Any advice on horrible mouth taste?!

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I’m nearly at the end of week 4 and I’ve got a horrible taste in my mouth all the time. Apart from ice cream and custard everything else tastes like metallic soap is the best way I can describe it! Is there anything that would be ok to suck and not hurt my throat or wreck my teeth? Any other tips for managing would be great. I’m drinking lots of water but it tastes like soap. Still managing to ‘enjoy’ a cup of tea which is a blessing. 
regards

Jane

  • Hi Jane. Any sugar free sweet should be ok. 
    Mint is likely to be too strong so aim for a fruit? 

    Dani 

    Base of tongue cancer. T2N0M0 6 weeks Radiotherapy finished January 2019

    I BLOGGED MY TREATMENT 

    Macmillan Support Line -  0808 808 00 00 7 days a week between 8am-8pm

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  • Alas we seem to go down either the metallic or salt taste route at this stage in treatment.  I went down the salt road!  I managed to find some sparking mineral water that tasted OK despite tap water tasting like the sea.  Sparking water can be good as for many of us the gas bubbles help break down the mucus and make things just a little more manageable.  Most of the time time it will be down to experimenting and seeing what works for you.

    Peter
    See my profile for more details of my convoluted journey
  • My go to after trying many things unsuccessfully was alcohol free Guinness....closely followed by St Peter's Without

  • Thanks I’ve now tried sparkling water and a bit of apple juice and that wasn’t too bad. How long does the salty taste thing last after treatment finishes? 
    regards

    Jane

  • It will vary for each person.  I still don't like most tap water and many bottled mineral waters as they taste "strange" rather than salty.  I would never drink mineral water prior to this - always tap.  I found my taste came back almost overnight around 6-8 week.  However my taste is very muted compared to what I remember.  I know what I am eating but the flavours are not really there although the food tastes OK.  I do experiment and over the last month things have got a lot better.  Time is the great healer.

    Peter
    See my profile for more details of my convoluted journey