loss of taste
Comments
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YMMV
I don't think anyone can answer that question for you: Everyone's experience is different.
FWIW, I lost most of my sense of taste once I finished the radiation treatments (and the radiation was finishing with me) but it came back within a month or two.
Now, 11 months later, almost everything tastes pretty much like it used to, with one exception: Cognac, which I used to enjoy, now tastes like cough syrup. But that's OK. It's expensive anyway.
--Jim in Delaware0 -
taste
My doctor told me 33% never get taste back, 33% partial, and 33% most.My experience is after radiation may 08 my taste buds are still messed up.The dryness keeps me up at night because my throat gets stuck shut, from lack of moisture, and I wake up choking.But anyway these are the percentages my doctor told me.
Good Luck!0 -
tasteZooDavid said:taste
My doctor told me 33% never get taste back, 33% partial, and 33% most.My experience is after radiation may 08 my taste buds are still messed up.The dryness keeps me up at night because my throat gets stuck shut, from lack of moisture, and I wake up choking.But anyway these are the percentages my doctor told me.
Good Luck!
I too have the same problem, loss of taste. My last treatment was May 30th 09' and I still can not stand the taste of food. I can eat Yogurt but so far thats about it. I can taste a hint of rootbeer and diet coke. The docs tell me just takes time, but they want me to eat. ha
Hope taste comes back soon so i can really eat again and get rid of this tube.
my prayers are with you
LLS0 -
Taste
I'm unaware of any "scientific" predictor of how much and when saliva and taste regenerate after radiation. Mine gradually improved (sometimes in spurts) over two years post-treatment. My saliva production is now about 80% of what it was; taste is about 30% of old "normal". Good health to you. Rich0 -
My storytrain-nut said:Taste
I'm unaware of any "scientific" predictor of how much and when saliva and taste regenerate after radiation. Mine gradually improved (sometimes in spurts) over two years post-treatment. My saliva production is now about 80% of what it was; taste is about 30% of old "normal". Good health to you. Rich
There are excellent replies to your question. As was previously mentioned, all individuals react differently.
I completed my treatment for NPC in June 1998 (just over 11 years ago). My taste came back to less then 50 percent. As I eat a meal, the taste gradually diminishes.
As for saliva, I think mine got worse. I think it is partially due to the aging process. I used to be able to eat a tomato sandwich. Now, it is very difficult.
My personal recommendation is not to let any of the side effects lessen your positive thoughts. I am just happy to be here today and still able to respond to this thread.0 -
Love to all you survivors!delnative said:YMMV
I don't think anyone can answer that question for you: Everyone's experience is different.
FWIW, I lost most of my sense of taste once I finished the radiation treatments (and the radiation was finishing with me) but it came back within a month or two.
Now, 11 months later, almost everything tastes pretty much like it used to, with one exception: Cognac, which I used to enjoy, now tastes like cough syrup. But that's OK. It's expensive anyway.
--Jim in Delaware
Jim, you are wonderful!! I love the post about getting your taste back - your attitude is terrific!
I wish my brother was as positive. His attitude is not so great. He has four more rad treatments and is experiencing dry mouth and a lot of mucuous. He drinks water constantly so I'm not really worried about hydration, would not get a PEG tube and can barely get Instant Breakfast down so I'm worried about nutrition. He is reluctant to try different foods. I hope he will recover well. Guess the only thing to do is take it day by day.
All of you guys are great and I am so thankful to have your info. Jim, I wonder if cough syrup would taste like Cognac?
Take care all of you!0 -
Ditto'sHAWVET said:My story
There are excellent replies to your question. As was previously mentioned, all individuals react differently.
I completed my treatment for NPC in June 1998 (just over 11 years ago). My taste came back to less then 50 percent. As I eat a meal, the taste gradually diminishes.
As for saliva, I think mine got worse. I think it is partially due to the aging process. I used to be able to eat a tomato sandwich. Now, it is very difficult.
My personal recommendation is not to let any of the side effects lessen your positive thoughts. I am just happy to be here today and still able to respond to this thread.
I agree with the many responses. I had 30 rad treatment + 3 chemo rounds over 5 years ago.
Saliva about 50%....taste 90+%. Like Jim, I had a strange alchohol response. Lost my taste for beer....but Scotch still tastes good!
Keep positive. Our bodies are tough and don't go down easy to the battering the doctors give ti to kill all the bad stuff. You will win!
George0 -
tastelstricker said:taste
I too have the same problem, loss of taste. My last treatment was May 30th 09' and I still can not stand the taste of food. I can eat Yogurt but so far thats about it. I can taste a hint of rootbeer and diet coke. The docs tell me just takes time, but they want me to eat. ha
Hope taste comes back soon so i can really eat again and get rid of this tube.
my prayers are with you
LLS
lstricker : HI: this is a diamond-n-the-rough, I'M a 8yr. survior , wow time flys. But just recently, I battled a servere case of pnemonia. Over my eight years of battling cancer, I never even had a cold. In JULY of this year my doctor inserted an IVC filter through my throat, into my stomach. I think this could be the problem, maybe not. BUT since my bout with pneumonia, my dry mouth has returned,and anything I eat causees stomach pain even my medication. Could anyone shed some light ! OH I failed to mention," my doctor told me that DEATH WAS KNOCKING AT MY DOOR !, SORRY WRONG DOOR ! MY LORD HAS'NT AND WONT FAIL ME !0 -
Sweet Taste
Like you I have very little if any taste of sweets... I finished (Jun09) with my 35 radiations treatments with concurrent chemo over seven weeks that was precxeeded with nine weeks (three rounds) of chemo (cisplaten, taxotere and 5-FU).
