i hate this post chemo taste…it feels like i have eaten lard and it has coated my mouth …everything tastes fatty…i clean n gargle etc eat pineapple so much im passing chunks(lol)any one got any ideas please?..its getting to a point where i dont want to eat as i know its going to taste rotten…cant do spice as it blows the head of me…just anything that would help would be handy…xx
tracy…xx
hi Tracy
is this following your 1st chemo?
i’ve only had 1, and like you had the horrible taste, but on day 10 i woke up and it had pretty much gone and my food tasted normal. i can’t advise anything apart from tictacs i’m afraid but i’m just thankful that it doesn’t last for the whole time
Gill x
thanx gill…but no im on me 5th…taste buds seem to get worse each time(sorry) stock up on ya tic tacs…xx…like you said by day 10ish i start to get some taste back and then kinda normal and then zap…more flipping chemo…
aw…gutted, i’ve best eat loads of nice stuff now then xx
Sorry you suffering with your mouth. I have had two chemos so far (fec) and have not suffered at all with this, i think its because i ate ice lollies constantly throughout the drugs going in (i got tip from this site) if you have any more to come its definately worth a go.
Although i dont think i will EVER eat another lolly again once im done with chemo
Hope you can save taste buds for future chemo x
I found melon good… my chemo unit recommoended FROZEN pineapple rather than fresh (well, fresh that’s been frozen). Something in the enzymes changes with freezing… I found Lucozade lemon drink good to drink… It’s rubbish though - hated every minute of having things taste like cardboard… it does pass… I sucked ice cubes one treatment, but it made no difference to me… we’re all different I guess…Have a little of what you fancy… Jane
clare - how did you manage with ice lollies, i live 20 mins away from hospital and was there all day, so can’t imagine how i could do the ice lollies they’d all defrost
Gillx
Gill - i took loads of them in a cool box with lots of ice packs in there to keep them frozen. I took the calipo type ones too as if they do start to melt it doesnt matter you can still slurp the slush as long as your mouth stays cold it does the trick.
Ive also recently been told that the unit has a freezer so if having to wait a while can pop them in their freezer till need them, worth asking x
Hi Tracy and Gill,
I’ve suffered this with 2 chemos now, taxotere and abraxane. Tips that work for me and may be worth trying:
- try to eat food that is either very hot or very cold - room temperature stuff always seems to taste worse and feel horrible in my mouth
- fizzy drinks seem to go down better than still - I have fizzy water with a good dose of lime cordial, or lucozade, or ginger ale
- crunchy cold salads work for me (sometimes)
- fish is easier to cope with than meat - fish fingers, even I can’t aways manage the batter, or a bit of smoked mackerel with lettuce.
It does pass, but is pretty awful whilst you are going through it.
Best wishes
J x
The nothing taste post Tax…I have it and it is awful. Everything tastes of cornflour paste. I was so pleased today when I had a rasher of bacon on a cheese roll with marmite this morning and I could taste it. It went at about day eight post Tax last time. Chocolate, cheese , mustard, wine gums,and tomatoes all come through. Meat is a waste of time unless there is mustard on it. Bland things like rice pudding and petits filous are ok because you expect them to be tasteless and thickish. Stewed apple is something that tastes almost normal. I don’t have a sore mouth but my tongue is very white and I ache under it I suppose that is the saliva glands being effected but I am just brushing my teeth etc as usual.
I really do feel for you because the only other thing that comes through is curry spice but even then the meat is tasteless. It is so odd because you can smell the flavour but then there is nothing.
Cackles xx
smelling the taste is so right…i made a lovely shepherds pie yesterday for the kids and was really looking forward to it… smell lush…well if the kids had seen my face when i tasted it they wouldnt of wanted to try it either…lol…
onion is one thing i seem to be bunging on everything to get a tang…but curry i cant even manage curry crisps they would blow the top of me head…and i was a curry queen before this started…
clare, i think i’ll try that, 2nd chemo is thursday, and it makes sense that if cold cap works by freezing your head same should work for your mouth, i just don’t understand why units don’t tell you about these things that work
cackles - that is probably why i pretty much lived on rice pudding for a week last time
i was hungry all the time too, someone suggested that because you can’t taste it your brain thinks you haven’t eaten it, hmmm not convinced on that theory
Gillx
Good luck Gill, hope it works for you too x
I was going to try icecream but i dont want to be put off icecream for life so will stick with the lollies
No they dont volunteer much info, i got all my tips from here
Hi ladys i to have metal mouth not good , cant eat anything without one minute later feeling like have just sucked on silver paper uuuhhh just hate it ,only on fec x1 so not looking foward to next 5 but must not moan to much as at least dont feel sick (at minute) xx josie
Amazing the date buds are coming back on day 5-6 pist Tax. not completely but nearly there. Gin and Tonic tastes normal!!!
Hi Josie 1, I only got the metal mouth on my first EC the subsequent ones were no taste which is a slight improvement. Now on Tax and that again is pure cardboard
jOSIE I am having fec 5 tomorrow and have had metal mouth every time!! I have loads of ice lollys and took one with me to chemo in a flask with some ice cubes in , it was still frozen 2 1/2 hour later.
I have found orange juice and lemonade is ok and milk whic I never normally drink!!
I hate all food tasting horrid . I eat odd things like ryvita and cold pasta .
I have got some diflam mouthwash from the docs and this does help as it sort of numbs the mouth so the taste goes away for a while.
Nobody reommended anything to me either got al my info off this site.
Hope you keep well.
Fi XXX