hi my mum was told two days before Christmas that she had cancer and it was stage 3 and was she was too weak for them to take it out so went for cemo had one lot of cemo and then was in hospital for three months after they found liquid on the right lung so she’s had countless drains they then put a full time drain and said no more cemo and sent her home she has lost all her weight she’s not eating keeps saying she has a metallic taste in her mouth.has anyone got any ideas what I can try to help her with the tase I just want to try and make anytime with her the best I can and if I can reduce the taste.
Hello ianmb
I am sorry to read about your Mum and her cancer journey. It must be a worry for you both. My advice would be to speak with her team regarding the weight loss and her eating difficulties. They may be able to refer her to a dietician or someone similar who can give some support or even suggest build up type drinks to supplement things.
Regarding the metallic taste in her mouth, I had that during my chemo. It is really unpleasant and puts you off eating. Has Mum also got any soreness in her mouth? I did and was prescribed some mouthwashes that helped.
I found foods and drinks with sharp tastes worked more for the metallic taste- I drank a lot of flat lemonade. Also lemonade ice lollies. I also ate those very thin ginger biscuits. A lot of foods that I normally ate tasted strange or unpleasant and it was about finding and trying new things to see what was ok. How is Mum's sense of smell? I found that stronger smelling foods helped disguise in a way the tastes. I used to also chew gum or suck on mints- something that I wouldn't normally do but helped at the time. I found that it was the first few days of each chemo cycle were the worst and then things improved. When my chemo finished my taste slowly returned to normal.
I hope this helps a little
Jane
Am sorry that the dietician and doctor what not able to offer more advice.
I have had a look and found the following which has a few ideas that may be worth a look . I am sure there are many things you are already doing but there may be others that are worth a try.
Tips for managing eating problems | Macmillan Cancer Support
I presume they have checked Mum's tongue? Just thinking in case there are any lozenges that may help.
Jane
