nothing tastes good

sassysrice
sassysrice Member Posts: 117
in Head and Neck Cancer #1

Jeff's two favorites-apple sauce which he has at every dinner and coffee ice cream every night tastes yukie now. He is so bummed. Even the coffee we get at Dunkin's everyday is not appealing. It's breaking my heart to see him so misirble. He has only lost about 5 pounds in 4 weeks.

We got a reprive on chemo, we are skipping it today because of the humming in the ears. We will check in with the doc next Friday before his sch. dose to see how it is doing. I hope it goes away this week. But also i hope it doesn't so maybe they might try a diffrent drug. Cause if cisplaten did it once i would think it would again. We still have 4 out of the 7 to do.

John. I tried to ask the NP about carboplaten but she wouldn't really answer me. I''ll ask the Doc next week.

Sue

Comments

  • MarineE5
    MarineE5 Member Posts: 1,030 Member
    #2
    Smell

    Sue,

    During treatments, all liquids tasted like aluminum and all foods tasted like cardboard to me/us.

    A little trick I did to help me get past that thought of stuff tasting yucky, was to smell it before attempting to eat or drink it. I would remember how it tasted after smelling it and tried to keep that thought in my mind.

    My Best to Both of You and Everyone Here

  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    #3
    HummmmmmHummmmm

    I'm no MD, so I only mentioned Carboplatin because I know it is still within the same family as Cisplatin, but a lower concerntraion I guess. I did have three Cisplatin doses and seven carboplatin doses, the Carbo wasn't because of compications from Cisplatin, it was just what they prescribed for my concurrent during rads.

    I think, not positive, that Erbitux is probably given more during concurrent these days...mine was nearly four years ago now.

    During chemo, more than likely he's going to lose taste for a while...

    For me, I got Cisplatin and Taxotere on Monday morning, later in the day, they strapped on the 5FU and that was going in me until Thursday night when it ran out.

    So I would lose taste starting Tuesday until nearly Friday of the second week... I'd have nearly a full week of taste return, then start it over twice more.

    Durng the carboplatin I was having it weekly, but rads daily... So I lost the taste within a few days, then the rads started hitting both taste and saliva, and I was pretty much finsihed tasting anything for several months.

    Unfortunately food and drink aren't taken in for pleasure during this time... It's strictly for survival...calories and hydration.

    Best ~ John

  • Ladylacy
    Ladylacy Member Posts: 773 Member
    #4
    Skiffin16 said:

    HummmmmmHummmmm

    I'm no MD, so I only mentioned Carboplatin because I know it is still within the same family as Cisplatin, but a lower concerntraion I guess. I did have three Cisplatin doses and seven carboplatin doses, the Carbo wasn't because of compications from Cisplatin, it was just what they prescribed for my concurrent during rads.

    I think, not positive, that Erbitux is probably given more during concurrent these days...mine was nearly four years ago now.

    During chemo, more than likely he's going to lose taste for a while...

    For me, I got Cisplatin and Taxotere on Monday morning, later in the day, they strapped on the 5FU and that was going in me until Thursday night when it ran out.

    So I would lose taste starting Tuesday until nearly Friday of the second week... I'd have nearly a full week of taste return, then start it over twice more.

    Durng the carboplatin I was having it weekly, but rads daily... So I lost the taste within a few days, then the rads started hitting both taste and saliva, and I was pretty much finsihed tasting anything for several months.

    Unfortunately food and drink aren't taken in for pleasure during this time... It's strictly for survival...calories and hydration.

    Best ~ John

    Cisplatin

    My husband had cisplatin the first time along with radiation and had problems with his blood counts and kidney function so much that they cut the second dose in half and gave one half one week and the other the next and didn't do the third dose.   Second go round he had carboplatin with radiation and had no problems. 

     

    Thru out this, we have been reminded over and over what one experiences the next might not.  All I know is that carboplatin is in the same family as cisplatin just not as strong and not as much side effects.  We were also told by another oncologist during my husband's first treatment that if she was treating him, she would have changed from cisplatin to another chemo.  Wish we had had her because just maybe it would have gotten the cancer without surgery 5 months later.

     

    Sharon

  • CivilMatt
    CivilMatt Member Posts: 4,722 Member
    #5
    one smoothie to go

    Sue,

     

    I had rads and Erbitux so I blame all my taste issues on rads.

     

    At the infamous week 3 my taste buds had enough and checked out.  No need to fight it, they told me it was going to happen and it did.  Other than Jevity for my PEG I took to Ensure, Boost and Smoothies quite well at least once a day and was on full time smoothies after popping the PEG at 2 weeks post.

     

    I had no taste for food and at the same time I hated the taste of food.  Let alone the disgusting feel and texture of food.  I always keep trying foods (all the time), many, many foods.  The first things to break the taste barrier were sweet tea (crystal light), sweet corn and tomatoes.

     

    I was convinced that drinking smoothies was the future, but at 219 days post the awful feel and texture started to vanish (like a switch got turned back on).  Today, 9 months post I eat everything, but my taste buds are still playing catch-up.

     

    That is my taste story in a nut shell, I was never happy about the situation, I was never mad or upset, it was just the way the cards played out for me.  Matter-of-fact I enjoyed the smoothie festival.  Fighting cancer is tough, recovery is slow.  The sooner he makes peace with his body the sooner he can figure out what works best for him.

     

    I still can not enjoy ice-cream (much).

    I can taste sweet corn like normal, but can not taste the most sugar coated pastry (why)?

    Steaks are now back on the table (yummmm).

     

    Happy eating,

     

    Matt

  • CivilMatt
    CivilMatt Member Posts: 4,722 Member
    #6
    popping

    back up top

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