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Third day post chemo and terrible taste in my mouth. Any suggestions?

Posted by franciekid @franciekid, Apr 28, 2023

Have tried ice water, popsicle, candied ginger, ginger tea - not much relief. Also feeling very lethargic. Thanks for any ideas. I’m new at this.

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Sandy | @pixiedust | Jul 17, 2023

A friend of mine suggested winter green Lifesavers for the taste...worked like a charm for me! Now I always carry a few in my bag.
Sandy

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gamaryanne | @gamaryanne | Jul 16, 2023

Applesauce seems to help the bad taste in my mouth. Also really cold 7 up if you aren’t on oxiplatin and having to avoid cold things.

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amyb5 | @amyb5 | Jun 19, 2023

Sour, or tart things helped me with this problem. The nutritionist suggest sugar free lemon drops to suck on. She also said not to worry about sugar at this time. I do not normally like gummy Candy of any kind, but for some reason sour gummy worms really helped, I’d suck on one, not eat a bunch. Sweet gherkin pickles also helped (but have your Tums close by). Lemon in my water was a regular addition, helped with both the nausea, taste, & dry mouth. Good luck. You’ll get through it. Best wishes.

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dianemb | @dianemb | Jun 18, 2023
In reply to @loribmt "Hi @franciekid. You have my empathy. Losing our taste buds with chemo is hard to describe..." + (show)
@loribmt

Hi @franciekid. You have my empathy. Losing our taste buds with chemo is hard to describe to anyone who hasn’t gone through that! Foods taste and feel so different! Either slimy or like eating cardboard. I remember developing a revulsion to cheese. It felt like putting butter in my mouth. Just the slipper feel with no taste.

Water was awful too. First suggestion is to ditch the ice water and try it at room temperature. That made a huge difference for me. One of the flavorings I found most helpful was True Lemon products. They’re made from actual freeze dried bits of Lemon, Lime and Orange, no sugar in the basic citrus packets. Now there are tons of new flavors out with flavored lemonades. You can find most of the products at grocery stores or Amazon.
I couldn’t actually taste the flavoring but it changed the water enough to make it palatable. Oddly enough, I also found a drop or two of maple syrup helped as well.

I had to be cautious with mouth sores though so you might want to try only small sprinkles to begin with. I’d only use a couple sprinkles and that was enough to make a differnce in the water ‘taste’. Too much acid from flavorings such as lemon, gummies, etc., really irritated my tissue.

Have you tried any flavorings?

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My cousin is a p e teacher and recommended mixing Gatorade and water. It tastes much better.

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dianemb | @dianemb | Jun 18, 2023
In reply to @mrnootz "I have my first round coming up on the 3rd of July, so I am reading..." + (show)
@mrnootz

I have my first round coming up on the 3rd of July, so I am reading up on all the drugs everyone is posting. Does the prochlorperazine help with your anxieties?

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Nope.

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dianemb | @dianemb | Jun 18, 2023
In reply to @franciekid "Thank you SO much. I was feeling guilty napping yesterday. I have the same anti nausea..." + (show)
@franciekid

Thank you SO much. I was feeling guilty napping yesterday. I have the same anti nausea meds. Alternating today, but zofran not doing much. Trying ice, lemon ice and hard candy. Ick. I had oatmeal yesterday - and I did plan on baked potato, so thanks for that reassurance. Does it continue to get worse?

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The prochlorperazine seems to work better for me also. Each treatment I have the two bad days, this last one I felt so frail and useless. I felt so miserable I was looking up assisted care facilities. I told my husband don’t let me make any decisions on those sick days. We live in our own home and he’s doing just fine picking up the domestic chores. Hope you are getting better.

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M.R. Nootz | @mrnootz | Jun 18, 2023
In reply to @dianemb "Just take one nap after another, that’s what I do on the third and fourth day...." + (show)
@dianemb

Just take one nap after another, that’s what I do on the third and fourth day. I have prochloperazine and ondansetron prescribed for nausea. Baked potatoes are good and cream of wheat cereal for breakfast. I try to tell myself on those rough days, this will get better in time. Feel better franciekid.

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I have my first round coming up on the 3rd of July, so I am reading up on all the drugs everyone is posting. Does the prochlorperazine help with your anxieties?

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1 reply
bbtn | @bbtn | Jun 17, 2023

Franciekid,
Are you doing better with your chemo and all recovered from your surgery?

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franciekid | @franciekid | Jun 2, 2023
In reply to @loribmt "You’ll be so happy to be done with that chemo and your body will too! Eventually..." + (show)
@loribmt

You’ll be so happy to be done with that chemo and your body will too! Eventually your taste buds will return, the nausea will subside and hopefully that nasty taste is history for you (along with the cancer!)
I remember it took my intestinal tract a little while to settle down into a ‘normal rhythm’ after getting off the anti-nausea meds. They helped immeasurable to keep food down but they also tend to slow down the peristaltic movement of our guts.
Have you tried any Xlimelts or Biotene products for your dry mouth?

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I have Biotene mouth rinse, lozenges and gel
They do help. Drinking prune juice. Lots of carb cravings.

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Mentor
Lori, Volunteer Mentor | @loribmt | May 30, 2023
In reply to @franciekid "Two more sessions - June 7 and 28. Worst days are 4-9 after chemo session. By..." + (show)
@franciekid

Two more sessions - June 7 and 28. Worst days are 4-9 after chemo session. By day 11, I’m pretty much back to feeling normal, except for VERY dry mouth when I wake up in the morning. I take Compazine and Zofran for the nausea, plus prilosec in the morning and olazapine at night.

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You’ll be so happy to be done with that chemo and your body will too! Eventually your taste buds will return, the nausea will subside and hopefully that nasty taste is history for you (along with the cancer!)
I remember it took my intestinal tract a little while to settle down into a ‘normal rhythm’ after getting off the anti-nausea meds. They helped immeasurable to keep food down but they also tend to slow down the peristaltic movement of our guts.
Have you tried any Xlimelts or Biotene products for your dry mouth?

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