Tasting it...

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Shayenne
Shayenne Member Posts: 2,342
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Ewww, I don't remember it being this bad last time, the night sweats, I can even smell a difference to the sweat smell, it smells mediciney....is this normal??? but I feel like I can taste the chemo and meds that were put in me today, it's a nasty taste in my mouth which leads me to want to be sick...man, Friday just can't come fast enough for me to get this disconnected.

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  • PhillieG
    PhillieG Member Posts: 4,866 Member
    #2
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    I remember it
    I do remember that there was a bad taste. Food tasted bland, my urine smelled real bad. My Onc suggested I flush twice since I had little kids at the time. That was when the herbal remedy did a lot for my appetite. It will go away eventually.
  • tiny one
    tiny one Member Posts: 465 Member
    #3
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    chemo
    I remember I used to sometimes think that I smelled a chemical smell on my hands some times. The smell smelled like the advantage that I used to put on my pets for flea prevention. Food always tasted good though. Some people say that food starts to taste funny. I used to keep a small piece of spearment gum in my mouth to counteract this. Even after I would brush my teeth it didn't feel like it. For some people this is normal.
  • kmygil
    kmygil Member Posts: 876 Member
    #4
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    Memories.....
    Hi Shayenne,

    I remember it well. My mouth always tasted like a sewer and everything I put in it, including water, tasted like sewage. This is the reason I got so dehydrated and malnourished during chemo--just couldn't stand the tastes. But please force yourself to hydrate and keep up with your nutrition. Everything just gets worse if you let it go, and your immune system will get worse. I got thrush because I wasn't feeding my immune system with water and good nutrition. The thrush made everything taste like sewage AND landfill. You don't want that, so force the water & food, even though it tastes yucky. The sweats--well, they're going to be there. My scalp pretty much felt damp all through chemo, but I was also dealing with sudden onset menopause. Hang in there. Always remember that this is temporary and one day everything will taste better.

    Hugs,
    Kirsten
  • Shayenne
    Shayenne Member Posts: 2,342
    #5
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    kmygil said:

    Memories.....
    Hi Shayenne,

    I remember it well. My mouth always tasted like a sewer and everything I put in it, including water, tasted like sewage. This is the reason I got so dehydrated and malnourished during chemo--just couldn't stand the tastes. But please force yourself to hydrate and keep up with your nutrition. Everything just gets worse if you let it go, and your immune system will get worse. I got thrush because I wasn't feeding my immune system with water and good nutrition. The thrush made everything taste like sewage AND landfill. You don't want that, so force the water & food, even though it tastes yucky. The sweats--well, they're going to be there. My scalp pretty much felt damp all through chemo, but I was also dealing with sudden onset menopause. Hang in there. Always remember that this is temporary and one day everything will taste better.

    Hugs,
    Kirsten

    You are right...
    This is so temporary, and yeah, my scalp look wet and horrible, and I just washed it last night! But I feel like everytime I swallow, I am swallowing the medicine right back, so I find myself spitting alot, which I hate to do...thanks all, I didn't know what to thinking tasting all this garbage...yuck..
  • PhillieG
    PhillieG Member Posts: 4,866 Member
    #6
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    Shayenne said:

    You are right...
    This is so temporary, and yeah, my scalp look wet and horrible, and I just washed it last night! But I feel like everytime I swallow, I am swallowing the medicine right back, so I find myself spitting alot, which I hate to do...thanks all, I didn't know what to thinking tasting all this garbage...yuck..

    sweating bullets
    I find that since I've been on Erbitux that I sweat bullets at night for a few days. My palms also sweat like crazy but only at night. I have one hand that is always cold to the touch and one that is warm. I'm a righty and it's my right hand that is cold. Strange side effects
  • Buzzard
    Buzzard Member Posts: 3,043 Member
    #7
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    PhillieG said:

    sweating bullets
    I find that since I've been on Erbitux that I sweat bullets at night for a few days. My palms also sweat like crazy but only at night. I have one hand that is always cold to the touch and one that is warm. I'm a righty and it's my right hand that is cold. Strange side effects

    Sweating......
    Yep, I can smell the chemo at night when I sweat in the bed. It is enough to make me gag. My scalp itches because of the dryness it causes. I can taste it also sometimes but I still haven't hydrated myself enough to get rid of it quick enough so it lingers around (which is good to keep it as long as possible to kill cancer cells) but I guess its just part of it....
  • Shayenne
    Shayenne Member Posts: 2,342
    #8
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    Buzzard said:

    Sweating......
    Yep, I can smell the chemo at night when I sweat in the bed. It is enough to make me gag. My scalp itches because of the dryness it causes. I can taste it also sometimes but I still haven't hydrated myself enough to get rid of it quick enough so it lingers around (which is good to keep it as long as possible to kill cancer cells) but I guess its just part of it....

