Part 17.Loss of Taste- will I get My Taste back ?

Losing your ability to taste; will it EVER return to normal?

The loss of the ability to taste came on early in my Cancer Treatment I only experienced it for a short while before the nasal gastro feed was put in. Having this placed I had nil food by mouth for another 9 months.

Location of Taste Buds on your Tongue

Looking at the locations of taste buds after treatment I had to naturally regrow taste buds as I had lost all taste completely. It was at times very frustrating as this nasal gastro tube period was over the Christmas period holiday my sense of smell remained partially so I could smell the beautiful smells of the Christmas feast but couldn't eat it . (it didn't really matter cause I wasn't able to taste it anyway).

Not sure of the exact time I started to be able to swallow again but it was a slow start swallowing liquids and building up my swallowing muscles.

during my treatment, I was constantly monitored about how open I could open my mouth and swallowing exercises to keep muscles functioning.

this involved opening my mouth as wide as I possibly could and hold.

My swallowing exercise was a deep swallowing action at the back of the throat these were done as many times a day as I was possible.

The progress was slow but i was determined to succeed. The Removal of the Nasal gastro tube (after nine months)arrived as I was now able to swallow small amounts of vitaminized food (Food put through a blender to make a creamy fluid). This was a significant achievement for me that I was starting the journey back to recovery as my resolve had sustained a battering during treatment. It was like the cancer had plateaued and now was the recovery stage.

Professor Porceddu advised it was time to remove the tube and resume eating again this caused me a panic attack!

1. This was my life support for 9 months and I went through the fear of what will I do if I could not eat enough food to sustain myself.

2. Fear of having to go through having the tube reinserted into my stomach again.

Yes !. I wasn't prepared and asked Professor Porceddu if I could postpone for a week to get prepared for it to which he agreed. The experience taught me the importance of perseverance and staying positive in the face of challenges. It marked the beginning of reclaiming my independence and returning to a more normal way of eating. Remember to be patient and compassionate with yourself during this transition, and lean on your support system for encouragement and reassurance along the way which helped me overcome the difficulties I faced.

Today is the Day; I now had time to think it through and was ready to proceed with the worries reduced to wait and see.

The process I used was the diversional tactic I developed during the radiation treatment, my cancer nurse explained it is better coming out than it was going in so when I was ready and preparing myself for the vomiting reaction to take over; out it came Quickly and like that, my food lifeline was over!

A major milestone in my cancer treatment had happened and at the time I was too fearful to really appreciate it!

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