Taste

Taste? Very diminished but there at around 16 weeks

Hi Jason 

T2N1M0 Tonsil cancer HPV16 plus finished chemoradio June 2023

PEG came out in September.... full meals in October.... taste and appetite gradually return... now about 90%... sitting in Carnoustie Golf Hotel enjoying fish and chips 

Peter 

I went out for my first proper meal out at 5 1/2 months post treatment.  Some of that was because of healing and some of that was because of how I was eating and the psychological effect of lack of saliva, discomfort and slowness.  Now I say "sod it" and just do my own thing in my own time!

Priot to that I had takeaways.  Like PeterE fish and chips I find easy to eat.  I am still wary of most solid meats - steak, chops etc - but chicken, duck etc are OK.  Since I've been away I have had fish a lot - last night in Cullen and Cullen Skink for lunch today.

From around 10 weeks I could recognise what I was eating by taste in most cases.  Generally the flavours are very much muted than before.  However, what tastes good today may be foul next week or vice versa.  Forexample I had a saussage casserole last week and the saussage was too peppery and hurt my throat.  The same meal, with the same saussages tonight and absolutely no problem.

You will find it always gets better, but be prepared for some backward steps as well.  Experiment and find out what works for you.  Little and often is a good maxim to eat by.

Hi Jason,

I was very similar after my last treatment in Feb this year. T2N1M0

I only had 25 Radiation sessions though. My taste is around 90% now.

My taste started coming back after about 3 weeks and was pretty much back to 90% within 6 weeks post treatment.

I can eat just about anything now.

As others have said it will come back and i wish you all the luck in the world.

It is a great feeling the first time you can taste something. I hope you get there very quickly.

Cheers

Steve,

I had mine returning at 3 weeks post radiation