One of the most common side effects of chemotherapy is a sore mouth. Chemotherapy drugs kill cancer cells, but they also damage normal cells, including the cells in the mouth. A sore mouth can make eating, swallowing and even talking difficult.
Soreness in the mouth can also develop into painful mouth ulcers and may lead to an untimely infection, so strict oral care is essential pre, during and post chemotherapy. It’s very important to make your doctor or nurse aware that a problem with a sore mouth has arisen, but there are also some steps that can be taken at home to encourage a healthy mouth.
With so many hospital appointments, it is understandable that dental visits would be forsaken. When possible, a pre-chemo visit to the dentist should help to check the condition of the teeth and gums and he/she will advise accordingly. Using an extra soft toothbrush after every meal and very carefully flossing every day will encourage one’s mouth health.
For denture-wearers, if the dentures aren’t correctly fitted it’s crucial to contact the dentist as ill-fitting dentures are likely to cause some bother to the gums.
Mouthwashes can help with keeping the mouth and soft tissue free of bacteria, but most shop-bought mouthwashes contain alcohol, which will irritate the mouth.
As an alternative, rinse several times a day with a salt/water solution or a bread soda/water solution. Dissolve either 1/4 tsp of salt or 1/4 tsp of bread soda in a glass of recently boiled water. Allow to cool slightly and swish mouthfuls at a time, before spitting out and then rinsing with plain water.
My own mother battled with the discomfort of a sore mouth while receiving her chemotherapy, and I remember desperately trying to tempt her to eat any little thing that would offer her some nutritional strength.
The nutrients gained from foods rich in vitamins and minerals are important during treatments as they assist the body in fighting off infections.
A healthy, balanced diet can help to encourage a healthy mouth, but quite often it can be difficult to eat due to the tenderness. It’s important to choose foods which are nutritionally dense, but easy to chew and then digest.
Stay clear of sharp foods, such as toast or raw vegetables, which could potentially scrape the mouth. Foods that are spicy or especially acidic, such as orange juice, can also irritate the mouth of a chemotherapy patient, and avoid tobacco products and alcohol. Foods that are at room temperature or slightly warm tend to cause less irritation.
To help the teeth and gums with the chewing process, foods should be cut up very small and always eaten slowly.
Encourage as little mouth discomfort as possible by eating soft foods, such as scrambled eggs, mashed bananas, milkshakes, custard, semolina pudding and pureed sweet potatoes.
Drinking lots of water will help with hydration and also in maintaining a moist mouth, while using a straw for drinking may help to keep liquids away from irritating the sore areas in the mouth.
• Nessa Robins grew up on a farm in Moate, Co Westmeath, where she lives with her husband, Diarmuid, and four children. Her first cookbook, Apron Strings: Recipes From A Family Kitchen is published by New Island. Visit www.nessasfamilykitchen.blogspot.ie Baked Eggs with
Spinach & Bread
A little egg is ever so nutritious. I find it wonderful that something so tasty can deliver so many essential vitamins, minerals and good calories in such a small package. Eggs on wholemeal toast make a wholesome and nutritionally balanced dish, but for someone complaining of a sore mouth, toast will only cause undue irritation. Soda bread may be a little less abrasive on the mouth, and in this recipe the bread becomes a little softer and easier to tolerate, due to being added to the spinach and egg in the ramekin.
Ingredients:
Knob of butter 4 slices of brown soda bread,
without the crust 100g of spinach leaves4 eggs, free-range40g of cheddar cheese
Ingredients:
1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/ gas mark six. Grease the inside of four small ramekins with a little butter. 2 Put the spinach into a colander, then pour over a kettle of boiling water to wilt the leaves. Once cool enough to touch, squeeze out any excess water. 3 Using a scone-cutter, cut out four circles from the bread that will fit the bottom of the ramekins. Place one in each of the ramekins and press into place. From the remaining scraps of bread, line the sides of the ramekins to make a thin wall. Divide the spinach between the four bread-lined ramekins and press down well. Carefully crack an egg into each. Grate over a thin layer of cheese. Place on a baking tray and then into the pre-heated oven for 12-15 minutes.Milk Jelly
When a large surplus of milk would come in from the dairy, my mother would always make a great big bowl of milk jelly. Jelly is ever so tasty and the addition of milk adds a little bit of nutrition, to this easy-to-tolerate dessert.
