Ease the pain
Soups can be beneficial with mucositis.
Mucositis is an inflammation of the oral mucosa. The oral mucosa is highly sensitive to both chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment. Consequently, the mucosa becomes damaged, or aphthae or ulcers appear. This may not only concern the oral cavity but can also spread throughout the rest of the digestive tract.
How does it feel?
During the initial phase, patients usually notice a burning feeling or the sensation of a foreign object when they swallow. This turns into pain in the ulcerative phase, which is more intense with ingestion (the medical term is odynophagia).
What can I do to cope with mucositis?
When it comes to mucositis, you may feel like never eating anything again. Here are 11 helpful tips to relieve the pain you may feel.
1. Eat small amounts but more often, taking small bites and chewing them thoroughly.
2. Avoid contact between the food and the sore.
3. Avoid the following:
- Food that sticks to the palate such as sandwich bread, overcooked rice, etc.
- Dry, hard and fibrous food such as biscuits, certain raw and fibrous vegetables, chips, whole nuts, etc.
- Strong spices such as pepper, paprika, chili and raw garlic
- Food with acidic, bitter, very sweet or very salty flavors
4. Eat food that is easy to chew and serve with mild, light sauces (not thick to prevent them from adhering to the sores, such as bechamel, mayonnaise, cream, cheese sauce, etc.).
5. Using a straw to eat certain foods, such as soups, watered-down creamy soups, mild milkshakes, broths and teas, can be useful.
6. If it is very painful for you to eat food with normal texture, choose broths and creamy soups instead to guarantee proper nutritional intake. You may also benefit from oral nutritional supplements as their consistency makes them easy to swallow. They contain protein, carbohydrates, essential fats, vitamins, and trace elements.
7. Steaming or microwaving meat, fish and vegetables normally keeps them very moist. Make the most of this appliance. If the food looks a bit whitish after being cooked in this way, brown it in a frying pan to improve its look.
8. Eat food cold or at room temperature.
9. You can relieve discomfort by preparing mouthwashes with water, salt and baking soda (1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. baking soda in 4 cups of water).
10. Avoid alcoholic or irritating drinks as well as carbonated beverages (although one option, in the latter case, is to remove the carbonation if you still want them).
11. Keeping the oral mucosa well hydrated is recommended because dry mouth is often a part of sore mouth. You can rinse out your mouth, for example, with 0.9% saline or a mixture of water and baking soda.
