everything tastes disgusting

[Note2009]

Ladies, I'm so relieved to have found this thread as I to have the same disgusting symptom. Thankfully mine is only severe for about 5 days and the best thing I found is iced water, well a glass full of ice that I top up with water and just keep drinking.. I also have a constantly watering mouth and found that nibbling on the crust of a French stick helped with that and the taste. I agree that anything cheesy tasting helped so nibbling on cheddars I recommend. That's all I can offer up, sorry, good luck x

[Rosielea]

Hi pineal2,
Yep - exactly the same! Soapy, salty slimy😝.
Most seem to get a metalic, but got strange looks from my onc when I mentioned this one.

Anyway, what worked for me:
+strong, smoked/spicy food, love hot smoked salmon, salad with balsamic glaze -cut through yucky mouth but much sweeter & nicer on salad than balsamic vinegar! Or a good tasty curry, could eat that anytime.
+ fresh or dried pineapple to suck & chew on. I used the dry at night or if out & about
+ cherry tic tacks again for out and about or whenever.
+ also liked creamy puds/yogurts just disguised the sliminess as something else.
+Clementines if your mouth isn't too sore
+ lemon & lime squash-sainsburys do a nice one, found that helped on days & nights when water was yuk. I can hear the sharp intake of breath- squash at night! Well if your mouth tastes yuk and you're not sleeping...
+ nesquick, whatever flavour you like
I also used meals yard mouthwash several times a day and kept a NY breath freshener in my bag when out. Helped me avoid the bad mouth taste face-you'll know what I mean.
Taste always returned to normal before next round of chemo for me, hope it does for you too😉
Good luck with your treatment, feel better soon.
Rosielea

[Purpleclare]

Fresh pineapple has cut through the icky mouth for me. Normally I can't eat fresh as it kind of burns my tongue but at the moment it is a god send!

[bev]

hi.hope your ok today.

what you have described re food tates and awful feeling/ taste in mouth is the norm with all my FEC sessions too. im due on third one monday, i have a mouth spray near my bed and always drink water on waking. Its a clammy, nasty taste for days after chemo. i try and drink pineapple juice or something quite tangy helps. and also are you using mouthwash after cleaning teeth day and night? it helps. i always have mint humbugs and polos in to chew on too.

even when appetite back its hard to eat certain things with the taste and feel in mouth. I go right off tea for a week or more.  

I found that last chemo i couldnt eat bread...would make me gag so got crackers and rolls in and cheesy nibble biscuits and salt and vinegar crisps. i craved tomato and cheese pizza and soft cheese triangles. 

just stock up on the things that you can face eating at the time.....and remember its not forever.

hope some tips help xx 

[newey47]

Hi Pauline, I feel for you I really do. I had the same, and I cannot offer you any words of advice or wisdom on the matter. Everything tasted awful to me too, and I mean everything, food and drink.  The only things I could just about tolerate were cheese on toast and pepsi/coca cola.  It does get better in that you can eat things, but they still taste awful. I found it wasnt only taste it was texture I couldnt tolerate either.  The texture of food was all wrong, sort of woolly lol.  And I could only eat white bread, no brown or half and half, which is unlike me. With time it does get better, but it was some weeks after chemo before taste buds started to come back.  I lost quite a bit of weight, which I wasnt bothered about, its all back on now, so back to normal.  BUT I can still only eat white bread, which is madenss..... Good luck  Val x 

Oh i did find polo mints helped with the bad taste

[Plneal2@aol.com]

Please help im well into my treatment, ive had 3 x 3weekly sessions of fec which i struggled with but got through it. not being able to eat or drink due to food and drink tasting absolutely disgusting (salt taste).

now im on dositaxol reduced dose given on a weekly proramme after having a three weekly dose which made me very ill once again food tastes absolutely disgusting, i have a horrible slimey mouth, been to doctors thinking it was thrush but given all clear, has any body been through this if so what can be done.