Ending Squirrel Tale is a web site for the parents of kids with cancer. They have special dietary needs and this forum is used to exchange ideas from parent to parent on what worked for them.
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Nutrition-Related Topics:
My granny has cancer and to help soothe her mouth, we fill a syringe up with water and put it in the freezer. Don't let it freeze, but very, very cold. Then squeeze the cold water in the mouth on the sores to help soothe the pain. We also tried freezing bits of fruit and cutting them into small parts and allowing her to suck on them. It helped some and gave her nutrition.
Sometimes my son would drink a vanilla milkshake, but for added nutrients, I would occasionally puree strawberries or other fruit he liked and add them in.
The thought of my daughter having to endure mouth sore pain on top of her pending cord blood transplant scared me! I tried this: three times a day I used a 5 cc. syringe to squirt plain yogurt into her mouth. Faithfully I might add! The nurses thought I was nuts but she only had two small sores. BMT chemo is "killer" to say the least, we were lucky my trick worked. Please give it a try...Who knows!
Hannah's Mom
I am undergoing therapy of tonsil cancer. I have finished chemo and 42 sessions of radiation. I found that Campbell's chicken noodle soup, minus the noodles with a beaten egg stirred in until cooked is great. Goes down easy, lots of food value, and doesn't hurt.
I make high vitamin drinks for my son to try and boost his immune system.
You can purchase almost any vitamin in crystal or liquid form. I also read that soy helps conteract some of the nausea effects of chemo, so I also purchased some vanilla flavored powdered soy. With my handy STICK blender, I whip up vanilla ice cream, soy powder, Vitamin C crystals, one Vitamin E capsule, and a teaspoon of Brewers yeast for Vitamin B's. My son loves these drinks. You can also add fruit and puree. My son likes plain vanilla.
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Mouth care is very important during these times--a balanced diet that is high in protein will help to speed healing. Rely on your health care staff's advice for the proper care for your child's mouth.
Depending on the severity of the mouth sores, your child may be able to tolerate soft foods that don't require much chewing and are easy to swallow. If mouth sores are more severe, your child may only be able to tolerate liquids or may even need to be admitted to hospital far intravenous nutrition and pain management.
Practical Tips to deal with Mouth Sores and Difficulty in Swallowing:
- Apply Listerine® on with a cotton swab
- Try blended, smooth, creamy foods.
- Some regular foods can be made softer by cooking longer, chopping, cutting into very small pieces, grinding, blending, and by adding low salt sauces and gravies.
- Foods may be moistened with margarine, mayonnaise, sour cream, cream sauces.
- Soak bread, unsalted crackers, biscuits, cereal and cookies in milk or warm (not hot) hot chocolate.
- Avoid hot foods. Cold and room temperature foods are less irritating.
- Avoid acidic, spicy, rough and salty foods.
- Pureed meats may be stirred into soup.
- A long parfait spoon may help when your child has trouble opening his/her mouth.
- A straw may help if your child can suck.
- Tilting the head back and forth may help to move food and fluids to the back of the mouth and make swallowing easier.
- Foods often reported to be the most irritating are citrus fruits, tomatoes, nuts, potato chips, toast.
- Avoid raw fruits and vegetables unless they are very soft.
- Spices that are often more irritating are pepper, chili powder, nutmeg, cloves, salt.
What foods should I offer my child?
Fluids:
- pear, peach and apricot nectars, apple and grape juice, Kool-aid®, Popsicles®,
juice bars, jello, low salt soups
Milk Products:
- fluid milk, yogurt, low-salt cream soups, ice cream, milkshakes, puddings, custards
- supplements such as instant breakfast shakes, cheesecake
Vegetables/Fruits:
- canned fruit - eg., peaches, pears, fruit cocktail, applesauce banana, ripe melon
- well cooked vegetables such as squash, green beans, potatoes and carrots
Grains:
- cereal that has been soaked in milk, cream of wheat, oatmeal
- pancakes, rice pudding, pasta made with cheese or cream sauces
Meat/Alternatives
- eggs, fish chowders, pureed beef, fish, chicken, pork
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