Loss of taste from head and neck RT

Hello Arch

Thank you for getting in touch via our Online Community. My name is George, and I'm one of the information nurses on the Macmillan Support Line.

It's good to see you have completed all your radiotherapy treatment and are now recovering, but it is still early days in your recovery process. Many side effects can arise during and after head and neck cancer radiotherapy.

It can be very frustrating, but taste changes can take some time to improve. In some instances, this may take longer than three months. Although, it would be expected for your sense of taste to return, sometimes your taste may not fully come back to the way it was before treatment. 

We do have further online information and tips concerning Mouth Problems and taste changes which can be helpful to read.

We recommend discussing these concerns with your Head and Neck cancer multi-disciplinary team (MDT). They may prescribe supplements or medication to help with these specific side effects. We also recommend discussing any supplements with your team before taking them. This is because there can be unknown interactions with other medications you may be taking. Discussing these side effects with a dietician at your treatment centre may also be helpful.  

It can help to talk to others affected by cancer on our online head and neck cancer forum. 

It can take some time to recover from your therapy, and you may still be coping with complicated feelings and side effects. You can call our advice line and speak with one of our Macmillan specialist nurses or chat online. 

Here are some other national support groups you may find helpful:

The Mouth Cancer Foundation and The swallows Head and Neck Cancer Support Group. 

Ref: EMcp

George, many thanks for your response. I will discuss with my MDT in January when I am next meeting them. I will also take a look at the links. I know that I am doing well on recovery but eating and drinking normally is a big part of quality of life and I am keen to see that recover. I do find the forums on here useful and have picked up some good advice from them like using Xylimelts  to help dry mouth at night. Keep up the good work.

thanks Arch