Hi

Hi Shaz T 

Welcome to the forum and sorry to hear that you have been diagnosed with breast cancer. I would call my medical team about the acid reflux and they should be able to prescribe something for you to help with it. For the taste issue might I suggest sugar free sweets as they can help with taste or so I was told by my oncology liaison nurse.

Wishing you the best of lick with the rest of your treatment.

Besr wishes

Daisy53

Hi Shaz T

Sorry to hear that you have been diagnosed with BC and are joining the club here, welcome. You will get lots of support and tips from the folk here.

Contact your BC nurse or your GP and ask for something like omeprazole which inhibits acid production rather than neutralises it. I had some at home anyway. At my first chemo session, the nurse told me it would be a good idea to take omeprazole every day to see off gastric side effects. I did this throughout chemo and it really helped.

I found lemon was one of the things that I could taste throughout and sweet as you say. I liked a slice of lemon in my water and drank lots of extra fluids to flush out the chemo. Just watch your tooth enamel if you are using lemon frequently [and if you have reflux] as it can erode it.

It is worth asking your dentist if he/she will prescribe you high fluoride toothpaste during chemo. Use like usual toothpaste morning and last thing at night for extra protection.

Taste and smell come back after the chemo stops. I think taste more quickly than smell, for me.

Wishing you al the best

WallyDug

Hi, like Wallydug, I also took Omeprazole daily, and even twice a day around my 3 weekly chemo and it really helped.  Hopefully the food taste will come and go, I must admit I found it one of the most frustrating side effects.  Good luck

Hi there - I have just posted this exact same problem. The acid reflux is so painful! Waiting till tmw for some help with it

When you said you took it twice a day around your 3 week chemo, can you explain? Every day throughout with 1 a day but when did you start/stop twice a day please. I am on 3 week cycles x 6. Just had 1st a week ago and reflux torture!

Hi I had this awful reflux a couple of times when on chemo. I take omeprazole every morning for last few years anyway for reflux, however, when on chemo it got extra extra bad!! My Nurse advised to take morning and night for few days if required. I only had to do this on 2 cycles and now back to my daily one. It really does help, starts to work within the hour. 

Hi Jacqui B

it comes in 10 and 20 mg tabs. My GP gave 10mg tabs to me. Some people with gastric ulcers and  hiatus hernias etc take this every day. It works like magic. Sometimes folk need less or more depending on what is going on with them e.g. diet or stress. I know someone with IBS type digestive tract issues who takes 60mg per day. 

Like with all medicines, there is no point in taking more than one needs, to get relief. However, if it was a bad symptom day, my GP said it was ok for me to double the dose, which I did. I took it every day through the whole of my chemo. I don't take it now, as I don't need it. However, it is great for the heartburn after a glass of vino tinto, so, useful to have.

Wishing you all the best

WallyDug

I took Omeprazole every day for the whole 18 weeks of chemo, and then 2 days before my actual chemo and for about 5 days after, I took twice a day.  Make sense?