Patients’ sense of taste or smell may change during the illness or treatment. A condition called mouth blindness or taste blindness may give foods a bitter or metallic taste, especially meat or other high-protein foods. Many foods will have less taste. Chemotherapy, radiation therapy or the cancer itself may cause these problems. Dental problems can also change the way foods taste. For most people, changes in taste and smell go away when their treatment is finished.
There is no ‘fool proof way to improve the flavour or smell of food because each person is affected differently by illness and treatments. However, the tips given below should help make food taste better. The patient should:
1. Choose and prepare foods that look and smell good.
2. If red meat (such as mutton) tastes or smells strange, use chicken, eggs, dairy products or fish that does not have a strong smell instead.
3. Help the flavour of meat, chicken or fish by marinating it in sweet fruit juices, sweet wine or sweet-and-sour sauce.
4. Try using small amounts of flavourful seasonings.
5. Try sweet and sour foods such as oranges or lemonade that may have more taste. A tart lemon custard might taste good and will also provide needed protein and calories. (This should not be tried if patient has a sore mouth or throat).
6. Serve food at room temperature.
7. Try using tomatoes or onions to add flavour to vegetables.
8. Stop eating food that causes an unpleasant taste.
9. Visit the dentist to rule out dental problems that may affect the taste or smell of food.
10. Ask the dentist about special mouthwashes and good mouth care.
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Chemotherapy and radiation therapy in the head or neck area can reduce the flow of saliva and often cause dry mouth. When this happens, foods are harder to chew and swallow. Dry mouth can also change the way foods taste. The suggestions below may be helpful in dealing with dry mouth. Also some of the ideas for dealing with a sore mouth or throat, which can make foods easier to swallow could be tried. The patient should:
1. Try very sweet or sour foods and beverages such as lemonade, these foods may help the mouth produce more saliva. (Should not try this if also having tender mouth or sore throat.)
2. Suck on hard candy. This can help produce more saliva.
3. Use soft and pureed foods, which may be easier to swallow.
4. Keep lips moist with lip moisturizers.
5. Eat food with sauces, gravies and salad dressings to make them moist and easier to swallow.
6. Have a sip of water every few minutes to help swallow food and talk more easily.
7. If the dry mouth problem is severe, try products that coat and protect the mouth and throat.
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You may prefer to stay ignorant of the potential short- and long-term aftereffects of your cancer treatment, because learning about problems makes you feel anxious, angry, or depressed. Anyway, you think to yourself, most cancer survivors do not have long-term medical problems. If only one in a thousand develops a certain complication, why should 1 learn about it and worry about it, if it is not likely to happen?
The reason to learn about aftereffects of your cancer treatment is that a problem could arise. Learning about your cancer is a little like buying fire or theft insurance. You do not want to collect, and you hope never to collect. Most people do not collect. You buy the policy because you could need it someday. While you are choosing it, thinking about the possibility of needing it may cause anxiety. Once you have purchased it, you forget about it. After a while, when someone else has a fire or a theft, you will feel reassured that you are covered.
There is a difference between knowing about aftereffects and becoming fixated on them. You may feel quite anxious, worried, or upset while you learn. Once you absorb the information, you can put it away until you need it, if ever. You have to accept a level of anxiety during the hours that you learn about aftereffects in exchange for years of comfort provided by knowing that you are prepared to prevent problems and to recognize them when they are most curable.
If you are someone who prefers to deal with life’s challenges by stamping out fires as they flare up, or if you find thinking about potential problems unbearable, this chapter may not be for you. If you think that you would like the information but cannot handle it right now, because you are too tired, fearful, emotional, or just feeling particularly vulnerable, save this chapter for later. Let someone read it for you. When you feel ready, read it yourself.
Learning about recovery from treatment and potential future problems can turn your fear into something useful. You will be И more prepared for common symptoms and problems that arise. You can take steps to help prevent or minimize certain problems. You will understand what is happening and be able to participate in your evaluation and treatment. Most important, you will avoid suffering from treatable problems that were neglected because of misinformation or lack of information.
Knowing what to expect after you complete your treatments will allay some of your anxiety. You will be less worried about fatigue, joint pain, or diarrhea, if you know that these symptoms are expected and temporary for someone in your medical situation. Knowledge will help you recognize problems early and know when to get help. A man was treated successfully for lung cancer. Months later he developed a cough. He had never been sick before his cancer, and he explained his refusal to have the cough evaluated by saying, “I am in remission.” When, months later, he saw his doctor, he found out that he had a common complication from his radiation that resolved quickly with medication. The cough, and everyone’s worry about the cough, was unnecessarily prolonged. A lot of precious energy was wasted in coughing, trying not to worry about it, and dealing with the family stress it caused.
Use this chapter as a form of health insurance. Let the information relieve some of your anxiety by helping to resolve confusion or uncertainty about your symptoms or medical problems. Remember, do not try to diagnose or treat your own medical problems. Use this information to help you recognize problems and work as a partner with your doctors and nurses.
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