Taste Changes

There are 4 main types of taste: Sweet, sour, bitter, and salt. Sense of taste is primarily located on the tongue. Taste changes are common during chemotherapy. The exact reason for taste changes is not clear, although it is thought that it is a result of the damage to the cells in the oral cavity, which are especially sensitive to chemotherapy. About 50% of patients getting chemotherapy experience taste changes.

One of the chemotherapy drugs known to be associated with taste changes include carboplatin, which Denise has been taking. Some drugs also produce a metal taste during the actual intravenous infusion and sometime afterward. As Denise describes “it’s like sucking on a metal pipe”. Taste changes may occur during therapy and last for hours, days, weeks, or even months after chemotherapy. We did order special water from New York to take care of some of the metallic tasting water, but the results haven’t been what we have expected so far.

There is no one magic solution for taste changes that suits everyone. Finding foods that taste appealing may be a process of trial and error. Utilizing plastic utensils to avoid the metallic taste is a small step we have tried. Some people who experience taste changes avoid their favorite foods to prevent the possibility of spoiling them for the future. So we as a family are supporting Denise by not eating anything we like, so we can all enjoy our favorite foods when this is over.