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Loss of taste after liver transplant
Transplants | Last Active: May 23 7:48am | Replies (42)Comment receiving replies
Has anyone experienced loss of appetite after liver transplant? I’ve seen a few articles that show this happens. But sharing your own trials with this would be much appreciated. Sometimes for a brief moment I can taste things like lemon or lime and it tastes so good. My husband is a gourmet cook and makes all o my favorite foods and I tell him they’re wonderful so as not to hurt his feelings but I taste nothing. I just don’t understand how it could have changed and how it could be all encompassing. I’m missing out on one of the great pleasures of life but feel guilty because I should be grateful for being alive. Is there someone that has experienced any of this.
I have one more question please. When I woke up back in my room after the transplant I was partially deaf in both ears. I was not completely out of sedation and kept telling the staff there was something stuck in my ears and I could barely hear. They kept telling me there was nothing there. Tomorrow will be 1 year since my transplant and I now wear hearing aids. There is no explanation as to what happened to my hearing. Is there anyway possible that someone else could possibly have experienced something like this or may have an answer how this could happen? Thank you for reading such a long text.
Replies to "Has anyone experienced loss of appetite after liver transplant? I’ve seen a few articles that show..."
Welcome, @sandy123. Congratulations on your liver transplant!
I am a liver and kidney transplant recipient and I also remember lack of appetite after my transplant. It was concerning to me because my transplant team told me that I needed to gain weight and muscle mass. I was totally shocked at how thin I was after the ascites and edema disappeared after the surgery - I was skin and bones and it hurt to sit in a hard chair wothout a pillow on the seat.
In my pretranplant period, I was on dialysis and on a restricted diet. I also had no sense of taste, except for lemon or cinnamon which I added when appropriate. I also ate only because of a threat of a feeding tube. I was amazed that immediately after my surgery that some tastes came back, but I could not tolerate the smell or taste of red meat or pork! And I still tend to shy away from those meats.
Our medications do affect appetite and I'm not surprised that they can affect taste. I commend you for trying to eat, even when you don't taste because you do need the nutrition.
Have you discussed this wiith the transplant team? They might be able to offer suggestions or to let you know how long this might be a problem for you. (because each one of us responds differently to medications) I suspect that overtime, as your meds are adjusted, that your tastes will return to normal.
How long ago was your transplant?
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Welcome, @123sandy. I moved your post to an existing discussion of the same name:
- Loss of taste after liver transplant https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/loss-of-taste-after-liver-transplant/
I did this so you can read previous posts and connect with members like @des46893 @rosemarya @cherismikes @ssapp1 @danab @crystalfaye @arqui02000 and others.
Sandy, has your taste changed or evolved over the past year?