I can pretty much taste everything other than sweetness. Most things tend to lose their flavor quickly, but a lot don't. I actually have just started tasting a few things that are sweet this last week...cherry turnovers, rootbeer, apple cider...LOL.
Hopefully as it's still very early, I'll get even more taste to return, not to mention saliva production which is still on the very low side.
Good Luck and Hang in There.....
John0 -
tastebuds and finding pleasure in eating
I am 4 years post-treatments and had no taste after treatment and over 2 years I had some tastes come back - cheese, cinnamon, chinese foods. I now have a little bit of taste but find that nothing tastes as it used to. I have found that there is a lot of pleasure in the smell of foods and I enjoy eating foods with nice aromas (such as things cooked with mushrooms, cinnamon, asian foods, cheeses, dark chocolates, etc.) It turns out there is another taste sensation beyond the 4 we learned about years ago in school (sweet, sour, bitter, salty). The 5th is now know as Umami and it turns out to be in a lot of the foods I eat. I still work to maintain weight so am meeting with a nutritionist to discuss what I can eat to take advantage that I still have this Umami taste.
Also, I should mention, during treatments, in case this affects you... that "tinny" metallic taste that foods give can be avoided a lot by not using silverware and use plasticware instead. There's something about the chemo that does that. This helped for both my daughter and I while we were in the midst of chemo treatments.
Even without taste, you can try to find pleasure in eating things with good aromas and enjoy "smelling" your food while you ingest it.0 -
Sense of Taste After Head/Neck Radiation and Chemo
I completed 30 radiation and 2 Cisplatin treatments in May-June 2010. A month later, I can't taste much but my salivary glands seem to be working. I am surprised at how slow the healing process is relating to the back of my throat. Overall, I have no interest in solid food but don't mind Boost. It gives me 360 calories per 8 oz. Funny though, I can't tell the difference between the chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry. I lost 30 lbs the hard way I guess but feel pretty decent now. Energy level is coming back pretty quickly despite only 1400-1700 calories per day. Good luck to all. Neil in Iowa0 -
Taste
I had 35 rads and 2 cisplatin, treatment end in Feb of this year. I had it on the base of my tongue as source. So they hit my tongue pretty hard. My taste ended up pretty much ok. Still sensitive to spices, sweetness isn't as strong. I used to put 2 sugars in my coffee, now I have to put 3-4 to get it to taste like 2.
Sweet tea tastes good, not as sweet as before. So I'd have to say my sweetness hasn't come back fully, if it ever will at all. At least I have some taste of sweet. But like others have said, everyone has a different story to tell.0 -
Tastechris731 said:Taste
I had 35 rads and 2 cisplatin, treatment end in Feb of this year. I had it on the base of my tongue as source. So they hit my tongue pretty hard. My taste ended up pretty much ok. Still sensitive to spices, sweetness isn't as strong. I used to put 2 sugars in my coffee, now I have to put 3-4 to get it to taste like 2.
Sweet tea tastes good, not as sweet as before. So I'd have to say my sweetness hasn't come back fully, if it ever will at all. At least I have some taste of sweet. But like others have said, everyone has a different story to tell.
I had 33 radiation treatments and 3 rounds of cisplatin. The last radiation treatment ended three weeks ago.
Taste has improved slightly since then. I can taste green veggies and I can make out the tastes of fruits, but I cannot taste any sweet. Dairy products seem to be good.
I can taste Chinese food and chicken works out best for any type of meat. Just keep plugging away.......0 -
eggs rule
Approaching four months since 35 rads and 3 chemos, and a good number of tastes have returned. Some, like coca cola, are not exactly what they were, but close. I'm still using the feeding tube, and I have read here that using the cans will dull your appetite, which makes sense. My taste has wobbled, some things that tasted ok a month back have lost their appeal, and new ones have come. I lay in bed and imagine things that sound appetizing to me. It's a dice roll when I actually try what I think I might like though, and none of it holds its flavor through a whole helping. Only exception is eggs. I can eat them about anytime, and style, without much effort. So, try an egg.
more taste to all,
Hal0 -
I'll bet it comes backHal61 said:eggs rule
Approaching four months since 35 rads and 3 chemos, and a good number of tastes have returned. Some, like coca cola, are not exactly what they were, but close. I'm still using the feeding tube, and I have read here that using the cans will dull your appetite, which makes sense. My taste has wobbled, some things that tasted ok a month back have lost their appeal, and new ones have come. I lay in bed and imagine things that sound appetizing to me. It's a dice roll when I actually try what I think I might like though, and none of it holds its flavor through a whole helping. Only exception is eggs. I can eat them about anytime, and style, without much effort. So, try an egg.
more taste to all,
Hal
I bet your taste comes back. I am 3 months out from 35 radiation and 3 rounds of cisplatin and thought I would never taste again. Now I have about 65-75% of my taste. I've just kept trying different things and try not to get too discouraged when I can't taste things I used to like. Easier said than done. The first non liquid I could actually taste was radishes. Weird, but that started me trying all kinds of vegetables and fruits. Now I am finding new things I look forward to eating that I never would have liked before, and not liking at all things I used to love-like chips and candy.
