Post TORS when will I be able to eat?

I’m on 2 tramadol and one gabapentin every 4 hours. It’s not helping much anymore.

Hi @abes1068
Sometimes you have to start with what works and build up from there. You have to work through the pain eventually getting used to it somewhat. Myself I lived on Sprite and crackers for a while. Discovered warm custard and a few other foods that worked. Painful to eat for months but then things got better.
I know it hurts. Try Tylenol maybe. You can dissolve it in water or tea. Courage. Stay the course. Next month will be slightly better.

Be sure to take your pain meds BEFORE you need them. They gave me Tylenol and oxycodone. (I was worried about that, but after talking to the pharmacist, he said it wasn't enough to get me hooked, so take it as needed. Just be proactive (take it before the pain really hits. Once it hits, it's too late. BTW, I looked up the 2 meds you are currently taking, and there was a warning of taking them together.

BTW, a few months after surgery and radiation, I was taking gabapentin (I think it was for nerve pain), and it messed with my head. My PCP advised me to stop it. (I think I only had 2 days remaining.) After stopping it, almost immediately, my brain began to feel normal again!

For the 1st 2 weeks, I had a feeding tube through my nose to my stomach. It was all I could do to get my nourishment this way, and I would be exhausted and sleep the rest of the day.

I also took lidocaine for my throat to numb it. Talk to your doctor and ask for help. Advocate for yourself. If something is not working well, tell them.

It will get better!

Be sure to get your nutrition! My brother in law with throat cancer had a feeding tube in stomach. After surgery, he lost 20 lbs during chemo and radiation. Then over the next 2 weeks, he lost 20 more! His body shut down, and he passed. Please take what they say about nutrition seriously!

Thanks for all the info. I hope you are doing well!

I had both tonsils (right was cancer) and neck dissections on both sides on June 25. Meds were oxy, tylenol, Acetaminophen, and “magic mouthwash”, which has Lidocaine. Stayed ahead of pain and only lost 4 lbs on liquid diet (started at 155). Lots of ice cream and protein shakes. Pain started improving on day 10. TORS surgery was at Mayo Jacksonville. Doctor expected me to lose 15, so you’re in normal range.

As someone said be sure to take your pain meds BEFORE you need them. I had Tylenol some times and oxycodone before I ate. I took the Oxy about one hour prior to a meal so it was at peak so to say level when I ate. I lost about 25 pounds before I started putting weight back on. The first few weeks are rough. My guess is it was 6 weeks before I could eat fairly well without some pain. Hang in there and keep eating what you can even if it is soft eggs, soups, mashed potatoes, etc. It will SLOWLY get better and then no need for the pain meds. Good luck . You can do it!

I used an immersion blender on my food. The further you progress, the less smooth (ie the more rough) you will be able to get down. Chicken was very difficult to eat for a long time because it is stringy and got caught in my throat. I ate a lot of mashed potatoes. My speech/swallowing therapist advised eating wet foods. (Or drinking while eating, or gravy, etc.) You will have to learn to strengthen your swallowing muscles. All this will take time. I had radiation and my taste buds started coming back about 3 months after that. Except for dry stuff, like pretzels, which can still get stuck sometimes, I now can pretty much eat whatever I want, albiet I eat slower than I used to, just because my swallowing muscles can still sometimes work a little slow.
At first, take your liquids and other nourishment, as often as you can. I lost about 25 lbs (which was needed), but once I started eating my junk food again: chips and dip, most of it came back. It will be ok.
Just do a soft and liquid diet at the beginning. Your body (tongue, mouth, swallowing) will determine how quickly you will be able to progress, but you will progress!

Oh dear! I feel for you. I believe it’s very normal to date. I had a neck dissection with lymph removal but no tongue and tonsil and I was in a LOT of pain for months.

@abes1068, it's almost a week later. How is it going with pain management? What are you able to eat? What's helping?

For neck pain, they tried acupuncture which helped somewhat. Now for the past year I get Botox injection every 3-4 months in the muscles on my neck. It helps take away the pain from the scar tissue. And when it wears off, each time it seems to be getting a little better, although they say Botox is not a permanent fix.