After surgery and rads, I had a greatly diminished ability to detect sweetness. Pop tasted only like really harsh carbonation & just sticky, and even other things like ice cream were unpleasant. It is back to nearly normal as before for me now, about a year post radiation. But I drink much less pop now than when I was a younger man - they are just empty calories with next to no nutritional benefit. Calories that I could put to better use eating something I enjoy more. I used to really looooove ice cream, but now I find I'll eat a few spoons worth of it and then the new part my tongue is frozen and then the ice cream doesn't taste as great.