Austinb1985 Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 My mother is about 40 days post treatment, chemo and radiation. Although her scans show that the cancer is no longer active she is still having terrible symptoms. She can’t eat. If anything a couple bites, all day. Tastes are different. Sweets are sour, sour is so sweet, other things she use to enjoy just taste awful! All the calorie shakes are too sweet for her to even finish. She has lost 50 pounds since Christmas! And is losing more everyday. I am seriously worried about her. She tells me now that even water is starting to taste bad. Has anyone experienced anything like this? Does anyone have any ticks to fool the brain or taste buds that she could try? She is in okay spirits, but she is so weak from all the weight loss. She can barely do her day to day things without getting dizzy or light headed. I hope for any advice or tricks to try! Please help if you can! Thank you!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BridgetO Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 Is there a dietitian nearby who specializes in patients with cancer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
06211219 Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 I’m sorry that your mom is dealing with this. My husband is about 30 some days post chemo and 4 months post radiation and he hasn’t had his taste since his brain surgery in September 2018. I’m not sure what causes it, and it is quite difficult to get him to eat anything. Hopefully someone on here will have a suggestion. I have tried everything and unfortunately when you can’t “taste” in his words “what’s the point”. He is also down about 65-70 pounds. Good luck with everything and I hope you find something she will be willing to try and tolerate. He has extensive SCLC with brain Mets. Diagnosed 918/2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steff Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 Austin, During my mom's first bout with chemo, her taste changed dramatically. Fruits she loved started to taste awful, etc. Nearly 2 years later, there are still some things she can't eat that she used to love. Change in taste with chemo isn't all that uncommon. That being said, my best suggestion is to find anything that tastes good to her - it may be something that she never liked before. Don't worry about the nutritional value at this point, just get her to take in some calories. Bridget's suggestion for an oncology-type nutritionist is a great idea. My mom met with one prior to starting treatment and she would stop in while my mom was getting treatment. She suggested Kern's juice because my mom hated drinking anything. My mom lived on Kern's while on chemo. There is another brand as well called Juminex, but it has corn syrup rather than just sugar. During my mom's 2nd bout with chemo, she drank a lot of vanilla instant breakfast with almond milk because she liked the taste - we never could find a healthier protein powder that she liked. You can also try Pedialite for hydration, it comes in lots of flavors. Take Care, Steff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.