Ingredients:
500ml of milk50g of caster sugar1 tsp of vanilla extract12g of powdered gelatineMethod:
1 Pour the milk into a small saucepan. Stirring continuously, bring to the boil and immediately remove from the heat. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve, then add the vanilla extract. 2 Place 100ml of recently boiled water in a heat-proof bowl and sprinkle the gelatine over the top. Always add gelatine to liquid, not the other way round. Stir briskly until dissolved. If the gelatine does not completely dissolve, stand the bowl into a pan of warm water over a low heat. 3 Once dissolved, pour the gelatine mixture into the saucepan with the milk. Stir through, ensuring that the gelatine is completely combined with the milk. 4 Pour the milk mixture into six moulds or ramekins. Cool and then place in the refrigerator to set for at least six hours. 5 To serve, gently run a knife around the edge of the mould or ramekin to remove the jelly. Turn out onto a plate or a bowl.Vanilla Custard
When a diet regime of little and often is on the cards, it’s important to include dishes that are nutrient-rich and also have a good calorie content. Homemade custard fits perfectly into this category and makes a great snack for anyone feeling a little under the weather. Custard is especially suited to someone with a sore mouth, due to its palatable taste and ease to swallow. It can also be served to your own liking: warm, at room temperature or cold.
Ingredients:
2 egg yolks20g of caster sugar300ml of milk1 tsp of vanilla extract
Method:
1 In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until pale and creamy. 2 Place a small saucepan over a low heat. Pour in the milk and vanilla extract. Gently heat to a low simmer, stirring constantly. 3 Very slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking as you pour. Once fully combined, pour back into a clean saucepan. 4 Place over a low heat and cook for four to five minutes, constantly stirring with a wooden spoon until the custard begins to thicken a little. This is a light custard, which only thickens slightly during cooking. If left beyond this point the custard will become lumpy or curdle, so remove immediately from the heat and pour into a serving jug.
One of the most common side effects of chemotherapy is a sore mouth. Chemotherapy drugs kill cancer cells, but they also damage normal cells, including the cells in the mouth. A sore mouth can make eating, swallowing and even talking difficult.
Soreness in the mouth can also develop into painful mouth ulcers and may lead to an untimely infection, so strict oral care is essential pre, during and post chemotherapy. It’s very important to make your doctor or nurse aware that a problem with a sore mouth has arisen, but there are also some steps that can be taken at home to encourage a healthy mouth.
With so many hospital appointments, it is understandable that dental visits would be forsaken. When possible, a pre-chemo visit to the dentist should help to check the condition of the teeth and gums and he/she will advise accordingly. Using an extra soft toothbrush after every meal and very carefully flossing every day will encourage one’s mouth health.
For denture-wearers, if the dentures aren’t correctly fitted it’s crucial to contact the dentist as ill-fitting dentures are likely to cause some bother to the gums.
Mouthwashes can help with keeping the mouth and soft tissue free of bacteria, but most shop-bought mouthwashes contain alcohol, which will irritate the mouth.
As an alternative, rinse several times a day with a salt/water solution or a bread soda/water solution. Dissolve either 1/4 tsp of salt or 1/4 tsp of bread soda in a glass of recently boiled water. Allow to cool slightly and swish mouthfuls at a time, before spitting out and then rinsing with plain water.
My own mother battled with the discomfort of a sore mouth while receiving her chemotherapy, and I remember desperately trying to tempt her to eat any little thing that would offer her some nutritional strength.
The nutrients gained from foods rich in vitamins and minerals are important during treatments as they assist the body in fighting off infections.
A healthy, balanced diet can help to encourage a healthy mouth, but quite often it can be difficult to eat due to the tenderness. It’s important to choose foods which are nutritionally dense, but easy to chew and then digest.
Stay clear of sharp foods, such as toast or raw vegetables, which could potentially scrape the mouth. Foods that are spicy or especially acidic, such as orange juice, can also irritate the mouth of a chemotherapy patient, and avoid tobacco products and alcohol. Foods that are at room temperature or slightly warm tend to cause less irritation.
