Learning to eat after radiation therapy for throat cancer.

PURPOSE: The initial purpose was to find more expedient ways for learning to eat for personal rehabilitation. The secondary purposes were to inform other radiation therapy patients and to inform clinicians and therapists involved in rehabilitation of throat cancer patients.

METHOD: This is an account of personal experiences of the author who is a throat cancer survivor. This rehabilitation engineer, and his social worker wife, systematically sought and found more effective ways for learning to eat again.

RESULTS

More effective approaches for discovering, preparing, presenting and consuming food by recovering throat cancer patients were identified.

CONCLUSION

The rehabilitation process for patients with radiation damage to the throat can be enhanced through simple methods and dedicated efforts of the patients themselves.