loss of taste buds

lwoodley

Had 1st round of chemo last Monday. By Thursday, I could not taste anything. I could be eating the tenderest steak and I might as well be eating an old shoe. I can taste hot, cold and spicy Has this happened to anyone else?

TraciInLA

Oh, yes
Very, very common. I ate a lot of "old shoes" during chemo!

You really have to be adventurous during chemo and keep trying different foods until you find the ones that you can taste. Don't give up!

And, unfortunately, like EVERYTHING with chemo, everyone reacts differently -- I could always reliably taste fruit, cheese, and chocolate, but everyone is different.

Like you, though, I've heard quite a lot of women on this board talk about being able to taste spicy food better than others -- I liked Mexican food, others have mentioned Thai food. So definitely get some spicy takeout from your favorite ethnic restaurant and try to find something you enjoy!

Traci

RE

YUCK
For it everything had a very metalic taste, if these happens it helps to use sturdy plastic utensil's rather than metal ones. It will go away soon after your final treatment.

Hugs,

RE

carkris

RE said:

YUCK
For it everything had a very metalic taste, if these happens it helps to use sturdy plastic utensil's rather than metal ones. It will go away soon after your final treatment.

Hugs,

RE

I have no interest in food,
I have no interest in food, so UNLIKE me. so eating is an effort. I like baked potatoes, lipton soup, toast. fish. HATE sweet things I had such a sweet tooth before. It was mentioned on another thread that people said it helped to do freqent mouth care and they did not experience this. I have lost alot of weight. so when my taste buds come back I'll have to be careful. (I needed to lose the weight)

Deb1969

carkris said:

I have no interest in food,
I have no interest in food, so UNLIKE me. so eating is an effort. I like baked potatoes, lipton soup, toast. fish. HATE sweet things I had such a sweet tooth before. It was mentioned on another thread that people said it helped to do freqent mouth care and they did not experience this. I have lost alot of weight. so when my taste buds come back I'll have to be careful. (I needed to lose the weight)

Ive noticed that I also dont
Ive noticed that I also dont have a interest in food, although I eat just because I know I must eat. I think Im drinking so much fluids that Im not getting hungry.
Deb

lwoodley

carkris said:

I have no interest in food,
I have no interest in food, so UNLIKE me. so eating is an effort. I like baked potatoes, lipton soup, toast. fish. HATE sweet things I had such a sweet tooth before. It was mentioned on another thread that people said it helped to do freqent mouth care and they did not experience this. I have lost alot of weight. so when my taste buds come back I'll have to be careful. (I needed to lose the weight)

one of the only benefits
Yeah, I am only eating because I have to Even water is nasty right now. I guess the potential of losing weight is a plus, if anything related to cancer can be a plus. I see my dentist tomorrow for another issue. I'll ask her what she thinks. Popsicles are pretty good.

TraciInLA

lwoodley said:

one of the only benefits
Yeah, I am only eating because I have to Even water is nasty right now. I guess the potential of losing weight is a plus, if anything related to cancer can be a plus. I see my dentist tomorrow for another issue. I'll ask her what she thinks. Popsicles are pretty good.

Spicing up water
If water tastes bad or metallic-y, I found Crystal Light REALLY helpful with that. I just sprinkled a little bit in a glass of water, just enough to flavor it. It really helped me to make sure I was drinking enough water, and it was kind of fun to try all the different flavors. Several women on this board have also mentioned that lemon or orange slices in water help with the metallic taste.

Traci

natly15

lwoodley said:

one of the only benefits
Yeah, I am only eating because I have to Even water is nasty right now. I guess the potential of losing weight is a plus, if anything related to cancer can be a plus. I see my dentist tomorrow for another issue. I'll ask her what she thinks. Popsicles are pretty good.

Lwoodley I havent lost much
Lwoodley I havent lost much weight, but I agree after my 2nd and 3rd chemo I couldnt even drink water. Seems that the 3rd week after chemo I tend to eat more and then gain the weight I lost. I'm not very mobile right now, due to low blood counts so I guess thats a good reason to put the lost weight back on. I'll be sooo happy when chemo is over.

CR1954

lwoodley...
Hello and welcome, although sorry for your dx.

Yes, very common. The only thing that I could eat that tasted like it was supposed to were baked potatoes. No idea why. Everything else did taste like an old shoe, but baked potatoes tasted good. Go figure...

It gets better...

Hugs,

CR

outdoorgirl

So common,unfortunately!
Chemo kills all fast multiplying cells-and unfortunately your taste buds are made up of them.I had the same problem-and yes,for me too even bottled water tasted horrible! I found myself checking on the label for sodium content because even just a little salt was too much-even chocolate(one of my favs) was too salty and I couldn't eat it!But I liked lightly salted mixed nuts-go figure!
So you find(through trial and error) the things that you can handle and enjoy for the most part-and you eat those!My onc gave me some good advice back then-he said to make good choices with food that you can enjoy and taste.
Hang in there-there is a light at the end of the tunnel and once again after all is said and done,you will be able to enjoy your food again!

tgf

outdoorgirl said:

So common,unfortunately!
Chemo kills all fast multiplying cells-and unfortunately your taste buds are made up of them.I had the same problem-and yes,for me too even bottled water tasted horrible! I found myself checking on the label for sodium content because even just a little salt was too much-even chocolate(one of my favs) was too salty and I couldn't eat it!But I liked lightly salted mixed nuts-go figure!
So you find(through trial and error) the things that you can handle and enjoy for the most part-and you eat those!My onc gave me some good advice back then-he said to make good choices with food that you can enjoy and taste.
Hang in there-there is a light at the end of the tunnel and once again after all is said and done,you will be able to enjoy your food again!

taste
During chemo the only things I could really taste were things with strong flavors. I found myself eating mexican food spiced more than I could usually handle ... and of all the things ... strawberry jello tasted good. I guess because it was actually something I could taste.

It does get better after chemo ends ... and you'll be able to enjoy food and tastes again.

hugs.
teena

MyTurnNow

Welcome, lwoodley, to this
Welcome, lwoodley, to this site. I'll have to agree with everyone else, this is a very common occurance. Good luck on finding that "right" food you can taste and hopefully enjoy.

carkris

tgf said:

taste
During chemo the only things I could really taste were things with strong flavors. I found myself eating mexican food spiced more than I could usually handle ... and of all the things ... strawberry jello tasted good. I guess because it was actually something I could taste.

It does get better after chemo ends ... and you'll be able to enjoy food and tastes again.

hugs.
teena

Deb 1969 reflects my
Deb 1969 reflects my situation. I needed to lose weight and since diagnosis I have lost 50 pounds, 40 witht he chemo. they do not want you to lose weight but I had GI issues. so it is an added benefit but not necessarily good. Recently i have added the boost, trying to add peanut butter to toast, because I think I have eaten only to see i realy didnt and I do agree all the added fluid takes up room in my stomach so i dont eat. I never drank alot before. I am working on getting protein in and fruits and veggies. because i will not do well with rads if my nutrition is poor and it cant be helpful with your immune system either. But it is an effort because I really have no interest.