    Is that why??
    Is it because I'm not hydrating myself enough that I taste it soooo strongly? I mean, when I even eat and drink, I can still taste it, so when I start drinking more, will it go away alittle?
  • pamysue
    pamysue Member Posts: 105
    #9
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    The 5fu
    made my skin feel horrid. Everything tasted different except for sweets. Things are still that way to a large extent and I just keep trying them (3 months out of chemo). They are getting back to tasting right slowly but surely. Already had the night sweat thing from pre-meno, so can't really reply to that.
  • msccolon
    msccolon Member Posts: 1,917 Member
    #10
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    that SMELL!
    UGGGGH!!! I remember it well! I would have my girlfriends help me change my sheets when the pump came off and I was able to shower so I wouldn't have to smell that smell! Always had more than one sleep cap for the same reason; into the washer it would go and out would come a clean one! As far as the saliva you feel the need to spit... you know extra saliva production actually can be a precursor to vomiting, so you might just keep that in mind. Try some strong lemonade, flat gingerale, cranberry juice, stuff like that to counteract the metallic taste. Ginger cookies too, and they help settle the tummy as well. Good to see you online!
    mary
  • Buzzard
    Buzzard Member Posts: 3,043 Member
    #11
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    msccolon said:

    that SMELL!
    UGGGGH!!! I remember it well! I would have my girlfriends help me change my sheets when the pump came off and I was able to shower so I wouldn't have to smell that smell! Always had more than one sleep cap for the same reason; into the washer it would go and out would come a clean one! As far as the saliva you feel the need to spit... you know extra saliva production actually can be a precursor to vomiting, so you might just keep that in mind. Try some strong lemonade, flat gingerale, cranberry juice, stuff like that to counteract the metallic taste. Ginger cookies too, and they help settle the tummy as well. Good to see you online!
    mary

    Ginger Snaps....
    Yep....I go to the Dollar General Store and get the cheap Ginger Snaps and put one in each cheek...They do seem to lower the nasty taste ....
  • msccolon
    msccolon Member Posts: 1,917 Member
    #12
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    Buzzard said:

    Ginger Snaps....
    Yep....I go to the Dollar General Store and get the cheap Ginger Snaps and put one in each cheek...They do seem to lower the nasty taste ....

    LOL!
    I want pics! I bet that does the job, though! And if you don't like them hard, dip them in your hot tea!
    mary
  • daydreamer110761
    daydreamer110761 Member Posts: 487 Member
    #13
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    Buzzard said:

    Ginger Snaps....
    Yep....I go to the Dollar General Store and get the cheap Ginger Snaps and put one in each cheek...They do seem to lower the nasty taste ....

    wow...
    never thought of that! I have a canister of them that I forgot about, will try it next week! not so sure about one in each cheek tho....?
  • daydreamer110761
    daydreamer110761 Member Posts: 487 Member
    #14
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    msccolon said:

    that SMELL!
    UGGGGH!!! I remember it well! I would have my girlfriends help me change my sheets when the pump came off and I was able to shower so I wouldn't have to smell that smell! Always had more than one sleep cap for the same reason; into the washer it would go and out would come a clean one! As far as the saliva you feel the need to spit... you know extra saliva production actually can be a precursor to vomiting, so you might just keep that in mind. Try some strong lemonade, flat gingerale, cranberry juice, stuff like that to counteract the metallic taste. Ginger cookies too, and they help settle the tummy as well. Good to see you online!
    mary

    oh the smell...
    is horrible! I shower just before going in, and wash up while the pump is in, but as soon as I come home thursday - it's into the shower, then change the sheets, and by then, i'm crashed between the sheets!

    Anyone find that the farther along you are in treatment, it's a harder crash? I remember the first 2 I was ok thursday, but friday afternoon I was exhausted (my desk kept my head from hitting the floor), number 3 & 4 it was by 5 or 6 pm thursday, now it's basically take out the pump, go to Ihop (it's become a traditional after-chemo lunch of pancakes), and I'm ready to sleep til saturday....
  • Shayenne
    Shayenne Member Posts: 2,342
    #15
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    daydreamer110761 said:

    oh the smell...
    is horrible! I shower just before going in, and wash up while the pump is in, but as soon as I come home thursday - it's into the shower, then change the sheets, and by then, i'm crashed between the sheets!

