Just putting this here in case someone needs to search for this later --
Vivonex isn't too bad WHILE you're drinking it. It's think and it coats the mouth, so I opted to drink through a straw. But even with a straw... I have no words to describe the immediate aftertaste. I have had to drink some vile things associated with my health -- preps for tests, various liquid diet formulations, etc. The Vivonex aftertaste is the worst, most disgusting thing I've had to drink. One packet makes a little more than 250ml of drink. I managed to get down almost half of it in two long gulps. I chased each gulp with Gatorade, which helped a tiny bit. I was holding it together pretty well....or so I thought. On the third I had to spit it out because it just wouldn't go down (because of the taste and consistency, not because I have inflammation in my esophagus). And then I almost upchucked the rest. The only thing worse than the immediate aftertaste (which just won't leave), is the taste of it coming back up. Ugh.
Sorry for the details. But there's just not much out there in terms of info on Vivonex. And I want people to know what they're in for.
I saved what I didn't drink. I'm going to try to add something to it to make it a little more palatable. However I seriously doubt anything I add will be able to mask the aftertaste.
Insurance didn't pay for this box of six servings. I purchased online through Walgreens for about
70 USD. I'm fairly certain they will pay for the next box, but I don't know if I can handle it. Hopefully the doctor will say Ensure will do the trick.