To help the teeth and gums with the chewing process, foods should be cut up very small and always eaten slowly.
Encourage as little mouth discomfort as possible by eating soft foods, such as scrambled eggs, mashed bananas, milkshakes, custard, semolina pudding and pureed sweet potatoes.
Drinking lots of water will help with hydration and also in maintaining a moist mouth, while using a straw for drinking may help to keep liquids away from irritating the sore areas in the mouth.
• Nessa Robins grew up on a farm in Moate, Co Westmeath, where she lives with her husband, Diarmuid, and four children. Her first cookbook, Apron Strings: Recipes From A Family Kitchen is published by New Island. Visit www.nessasfamilykitchen.blogspot.ie Baked Eggs with
Spinach & Bread
A little egg is ever so nutritious. I find it wonderful that something so tasty can deliver so many essential vitamins, minerals and good calories in such a small package. Eggs on wholemeal toast make a wholesome and nutritionally balanced dish, but for someone complaining of a sore mouth, toast will only cause undue irritation. Soda bread may be a little less abrasive on the mouth, and in this recipe the bread becomes a little softer and easier to tolerate, due to being added to the spinach and egg in the ramekin.
Ingredients:
Knob of butter 4 slices of brown soda bread,
without the crust 100g of spinach leaves4 eggs, free-range40g of cheddar cheese
Ingredients:
1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/ gas mark six. Grease the inside of four small ramekins with a little butter. 2 Put the spinach into a colander, then pour over a kettle of boiling water to wilt the leaves. Once cool enough to touch, squeeze out any excess water. 3 Using a scone-cutter, cut out four circles from the bread that will fit the bottom of the ramekins. Place one in each of the ramekins and press into place. From the remaining scraps of bread, line the sides of the ramekins to make a thin wall. Divide the spinach between the four bread-lined ramekins and press down well. Carefully crack an egg into each. Grate over a thin layer of cheese. Place on a baking tray and then into the pre-heated oven for 12-15 minutes.Milk Jelly
When a large surplus of milk would come in from the dairy, my mother would always make a great big bowl of milk jelly. Jelly is ever so tasty and the addition of milk adds a little bit of nutrition, to this easy-to-tolerate dessert.
Ingredients:
500ml of milk50g of caster sugar1 tsp of vanilla extract12g of powdered gelatineMethod:
1 Pour the milk into a small saucepan. Stirring continuously, bring to the boil and immediately remove from the heat. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve, then add the vanilla extract. 2 Place 100ml of recently boiled water in a heat-proof bowl and sprinkle the gelatine over the top. Always add gelatine to liquid, not the other way round. Stir briskly until dissolved. If the gelatine does not completely dissolve, stand the bowl into a pan of warm water over a low heat. 3 Once dissolved, pour the gelatine mixture into the saucepan with the milk. Stir through, ensuring that the gelatine is completely combined with the milk. 4 Pour the milk mixture into six moulds or ramekins. Cool and then place in the refrigerator to set for at least six hours. 5 To serve, gently run a knife around the edge of the mould or ramekin to remove the jelly. Turn out onto a plate or a bowl.Vanilla Custard
When a diet regime of little and often is on the cards, it’s important to include dishes that are nutrient-rich and also have a good calorie content. Homemade custard fits perfectly into this category and makes a great snack for anyone feeling a little under the weather. Custard is especially suited to someone with a sore mouth, due to its palatable taste and ease to swallow. It can also be served to your own liking: warm, at room temperature or cold.
Ingredients:
2 egg yolks20g of caster sugar300ml of milk1 tsp of vanilla extract
Method:
1 In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until pale and creamy. 2 Place a small saucepan over a low heat. Pour in the milk and vanilla extract. Gently heat to a low simmer, stirring constantly. 3 Very slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking as you pour. Once fully combined, pour back into a clean saucepan. 4 Place over a low heat and cook for four to five minutes, constantly stirring with a wooden spoon until the custard begins to thicken a little. This is a light custard, which only thickens slightly during cooking. If left beyond this point the custard will become lumpy or curdle, so remove immediately from the heat and pour into a serving jug. 
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: