I finished my last chemo treatment last Monday and my last radiation last Wednesday...

I was doing pretty well through it all, though the last few rad treatments zapped me pretty good (they called it a boost).

Here's my question: Did anyone else who did Cisplatin chemo and radiation-to-the-neck-only have any issues of changing taste and sensitive mouths? For the past week or so, things just don't taste the same. I can't even describe what they taste like, just not so good. And my mouth in general, though it didn't get radiation this time (it was zapped pretty good the first time) feels pretty sensitive. It's very sensitive to spices, citrus, pepper etc. -- far more than it was before I went through this second round of stuff...

Then about two days ago, I noticed a small round, white patch on the inside of my lip, on the same side as my cancer but next to my top row of teeth. Think this is just a cankor sore/irritation from trying to eat things like spaghetti after chemo? I'll do the usual watch and wait to see what happens, but I'm going to a doctor next week if this thing doesn't clear up. It burns like a cankor (spelling?) sore when I drink juice or eat lasagna (like I tried to do tonight)...

Thanks for any help anyone can provide... I'm just glad to be done with treatments!!

Hi Eric,

I had Cisplatin and 37 rad treatments to neck area too. I finished treatments in November 2003. I didn't start drinking / eating foods for quite some time after treatments but in the beginning most everything had a metallic taste. I still have taste issues since the few taste buds I have left after surgery were pretty well fried but I can taste sweet (strawberry flavor) and salt flavored things the best. Chocolate doesn't have much, if any, taste although my nose tells me it should otherwise! The white patch on the inside of your lip could very well be a canker sore and my experience in the past with them is that things containing acid (tomato sauce / citrus juice) would burn. Although I haven't tried too many "spicy" foods, I do have a sensitivity issue with hot and cold temperatures in my mouth. Congrats on finishing your treatments! Give it time for your taste to come back to where it was.

Nancy

Hi Eric,
I had the same Tx and everything is pretty close to normal now. My tastebuds started to return about a month after Tx and took about 6 months to completely recover. I had all kinds of problems with through, sores, ulcers, blisters for a time but they have all healed up since. The main problem now is that I bite myself a lot when eating - but it seems to come and go as well. I don't remember it being quite so severe pre Tx. The doctor tells me there is no relationship so who knows.

It takes a lot of patience at this stage. It will get better I promise.

You are doing very well to be eating anything solid at this point. I was on a liquid diet for almost a month post Tx.

Eric,

I was told that the chemo can cause some of the effects of radiation to return. Things like skin redness/tenderness and mouth sores. It has not occurred for me, after 3 rounds, but the nurse always asks me about it at my work-ups before each round. Additionally, I have had some taste issues for the 3-4 days after treatments, but it always resolves before weeks end. I am on Carbo/Taxol and I don't know if these issues are unique to this protocol.

Glenn

Eric, I had similar treatment with 48 rounds of radiation plus 4 rounds of cisplatin. My taste buds disappeared quite quickly when I realized the ice cream I ate a month after commencing treatment did not taste sweet. I thought the doctor gave me the sugar free ice cream. I am 3 years post treatment and the sweet taste bud has not yet recovered to the full. I have to taste with my nose and imagination. Other tastes are close to normal. I am lucky that I never had the metallic taste that most patients experienced.Yes, my tongue is still very sensitive to spicy or sour food. So I seldom gave a try to anything spicy. It burns and brings tears to my eyes. We are all different individuals but I will say that the loss of taste to me is not that difficult to handle. A really small price to pay in exchange of my priceless life.

Karen.

Just a tip for the metallic taste that can be a result of chemo. When that happened to me, I found that sucking on honey-lemon cough drops relieved it. Weird, but it worked. I would have this taste for two or three days after chemo - until, of course, the rad fried my taste buds altogther. Completely back to normal now, never did like hot/spicey, so no change there. It just takes time. And thank goodness, chocolate still tastes good!

Eric, I had similar treatments. My mouth is still sore, especially with spicy foods. Even toothpaste hurts. But you have to get through it and do the best you can. Taste is still terrible for everything. Nothing tastes the same and I can't eat thick bread or sweets. Sweets taste very, very sour to me. Can't drink anymore as wine and beer taste awful and scotch burns my mouth very badly. Can't drink coffee anymore, either as it tastes bad. Generally, taste is a thing of the past but as Karen said, it is a small price to pay. And not eating fruit, especially citrus, while its missed, can be lived with. Congrats on getting through the treatments and keep your chin up as it gets better over time.

Eric,

I noticed everything first tasted like salt then cardboard. A year later everything tastes about like it used to but chocolate is a bit odd. I sitll eat it, hoping it will taste like before but to no avail.

I eat spicy food again and only have trouble with vinegar or highly acid things, fruit and salad dressing.

My nurse told me she heard putting lime on meat and metallic tasting things would help and it did. I read something about someone eating very spicy Indian curry and the host told them to put lime on it to neutralize the spiciness and they were able to eat it. It was on some forum posted by an oral cancer survivor going on some trip for a wedding anniversary. Sorry I can't remember exactly.

I am glad you have passed yet another milestone!

I am sure you enjoyed the QB battle last night. Hard to believe Manning and Brady were playing like that in the first game of the season.

Ed