Bitter taste due to Chemo....

andrea03

Hi All!
My mom just had her first chemo treatment last thursday......she is finding that she now has a constant bitter taste in her mouth making her food taste bad and causing her to not eat. Can anyone provide suggestions of certain foods they found quite tasty despite this bitter taste? Or is there anything they found that helped rid themselves of it??
Thanks!

lindatn

I found when I was taking A/C that rinising my mouth real good with aloe vera jucie a couple times a day really helped. The chemo center said to drink it I couldn't do that but you might want to ask your chemo nurses. Most of them are great. The very foods you loved don't even try to eat as when this is over your mom will once again like to eat her favorite foods. Most meat and grease is terrible, in my opinion terrible for you also but doesn't seem to agree with a lot of people on chemo. Melons are great right know, I ate them all the while I was in chemo and still love them but chocolate is terrible tasting to me these days and I used to love it. I also have a laundry soap I was using when in chemo and three years later still can't stand the smell of that detergent. Everyone is different but once it is over most things go back to normal. Linda

ccalato

I remember that the chemo did all sorts of crazy things to me. I could not stand certain smells, and couldn't eat certain foods. The great thing is that all this goes away once you end your chemo. I suggest trying lots of foods even those you have never eaten before. Sphaghetti and chicken worked for me. I could always manage to eat them. But it may be different for your mom. The point is to keep trying as you must provide strength for the body to heal and fight back.

epgnyc

Indeed, everyone's experience is different. But for me, lemon drops helped a bunch. And pasta was great -- meat not so much. As was mentioned, it's best for her to try lots of different foods now since her taste buds have been changed by the chemo. Things she loved previously may be terrible now and vice versa. Good luck to her. And tell her not to worry....there's plenty of great tasting food to be savored on the other side of chemo!

horselovr

Hi! I just finished up with chemo at the end of March and I did have a weird taste in my mouth after Cytoxan/Adriamycin chemo, but not after the taxol chemo! I tried peppermints or tic-tacs! I also liked Mexican food and found that the spiciness helped tone down the bitter aftertaste of the chemo! Also make sure that your mom drinks LOTS of water! Let me know if that helps!

mc2001

Hi Andrea.
This is actually a common side effect. When I was in chemo food tasted like I was licking a .45
(steel). I tried to eat whatever I could. The flavor in her mouth should resolve on its own in due time. Just dont do what my best friends did....eat pizza, burgers, hot dogs in front of me while it took everything just for me to get down an *Ensure*..hehe.... God bless.
-Michael (leukemia survivor)

mssue

Hi Andrea!
When I was going through chemo I was told not to use silverware,hence the metallic taste,but to use plastic spoons, forks and knives. It worked for me . It wouldn't hurt to try.Hope Your Mom does well.You take care of her and yourself.
God Bless You Both!
Sue

DiO

I found the taste of liquids even harder to tolerate than food during chemo--a real problem since it's important to drink a lot to flush the chemo from your system. I found the only thing that was palatable was lemonade or Fruit 2 o (the non-carbonated fruit flavored, no cal water). Also found lemon flavored hard candy helped with the aftertaste constantly in my mouth.

Good luck and God bless, Di