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How long before my taste buds recover after H&N treatments?

Head & Neck Cancer | Last Active: Oct 2 2:46pm | Replies (75)
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@naznaz

Thanks, @colleenyoung, for replying. I will go over the articles and check more.

In regard to your question about tasting some food over others? Unfortunately, no. But my tongue burns me when I eat any spicy, salty, or sour food.

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Replies to "Thanks, @colleenyoung, for replying. I will go over the articles and check more. In regard to..."
teresat47 | @teresat47 | Sep 6, 2023

I didn't find the articles helpful. , but you can't blame them, they've probably never had to deal with the pain of mouth/tongue sores. Cinnamon to me is absolute torture. And I love it. Right now the only thing I can taste (still have 9 treatments left)is dunkin donuts frozen chocolate. I don't even like chocolate but the cool feeling along with being able to taste something is delightful. Teresa

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smittyfromcuse | @smittyfromcuse | Sep 7, 2023

I used a naturopathic doctor in conjunction with my medical team and she recommended zinc supplements. However it has to be cleared with your oncologist first as it’s an antioxidant which is contraindicated for radiation. I started taking it 3 weeks after treatment. The supplement contained vitamins A,C,E, Selenium and Zinc. It’s called ACES + Zn if you search for it. I’m just short of 5 months after radiation and chemo ( I had 25 sessions not the typical 35 so less damage I’m assuming) and my taste buds are about 80% back. However some things taste different. Hang in there it will get better.

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