Loss of taste after liver transplant

@kaegee - I didn’t loose my sense of taste, but food did taste terrible after transplant. It happened in the hospital right after the transplant. The nurses said that it happens.
After a month I ended back in the hospital for malnutrition. They put a feeding tube down my nose- it was horrible. I had to commit to drinking a minimum of 3 boosts a day and trying to get something in my stomach in between.
I ended up taking a cbd/thc edible, which was approved by one of the transplant surgeons. I am small so I only took 1/2. It helped quit a bit. At about 3 months post transplant I started eating more normally. I only took the edibles for 1 month and only at night. There are also prescriptions your doctor can give your husband to try to increase appetite.

Arqui, those are good questions. Did you have a chance to ask the doctor your questions during the video appointment? What did you learn?

RoseMary sure I can share to the group the Liver Transplant experience I had since May 14-2020. At Monday 01-Nov-2022 the Endoscopy have done and doctor informed there is not any varices in the esophagus and my stomach look normal. This means to me the medicine Beta Block is working reducing the portal hypertension. Nadolol helps with this but not CURE the cirrosis by next December 07 I have video appointment with hepatology doctor and I have many questions one of this is where is the doctors plan? is he plan to do the Tips? or he will keep me taking the medicine so the Cirrosis runs it self until my liver stop function well ?

My Medicine is a beta block NADODO this is to control the portal hypertension but it is not for helping the Liver Levels they are normal not for the medicine they are because of the liver transplant and the 9 ERCP

@arqui02000, I just read that your liver numbers are normal today. Does that mean that the medications are working to control the Portal Hypertension and Cirrhosis? 🤞

Have you ever thought about sharing your transplant story? Here is a discussion I what to share with you. If you look at the beginning, you will see where I share some tips to help get started. (I am available by Private Message if you (or anyone) wants me to look at it before you post on the discussion)
- Organ Donation and Transplant: What is Your story?
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/organ-donation-and-transplant-what-is-your-story/
Do you have a snapshot to share?
-Snapshots of hope: Life on the other side of transplant.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/snapshots-of-hope-life-on-the-other-side-of-transplant/

thank you for share the symptoms after Transplant thank God I did not feel this, after the transplant Doctor told me I can eat anything and I ate all the Hospital allow me to eat they had a list of food I can eat as well. After my 30 month of the transplant my issues were the Bile Ducts and made my Liver leves went up then 9 times of the ERCP were done, finally my leves are normal today. But 6 month ago I had Portal Hypertension and the Cirrosis started again then add Nadolol to control the Hypertension and live until my liver allow me to live. Thanks God for allow me to live day by day I have faith I will live longer

Hi Cherismike @rosemarya asked me to share some of my difficulties after transplant with eating. I'm not sure which drug it was but one of them sure made food taste bad. The 2 things I really likes the most are salads and whole meat and both of those seem to give me a feeling of severe nausea. My poor wife was so frustrated that I barley was eating and forcing down a few bites and she is a great cook. Luckily it only lasted about 2-3 months for as they lowered my meds down my appetite and taste buds started
Improving.

It seemed whole type foods like say chicken breast or a salad almost any whole meat like hamburgers or sausage were hard to eat. So my goto items seemed to be any soft foods. Particularly mashed potatoes, soups, pudding , these stick out the most and scrambled eggs were OK. Stuffing jello most of those were my goto. Plus I was doing the protein shakes but I found that one certian brand was the best. Now realize I'm someone who likes almost all foods so it was the strangest experience I ever had. Now almost 5 years later I'm trying to remember exactly how long it lasted but it wasn't super long. One other thing was eat small frequent meals also. Like 6-8 a day but maybe only a few bites each.
Mornings also were my worse time and the doctors got me an anti nausea pill to take if I felt like I was going to vomit Particularly if I was taking my meds. Hope that helps and I would say keep testing different foods, consistency seemed to me to be how it was made like solid vs soft, again the strangest experience I had with my transplant which was a heart but typically the meds are similar. I think it was the Prednisone but don't hold me to that as I was on 5 other heavy meds at the same time .
Please if I can help further let me know.
Your doing great and as my wife will attest the caregiver is an Angel to us when we are going thru this so hats off to you for helping her thru this.
Blessings

I don't know if this helps I was having same problem with my daughter. Called Cleveland Clinic liver team. I looked in her throat she has thrush . They gave her meds to prevent this but when she had fluid that needed drained they started her on a new antibiotic. So she got thrush she has ate a little more and only started back today things she says still taste funny but not as bad so toast and jelly or cinnamon toast and 2 protein shakes today plus a few bites of cottage cheese and one bite of pineapple. I feel like accomplished something of a victory today. Praising God and giving him the thanks he deserves.

It took me about two months. I would drink the premiere chocolate protein drinks. Kept them in the fridge and then put in the freezer for I while before I drank them. I had usually two of these a day. I also ate a lot of peanut butter. Smells were a huge issue!!!

@danab, Hi Dana. I want to invite you to scroll back even farther and to meet a new member with questions about eating difficulties after liver transplant. With your post transplant eating experience, I think that you might have some helpful thoughts to share with @cherismikes.
Dana, how long did it take for your eating pattern to become more normal?