One of the first tastes that came back for me was coffee and I love coffee, so that was great. I am 3 1/2 years out of treatment and there are still a lot of things that I can't really taste or that taste "off" to me. I used to love dark chocolate, and now that tastes terrible. It's just our "new normal".

Female, nonsmoker, 70, diag. 5/09 after tongue biopsy: stage IV. Left hemi-gloss. and left selec. neck disec. 30 lymph nodes removed May 20. Over 7 weeks daily rads. with three chemo. PEG removed 12/4/09 Am eating mostly soft foods. Back to work 11/09 Retired 4/1/11. 7 clear scans! Port out 9/11. 2/13. It's back: base of tongue, very invasive
surgery involving lifestyle changes. 2/14: Now speaking w/Passey-Muir valve. Considering a swallow study. Grateful to be alive.