Remember when food tasted like food?

And treating that metallic taste in the mouth due to chemo treatments can be challenging. There is no standard treatment to get rid of that horrid metal mouth.

When Dutch researchers studied this distressing side effect, they found that “metallic taste is a frequently reported taste alteration during systemic chemotherapy, radiation or targeted therapies.”(1)  Almost half of the cancer patients studied reported taste changes.  Of these patients, one-third reported a metallic taste.

This bizarre side effect occurs because cancer treatments can activate certain receptors in the mouth or tongue that cause this metallic reaction.

Women experienced metallic taste alterations more often than men. Patients experiencing a metallic taste frequently report that “everything tastes bitter”.

Unlike my own situation, however, not all patients reported this metallic taste alteration as bothersome.

Meanwhile Austrian researchers studying taste alterations in breast cancer and gynecological cancer patients receiving chemotherapy found that the steepest increase of taste alterations was found in cancer patients who are being treated with a chemotherapy drug called Docetaxel.(2)

Bingo!

Docetaxel is the name on one of the three I.V. bags of drugs slowly emptying into my arm while I’m relaxing in my recliner in the big Chemo Room tomorrow.

“You may experience a metallic taste or find that food has no taste at all, or you may dislike foods or beverages that you liked before receiving cancer treatment. These symptoms can last for several months or longer after treatment ends. Significant associations between taste alterations, appetite loss and fatigue were also found.”

Taste alterations? check!   Appetite loss? check!   Fatigue? check!

I now look at food as merely chewing and swallowing – if I can stand it. It’s no longer about enjoying or even looking forward to meals. I haven’t been able to choke down coffee for two months – and my goodness,  I do miss my two morning cups of coffee so much!

This isn’t one of those brutal cancer treatment side effects like nausea/vomiting (which is what I’d been dreading the most when I was first diagnosed in April) – but right now, metal mouth is the one side effect that seems most upsetting to me.

I’m basically living on ginger ale, protein shakes and frozen Del Monte fruit pops.

Everything else (except for the delicious homemade lemon mousse my generous neighbour Pam sometimes makes for me ) is utterly revolting. It’s not just that food tastes bad or has no taste, but it’s downright vile.

Even my favourite foods are now utterly unappealing. Last week, for example, I was picking raspberries with my 4-year old grandson Zack in his back garden. He was gobbling up each beautiful ripe raspberry with pure delight – but I couldn’t tolerate even one of them. And when my daughter Larissa brought over slices of her homebaked pizza  – still hot from her outdoor pizza oven – my first (and last) bite felt like I was chewing dirty cardboard. I just couldn’t do it.

It’s hard to describe how pitifully disappointing food can be when its taste is ruined.

Rebecca Katz is a chef, author of “The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen” and director of the Healing Kitchens Institute at Commonweal. She’s been experimenting for several years to find ways to battle cancer treatments’ impact on food flavour.

Her first piece of advice, quoted by Fred Hutchison Cancer Center, was: avoid your favourite foods.

“If you’re eating your favourite food and it doesn’t taste the way you want , you’re going to be disappointed and walk away from the table.”

She was 100% correct. Spitting out any food feels bad enough, but spitting out your favourite food is profoundly upsetting.

It was when Katz’s own father was diagnosed with cancer that she learned how challenging it can be to keep a patient eating, as she explained:

“At that time there wasn’t any kind of guide to help you cook for someone going through cancer treatment. And no one was talking about taste changes. I had to learn through trial and error. I felt really helpless. Here I was, a trained chef, and I didn’t know how to get him to enjoy food and eat it. I knew if he couldn’t eat, he wouldn’t be able to make it through his treatments.”

I do remember when food tasted like food, but it seems so long ago.  I sure miss those days. How long will it take before this metal mouth side effect goes away? Here’s the grim prediction from the Canadian Cancer Society:

“Taste usually returns to normal several weeks to months after cancer treatment is finished. Some people with taste changes will experience a slow gradual improvement in taste that may take place over years.”

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Mayo Clinic suggests:  how cancer patients can cope with Metal Mouth

• Drink liquids often or use gum, mints or hard candies to remove a bad taste in your mouth.
• Avoid metal utensils. Try using plastic or bamboo ones.
• Select foods with a variety of colours, temperatures and textures.
• Check with a health care professional about mouth rinses.
• Season foods with tart flavours like lemon, citrus fruits, or vinegar
• Explore different protein sources such as chicken, fish, and beans
• Freeze fresh fruit to snack on
• Serve food cold or at room temperature to mask the taste of food.
• If these measures don’t help or if you’re losing weight, ask your doctor or a registered dietitian for further advice.
• The American Cancer Society suggests rinsing the mouth with a mixture of baking soda, salt and water before eating to improve the taste of food.
• Frequent teeth-brushing and keeping the mouth clean may also help reduce bad tastes in the mouth.

1. IJpma et al. (2016). “Metallic Taste in Cancer Patients Treated with Systemic Therapy”. Nutrition and Cancer, 69(1), 140–145.

2. Gamper, E. M. et al.  (2011). “Taste Alterations in Breast and Gynaecological Cancer Patients Receiving Chemotherapy: Prevalence, Course of Severity, and Quality of Life Correlates.” Acta Oncologica, 51(4), 490–496.

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Q: Have you experienced severe taste changes in your food?

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