Howdy,

though I am technically out of treatment (less than a week), this message belongs here. Googling about "how to regain taste buds after radiation?" I came upon several suggestions that "zinc hydrate" is useful both during and after head and neck cancer treaments. Consulting my pharmacist, he steered me to Zinc Gluconate tablets.

Because I've had issues with tablets getting stuck, I use a mortar and pestle to grind this and two other meds. Then I either mix that with water and drink or mix into ice cream. I figured this gives a more topical application of the zinc to the buds themselves, perhaps a stronger dose than receiving it internally.

And every morning I've been having cereal with blueberries that I cannot taste. Weirdly, the day after the first zinc dose, while having cereal, I had one isolated note of strong blueberry flavor, then flashed back to "radio silence" or darkness on the palate.

I wondered if it was a brief placebo effect, or could I get that little neural flicker from one dose? Has anyone tried zinc to reawaken your taste buds after radiation therapy?

John D.