Hi All

Many thanks to Linn, Maeve and spaw - and others who I may have overlooked - for the very kind comments and welcoming me to the fold - so to speak.

I promise that I will join and stay very close to this thread as I start to try to digest as much of the interesting information here as I can.

Tom I am pleased to hear that you are progressing - I know the feeling of " one day at a time" and ( what to others may be small steps ) that even the chance of a cup of coffee can do to boost confidence.

As I said in my earlier message, I progressed through all this having lived for some time during and after my final 32 weeks of treatment on almost totally some kind of mixture that came in yoghurt-like pots that contained a paste of easily ( ha ha) digestible high calorie sludge.

The problem with cancer is that it is important to eat well to keep up one's strength but with throat cancer at times this is almost impossibly painful. A friend I made during our treatment together described it as "the nearest thing to eating broken glass".

So the high calorie "sludge" for me was a life saver.

Gradually though I progressed and now I am pleased to announce that I have no foods ( or drinks ) that I am forbidden to take. Yes I can even have "real" coffee and occasional glasses of my favourite tipple.

Voluntarily I have switched from drinking too much beer to a couple of glasses of red wine at night.

As a regular visitor to Spain I have come to regard Spanish red wine as a constant friend.

I do drink beer on the occasions when I go out with my mates.

So again Tom best wishes and I am with you all the way.

Regards

Mike