I have really lost my sweet tooth on taxotere. But as I have given up dairy and red meat (in all their forms) it is hard to find sweets/desserts anyway. My daughter was shocked when her dad told her that jellies and some sweets were made from dead cows! I had the first strawberry from the garden last week which didn’t taste of much because of where I was in the chemo cycle, but I had the first ever raspberry that I have grown today and it tasted delicious. My new blackberry plant is full of fruit waiting to ripen.
Hi, Hope everyone is well. I have just got a book about food and cancer which has a section on dealing with taste issues during chemo. Will sit down and read it thoroughly later.
Well i drank iced water whilst having my last chemo and…
Really have the worst sludge gob ever. Probably cos it was my last chemo and last tax. Everything and i mean everything tastes disgusting, every smell is evil. I want to eat ice cream, scoff cream crackers, drink coffee. No I dont because i know what they will taste like. Iced water did stop the sore gob though. Mouth has tasted horrible but hasnt felt that bad.
Kids have just made a fruit smoothie, we put all the fruit that needs to be eaten quick in it, some chocolate options to give it a bit of flavour and guess what - yep tastes revolting…
Linda, Dilys is right. It will come back and it’ll be wonderful. I like you craved things - coffee, tea, steak, fave sweets and they all tasted the same, like they’d been scraped from the bottom of a skip. Some evenings I’d try 3 different meals to eat and they all tasted the same. I had last Tax on 2nd April (it was my 3rd and by far the easiest for some reason) and within 2 weeks taste buds returned and now it’s like they’ve never been away. Honestly, not long to go… hugs Pat x
It has been worst this time (last time) but you are right and it will come back and in the meantime i can celebrate the fact that several pairs of tight trousers now fit me.
Well done Linda! I lost a stone and a half over chemo and have never put it back! Best side effect ever in the scheme of things. Still have a wardrobe full of trousers that fall off, but new size tens that don’t.
Go for it. It gets better from here. Wish you luck my dear. And well done for getting through the worst. Not that we had much choice!
I have been desperately searching for clues as to when this awful taste thing might stop. It’s good to hear that the taste does come back. Had 3 FEC and was ok ish, but the Docetaxal, Herceptin and the one beginning with ‘P’ has hit me hard. Bread is one of tge worst things and feels like eating a kitchen wash up sponge! Everything is vile if I’m honest, every time I eat, it’s like a bush tucker trial! I cried over my plate like a five year old before, just trying to get a few mouthfuls in! On the upside, breast lump shrunk loads, so at least it’s battering that as well as me! Losing weight will be good too, so must TRY not to moan too much x
Hi Molliemoo55
Everything tastes like pond scum! Trying not to be too down hearted, but like you, I’m really struggling with food. Can just about manage porridge and vegetable soup. Really missing coffee and wine! Bush tucker trial is such a fitting description of mealtimes. On the upside I’ve lost 20lb!! My oncologist is panicking but it is weight I need to lose anyway. Two chemo done, two to go, so hopefully I can enjoy a nice meal sometime in August! Hope you find something you like to eat soon.
Jacq x
Hi Jaq, soup is one I can kind of do too. I was made up when you said you’d lost so much weight (don’t tell your onc) I can easily afford to lose a stone or so! My sister suggested McDonald’s chips, which I reluctantly tried before, yuk (not brilliant anyway but totally foul). Lucizade is not bad and last night I had some Guinness, and that was nice. I am missing wine and coffee too, but wine hurts and coffee smells too bad to even try. I find I can shovel a few blueberries down, which is good as they’re quite healthy. Finally the diarrhoea seems to have calmed after having first tax 11 days ago, which is a relief. I’ve only just heard that grapefruit should be avoided, as it can worsen side effects. I’m so pleased my onc has agreed to lower my dose over next 3. If I find any other things that are edible ish I’ll post them in here. Good luck with your treatment, here’s to getting back to normal soon x
Good on you for persevering! I hope bread comes back to a certain degree, but I suppose it’s caliries saved if it doesn’t . Next one next Monday and don’t even feel I’ve got over this one yet!
Hi Katiemac
These are the foods I’ve found tolerable:
Porridge with honey
Chicken or vegetable soups
Whipped cream with berries
M&S sugar free rhubarb & custard drops
Haagen Dazs ice cream
That’s about it!
Basically bland and sweet works for me.
I’ve got my head round it now and accept that this is just one more bump in the road to good health.
Hope you too find palatable foods to enjoy.
Jacq x
Hi Katie, wish I’d come back on here sooner, I’m so sorry you’re having a rough time. It’s so depressing and frustrating. I’ve just had to text my mum to tell her the soup she made was actually nice , because it surprisingly was! Not quite sure what was in it but it was green and I think it had lentils in. I don’t care too much what was in it because it actually tastes ok. I had a reduced dose of Docetaxal this time as side effects so bad. Thankfully I don’t have the diarrhoea this time. Taste is still awful and it’s the texture of stuff too that’s disgusting. I’m so knackered and can hardly muster up the energy to do anything today. On the plus side, I lost half a stone , which I could do with losing! Ice cream is quite good btw. X
I can truly understand where you are all coming from. FEC was a manageable but T has knocked me for six. Each cycle has been horrendous I’m losing on average around 6kg per cycle. Food of any kind not my friend, liquids are also a struggle. I’m finding the only think I can eat/drink and keep down Melon (any kind) and plain water.
Thought my taste had come back last night so had a Quorn lasagna, that stayed down for 10 minutes, so back to my staples. Also laid low with peripheral neuropathy, my hands and feet are in bits. Nearly the weekend so hopefully things should start to settle down. But there’s light at the end of the tunnel and I’m sure we’ll all get there. Good luck Ladies, stay strong. Xx
This is the first time I have posted on here and the title of this post is the reason as I am being driven to distraction by the most awful taste in my mouth!
I am having neo-adjuant chemotherapy (3 x FEC and 3 x T) and have got through 3 x FEC without too much problem. I have had another mamogram and ultrasound and the lump is shrinking and nothing in my lymph nodes any more so all good so far. However, I had my first Taxatore infusion (plus Herceptin injection) eight days ago. I felt absolutely fine for days two and three, then was hit hard by fatiuge and bone pain (also injecting myself with G-CSF due to low blood cell count) and have felt pretty horrible since then, but a good bit better today. The fatigue and pain I can cope wth as I know it will is only temporary but I have had the most awful taste in my mouth for over a week now. Please can someout tell me if I will get my sense of taste back before my next session of T?