I finished radiation in December, it seemed for the first 3 or 4 months that my taste would never come back, it's not back fully but appears to be getting better. Does it ever fully return.
thanks

It did for me!

Gee, that's a yes and no answer...some things will come back...some things are different than they tasted before - I lost chocolate and watermellon, they just taste nasty to me now. And I was a choc-o-holic. And now I like some veggies I never liked before. So everyone is different, but it is a process that seems to always be changing.

Take care,
Dinah

Dinah, your taste for chocolate headed north. I could take it or leave it before, and now I have an intense craving I need to keep under control. The sale of candybars has skyrocketed in this town!

Back to BSSMKS, I have thus far found only one thing that doesn't taste "right" and all else is fine. It does take months and months for some tastes to return, though. As with other things, patience is the name of this game. Sigh.

Joanna

Oh, thank goodness!!! I was worried about Hersey & Nestle going out of business without me. Guess I picked up a healthier taste. It's now vegatables, such as cooked carrots, tomatoes, squash...it is amazing...so I should feel healthier since I eat healthier, right?
Although I still stand by my first desert that I could eat after radiation - angel food cake, vanilla bean ice cream (only flavor taste good so far), berries and whipped cream (it cuts the acidity of the berries and adds moisture to the cake.)

I know this craving will go away soon, but it works for now. The chemo seems to effect taste of bland foods. Uck!!!

Sending you chocolate kisses!!!
Dinah

For me, taste of food never bothers me too much because most food tastes quite normal like all kinds of vegetables but I have missed the sweet taste for quite some time already. The first time I realized that my 'sweet' taste bud has left me was when I was still in the middle of radiation. Seeing that I could not eat much due to sore throat, my doctor gave me a cup of strawberry icecream. I thought it was a sugar free icecream and asked my son to taste it. He said it was very sweet. Like Dinah, chocolate isn't chocolate anymore but it dosen't taste nasty to me.Among other side effects, the change of taste is the easiest one I can adapt to.

Karen stage 4 tonsil cancer diagnosed in 9/01.

It is so comforting to come across a thread that we can relate to.

My husband also lost his "sweet" buds during radiation. This was MAJOR for him! LOL He finished up in November, and on Christmas Day received a stocking full of his favorites. (It's a tradition with us....I always get him a huge Whitman Sampler for the holidays) I felt so incredibly bad when he took a bite and chewed, and chewed, and chewed some more, and then had to go spit it out. With the lack of saliva, it just seemed to get thicker and thicker with no way to swallow. And he couldn't taste what little he was able to rinse down with water.

Everything else tasted like cardboard and he would have dreams of biting into a big juicy hamburger (another favorite). We actually went out to dinner one night and I kept seeing him glance at the bar while he was trying to get his salad down. Finally he told me, "See that bottle of Hershey's Chocolate Syrup? It's all I can do to keep from jumping around there and trying to drink it!" Wasn't the alcohol that was tempting, it was the chocolate!

Well, he recently went back to work, and the buds have gotten some better along with the saliva. The other day I asked him what he had eaten, and with a big grin, he announced that he was able to eat half a bag of M&Ms with peanuts (no less!) after lunch. It took over half an hour, but he did it! I know it sounds silly, but it was a breakthrough moment for him, and eating is getting better and better ever since. He even managed to gain 5 lbs last month due to a McDonald's big breakfast each morning. LOL

Things do get better with time, and I thank God each time one of these little "silly" miracles happen. It makes us so thankful for the life that we have. We sure don't sweat the small stuff like we used to.

Now, if I could only find my cell phone under that mountain of clothes in the floor, and locate the car keys that aren't where they are supposed to be, I might be able to stock up on groceries......oh well. It can wait another day.

I am happy to report that I am 79 days out from treatment today (IMRT) and my taste buds have significantly returned. I can even eat mild salsa, tomato/BBQ sauce, cereal. Meats taste normal, chocolate is almost there. Ice cream tastes ok. Cheese and dairy are normal. Coke and Pepsi taste ok and the carbonation doesn't bother me. Fruits are still a little tricky because of the thrush I just can't seem to shake (even with 40mg a day of Diflucan). I am going to start eating yogurt and drinking a cranberry and seltzer drink.

Mandi, I am so glad to hear someone else who celebrates the little miracles. There are many!

And about your cell phone? Do what I do: Call it from another phone! Now if I could just call my reading glasses, I would be in great shape.

Joanna

Thanks everyone, it really makes me feel better that someday my taste will fully return. It's gotten alot better but I understand the cardboard taste most of all. For the first 3 months after radiation everything tasted like cardboard. I mean even tomato juice which I love tasted like cardboard. Anyway, good luck to all.