I am like Hal, too. sometimes foods only hold their taste for a few bites...then it fades.
I was told to try Zinc supplements and brush my tongue regularly with my toothbrush. So I do both. Who know if it works but it's at least something I can do rather than just wait.0 -
Hal,Hal61 said:eggs rule
Approaching four months since 35 rads and 3 chemos, and a good number of tastes have returned. Some, like coca cola, are not exactly what they were, but close. I'm still using the feeding tube, and I have read here that using the cans will dull your appetite, which makes sense. My taste has wobbled, some things that tasted ok a month back have lost their appeal, and new ones have come. I lay in bed and imagine things that sound appetizing to me. It's a dice roll when I actually try what I think I might like though, and none of it holds its flavor through a whole helping. Only exception is eggs. I can eat them about anytime, and style, without much effort. So, try an egg.
more taste to all,
Hal
Hey, hang in there with the whole "taste" issue. I've been eating for a few weeks and I'm still spitting stuff out. About 1/4 of what goes in - doesn't go down - and gets discreetly spit back out. And flavors do change for me from day to day.
Get yourself through the surgery on the 27th, and I'll drive down and treat you to lunch at the Ahwahnee Hotel. How does that sound?
Deb0 -
Hey Deb and DaveD Lewis said:Hal,
Hey, hang in there with the whole "taste" issue. I've been eating for a few weeks and I'm still spitting stuff out. About 1/4 of what goes in - doesn't go down - and gets discreetly spit back out. And flavors do change for me from day to day.
Get yourself through the surgery on the 27th, and I'll drive down and treat you to lunch at the Ahwahnee Hotel. How does that sound?
Deb
Yeah Dave, a lot of my taste has returned, I just need to get hungry. Deb, that sounds great! I could never turn down an offer from a lady that rides horses and squeezes her own coffee. Thanks for remembering my surgery. Sounds like it should be a a quick mugging in the park from what I've read. Kidding, it shouldn't be bad, and the rest of me should coninue, as it will with you, with treatment recovery.
Hal0 -
Helpful PostsHal61 said:Hey Deb and Dave
Yeah Dave, a lot of my taste has returned, I just need to get hungry. Deb, that sounds great! I could never turn down an offer from a lady that rides horses and squeezes her own coffee. Thanks for remembering my surgery. Sounds like it should be a a quick mugging in the park from what I've read. Kidding, it shouldn't be bad, and the rest of me should coninue, as it will with you, with treatment recovery.
Hal
Thanks to all for the posts in response to my taste issue. Amazing what we all experience in common. Anyway, based on the encouragement, I again tried some real food. Ridiculous choices of course. Could taste honey roasted cashews a little. Tried some avocado dip I made for my girlfriend and daughter. Tasted almost normal! That was a surprise. I agree about the sweet stuff. Love chocolate but no luck there. The taste does fade after a few bites. I had kind of gotten pessimistic about a week ago after I tried some chicken and rice soup. The rice tasted like wet cardboard-however that tastes. Armed with my new adventurous taste exploration, I am dangerous now. Thank you guys very much. Neil in Iowa.
P.S. I buy the Boost in little plastic bottles. I did not get much metallic taste there.0 -
Tastemac1949 said:Helpful Posts
Thanks to all for the posts in response to my taste issue. Amazing what we all experience in common. Anyway, based on the encouragement, I again tried some real food. Ridiculous choices of course. Could taste honey roasted cashews a little. Tried some avocado dip I made for my girlfriend and daughter. Tasted almost normal! That was a surprise. I agree about the sweet stuff. Love chocolate but no luck there. The taste does fade after a few bites. I had kind of gotten pessimistic about a week ago after I tried some chicken and rice soup. The rice tasted like wet cardboard-however that tastes. Armed with my new adventurous taste exploration, I am dangerous now. Thank you guys very much. Neil in Iowa.
P.S. I buy the Boost in little plastic bottles. I did not get much metallic taste there.
Hang in there.
On Saturday I tried a buffet to see what I could taste. Salads and veggies were good, but the main menu items left alot to be desired. I tried sweets from the dessert bar, but they had absolutely no taste at all.
On Sunday I went with my wife to the grocery store. She tried to get me to try some sweet cherries, but I knew I couldn't taste them. To make a long story short, she got me to try one and I could taste it! It was sweet! I actually cried in the store..... That was the first time since early April that I had tasted "sweet."
Less than 24 hours made the difference from not being able to taste something and getting the taste back. Be adventurous!!!
Rush0
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