    Anyone find that the farther along you are in treatment, it's a harder crash? I remember the first 2 I was ok thursday, but friday afternoon I was exhausted (my desk kept my head from hitting the floor), number 3 & 4 it was by 5 or 6 pm thursday, now it's basically take out the pump, go to Ihop (it's become a traditional after-chemo lunch of pancakes), and I'm ready to sleep til saturday....

    Well...
    I find it hard to crash even on just #2, I hope it doesn't get worse then that, the ativan has been helping me become drowsy, but once I fall asleep, I can't stay asleep, I feel like I'm in the bathroom every hour flushing this chemo out of my system, then I have a hard time falling asleep again, so I'm up and down all through the nights.
  • daydreamer110761
    daydreamer110761 Member Posts: 487 Member
    #16
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    Shayenne said:

    Well...
    I find it hard to crash even on just #2, I hope it doesn't get worse then that, the ativan has been helping me become drowsy, but once I fall asleep, I can't stay asleep, I feel like I'm in the bathroom every hour flushing this chemo out of my system, then I have a hard time falling asleep again, so I'm up and down all through the nights.

    advil pm
    is that after the pack is gone or during? I normally can't sleep the 2 nights the pack is in, I'm like you up and down all night. I thought that was why the crash between thursday and friday was so bad (contributing factor, but not the whole thing). anyway, this time around, I took one advil pm about an hour before bedtime, and I actually slept all night. doc said that was fine by the way.
  • msccolon
    msccolon Member Posts: 1,917 Member
    #17
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    Shayenne said:

    Well...
    I find it hard to crash even on just #2, I hope it doesn't get worse then that, the ativan has been helping me become drowsy, but once I fall asleep, I can't stay asleep, I feel like I'm in the bathroom every hour flushing this chemo out of my system, then I have a hard time falling asleep again, so I'm up and down all through the nights.

    I used to stay up all night knitting!
    No big deal cause I always knew the crash would come later! When my one sister came to visit we were up until the wee hours almost every night! I got a scarf made for her and got her back into knitting as well! If I had to be somewhere the next day, I would just take Ativan when I found myself still wide awake after midnight, but usually my days are my own so I can make my own schedule!
    mary
  • Shayenne
    Shayenne Member Posts: 2,342
    #18
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    msccolon said:

    I used to stay up all night knitting!
    No big deal cause I always knew the crash would come later! When my one sister came to visit we were up until the wee hours almost every night! I got a scarf made for her and got her back into knitting as well! If I had to be somewhere the next day, I would just take Ativan when I found myself still wide awake after midnight, but usually my days are my own so I can make my own schedule!
    mary

    I wish....
    ....I knew how to knit!

    Yes, it's with the pack I have a hard time sleeping, even after sometimes..Sometimes I find myself just wandering around what to do with myself..clean something, read, just to get dizzy, but on the off-chemo week, I seemed to be getting on a better sleep schedule. If I wake up early, and not nap, I will go to bed earlier.
  • Annabelle41415
    Annabelle41415 Member Posts: 6,742 Member
    #19
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    Buzzard said:

    Ginger Snaps....
    Yep....I go to the Dollar General Store and get the cheap Ginger Snaps and put one in each cheek...They do seem to lower the nasty taste ....

    Buzzard
    That is too funny. Would remind me of looking at a little chipmunk with both in each cheek. LOL. Sounds very good though. I still have all that chemo to look forward too - yuck.
    Kim
  • Mike49
    Mike49 Member Posts: 261
    #20
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    Yep
    I eat broth type soups maybe with some noodles, with a strong taste, like onion, garlic or mushroom. I go to Trader Joes and they have an assortment of noodle soup bowls that you microwave in 3 minutes. It helps me stay hydrated too. I had alot of trouble with hydration because nothing luke wark even water was appealing. I drink bottled teas at room temp and these soups help lots.

    Good luck the taste, the smell, my wife even commented on the smell, its got to come out somewhere and if we are not going number 1 or 2 it will come through our skin or into our mouths as worse taste.

    Good luck your asking good questions.

    Mike
  • irene77
    irene77 Member Posts: 28
    #21
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    oh that smell
    Yes I can smell the chemo too. Take a nice long shower and wash my hair on the first day of treatment, and the third day when the fanny pack comes off can not wait to get home and take another shower, during the time I have the fanny pack just do a sponge bath. I do not have a hard time sleeping with the fanny pack on hook it on the bed post, however keeping waking up to got to the bathroom. I have a hard time sleeping when the fanny pack comes off for next two days. Fear of what symtom am I going to get this time.
    Irene

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