Hi Kitty64,

I am sorry to learn of your situation this must be a difficult time for you.

I can appreciate you are concerned that it is difficult to eat, and you are worried about losing your teeth. It might be worth contacting your nurse specialist (CNS) if you have one for advice, or you could contact the oncology unit. If this is difficult you could try speaking with your cancer specialist directly, you can do this by contacting their secretary.

Now your chemotherapy has finished hopefully you will start to see some improvement in the side effects you are experiencing and things like eating become easier. I know your oncologist has said that you cannot have any treatment from your dentist for a month, but I wondered if it might be worth contacting them anyway just for advice.

In the meantime, it might be best to avoid foods that can be difficult to chew such as nuts or raw vegetables like carrots, and chewy sweets like toffee, and perhaps eat softer foods such as porridge or well-cooked potatoes or pasta. I don't know if you have a dietician involved in your care whom you could also speak with for dietary and nutritional advice. The Nutrition and living with cancer helpline has dieticians who can also help and advise on nutrition whilst having eating problems.

I hope this helps a little. Please get back to us if you need any more information or support.  You may find it helpful to talk things through with one of the nurses on our helpline.  The number to call is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday.

Take care, all the best

Jemma