How to manage extreme sensitivity to smell during treatment

Hi Hatice,

Of these ideas, the one I personally was helped by was chocolate protein drinks.  When nothing else was appetizing, the chocolate protein shakes in a bottle were appreciated. By contrast,  a kind family member experimented with different fruit or vegetable smoothie recipes and none really tasted good to me at that time.

Plain or vanilla Greek yogurt was also something I could tolerate.

My guess is taste buds react differently for each person, so there may be some trial and error before you find a set of foods that are tolerable for you.

Regards, Mary

Hi Hatice,

Having your sense of taste altered during treatment is a potential side effect of some chemo therapies.  It is important to maintain good nutrition during treatment, so I hope you will be able to keep eating good foods as best you can.  Here are some tips I am aware of to help with this:

Try high nutrition beverages (such as protein drinks) and drink them from a closed container using a straw.

Rinse your mouth before eating.  American Cancer Society’s website suggests a rinse containing one teaspoon salt, one teaspoon baking soda and four cups of water, and you should shake the mixture well before rinsing.

Eat foods that are cold rather than hot.

Use different seasoning than you are accustomed to, e.g., try different spices than is your custom, or add lemon juice or sweeteners to your food, or sauces such as catsup, or eat salty foods.

Avoid metal utensils.

Between meals, suck on sugar-free hard candies or chew gum.

I hope some of these tips work for you.  Take care, regards, Mary