tastes like.......

April 1, 2007 10:15 AM

A 70 year old friend has just started chemo for third time in two years. The side effect which really gets him is that for the first week / 10 days everything has a really horrible metallic taste.

He is not a bon viveur but enjoys tasty meals and I think finds this almost harder than the other side effects, as eating is a social occasion. I can't find anything very helpful out there and was wondering if anyone had any bright suggestions as to improving quality of live in this difficult time for him and his wife. I've checked out the other cancer tagged askme's. A bit of background, my friend is a rather conservative traditional brit but open to suggestions, his wife self medicates with red wine but that's going somewhere else.

posted by adamvasco to health & fitness (13 comments total)

The phenomenon is called 'dysgeusia.' Some of the chemo regimens are notorious for it.

Unfortunately, I'm not aware of any way to make it better.
posted by ikkyu2 at 10:57 AM on April 1, 2007

Too bad the FDA won't let you have miraculin.
posted by i_am_a_Jedi at 11:00 AM on April 1, 2007

It'll probably be hit-and-miss figuring out what foods are palatable, and unfortunately what worked for me might not work for your friend. The following list from chemocare.com has good suggestions, especially brushing your teeth before and after every meal and eating with plastic utensils to minimise metallic tastes. (There is a suggestion to substitute eggs in place of red meat -- I don't eat red meat, but I do eat eggs and that is the one food I tell everyone to avoid in the days following chemo. Actually, I avoided most protein in the first few days after chemo.)

Avoid tinned foods (I found food in tins to taste strongly like metal), experiment with lots of different foods that are decidedly sweet, sour, or bland -- your friend may find that one agrees with him more.

Things you can do to help manage taste changes:

* Maintain good oral hygiene - brush your teeth before and after each meal.
* Choose and prepare foods that look and smell good to you.
* Eat small, frequent meals.
* Do not eat 1-2 hours before chemotherapy and up to 3 hours after therapy.
* Use plastic utensils if food tastes like metal.
* Eat mints (or sugar-free mints), chew gum (or sugar-free gum) or chew ice to mask the bitter or metallic taste.
* Substitute poultry, eggs, fish, peanut butter, beans and dairy products for red meats.
* Marinate meats in sweet fruit juices, wines, salad dressing, barbeque sauce, or sweet and sour sauces.
* Flavor foods with herbs, spices, sugar, lemon, and tasty sauces.
* Chilled or frozen food may be more acceptable than warm or hot food.
* Try tart foods such as oranges or lemonade (this may be painful if mouth sores are present).
* Avoid cigarette smoking.
* Eliminate bad odors.
* Eat in pleasant surroundings to better manage taste changes.
* Increase your fluid intake.

Chances are this problem won't be solved entirely, but with any luck it will be minimised and your friend will be able to find a few foods that are palatable (or even good-tasting).
posted by Felicity Rilke at 11:13 AM on April 1, 2007

Yeah. . . miraculin is an interesting idea. There was a front-page story in the Wall Street Journal on it the other day. It did mention that chemo recipients have sought it out, but also included the disclaimer that there isn't much evidence to say whether it helps or not. The piece is behind a subscription wall, but send me an email and I'll send you the story if you'd like.
posted by veggieboy at 11:13 AM on April 1, 2007

I am not sure if your conservative traditional Brit friend would be averse to it, perhaps investigate medical marijuana options in their area. From what I have read one of the reasons many chemo patients take this medicine is to help stimulate appetite. As anyone who has ever smoked pot knows, it can make most everything taste better.

My mother passed away when I was 15 from cancer, and I only learned later in life that my conservative father sought out pot for her to help with her nausea and appetite issues.

I wish your friend good luck.
posted by terrapin at 11:16 AM on April 1, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

Thanks for your help so far. Yes I have read the chemocare page and have printed it for him.
As I am in Spain not USA the FDA doesn't count. The taste he discribes is horribly mettallic. Plastic utensils might help here.
But eating with "proper cutlery" is part of the quality of lfe fot a traditional Englishman. I will investigate miraculin, but I don't think sourness is the problem here. Everything, even lemonade tastes metallic.
posted by adamvasco at 11:46 AM on April 1, 2007

My dad had the same problem and it was really sad to see him so displeased with eating because he was always a voracious eater all his life. What I did was keep up with his regimen so I was aware of when the times were when he was cycled off the meds, which happened every couple weeks. He would get a two week break from the chemo and within a couple days his palate would return to normal. Then we would basically hog out together until he had to go back on. If you're friend's regimen is similar, he should have windows where his appetite will return. Know when those times are and be prepared to lay on the indulgences during them.
posted by The Straightener at 12:38 PM on April 1, 2007

"Horrible metallic taste?" I always loved the taste of aluminum Hershey bar wrappers, iron clothes hangers, etc. What metals DO taste bad? Or am I really that weird? (I did used to be anemic, but no more, and my taste buds haven't changed.) I mean, the best tasting chocolate milk shakes always have that metallic taste. I'm not trying to hijack the thread, I'm just wondering if there are metals that taste worse than others I guess, so thread readers like me can have an idea of what things taste like to your friend.
posted by serena15221 at 1:13 PM on April 1, 2007

Serena,

I think the issue at hand is that your food no longer has a metallic tinge. It simply tastes completely like fucking metal.

And while metal is certainly better than all of your food tasting like backsweat, it's by no means what you want when you enjoy eating and are looking forward to a meal.

Imagine that *every*thing you eat is tainted with an overwhelming taste of something metallic—not like silverware, but like... liquid aluminum foil. You know that taste won't go with everything, let alone all textures, and even drinks!

Miraculin may be worth a shot, and since you're not in the US, you may be far more likely to find it. Take your mind off of things with this sweet story of "the old sweet lime trick." It briefly discusses what Miraculin can and can't do.
posted by disillusioned at 3:02 PM on April 1, 2007

my dad has the same problem. he copes by using butter and BBQ sauce on *everything.* he also still likes licorice candy.
posted by macinchik at 3:07 PM on April 1, 2007

Many of our stem cell transplant patients complain of altered tastes or absent taste. In fact, the thing that most crave once their mouth sores heal are McDonald's fries. Apparently the combination of salt, grease and beef tallow (with three or four milligrams of natural potato extract) seem to register on chemo-blunted taste buds.
posted by scblackman at 4:06 PM on April 1, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

When I was undergoing chemo what worked for me was drinking Mega-Glutamine rasperry flavor, one teaspoon three times a day. Apparently, it helps prevent or ameliorate the various kinds of chemo induced nerve damage, neuropathy, including some intestinal damage, loss or change of taste. [Sloan-Ketting's info] I also found Mega-Glutamine gave me energy when I was seriously wilting.

The metallic taste thing was awful. Tins of mandarin orange segments, chilled very cold, got me through the nasty first 10 days after each of the chemo sessions over half a year.

My loving thoughts and good wishes to your friend and appreciation to you for not just being concerned but also putting effort into being practically helpful. My hugs to you. I know for many people cancer seems so overwhelmingly big an illness that friends may disappear when a person surviving cancer needs friends -and practical help- the most.
posted by nickyskye at 9:25 PM on April 1, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

*raspberry, *Sloan-Kettering's
posted by nickyskye at 6:30 AM on April 2, 2007