numb mouth

Warning : I have NOT been through chemo, so what I say may be a bunch of JUNK. 

Maybe drinking through a straw?

When I had oral surgery, I couldn't feel anything in my mouth, and it was really hard to eat. I think I got down scrambled eggs.

I'm not sure what you are going through (is a numb mouth a side effect of chemo?) - numbness around the mouth can be due to low calcium.

Maura,

I went through 6 treatments of TAC three years ago and can still remember that nasty taste in my mouth and also the weird feeling.  I would literally make myself take at least 3 swallows of water every 10 minutes or so.  I also ate a lot of eggs.  My son who is a doctor, told me not to worry about cholesterol because I needed to eat.  He said that one of the best foods was eggs because they are a simple protein and easily digested. 

Another thing that worked for me and I don't know why.  I did a Relay for LIfe and they served all the cancer survivors lunch.  They served Aquafina Water and for some reason, it tasted normal to me.  I hope this helps.

God bless,

Chris

Hey Maura,

I am sorry are having a bad time with the chemo.  Like Chris I also had 6 rounds of TAC, but mine ended in March.  I had the whole not being able to taste the food thing.  I also ate a lot of eggs, mostly hard boiled.  For some reason they were the only thing that I had some taste with.  Of course it could have been the salt I put on them.  I also found that I couldn't stand the taste of water the first week or so after chemo, which was strange because I have always been a big water drinker.  What worked best for me was lemonade and sweet tea, although the lemonade seem to work the best.  I hope this helps.  You are right though this will pass.  I know that there were times when I wanted to scream, but it does end!  Take care and remember that soon you will be able to taste what ever you want for a long time.

Keep laughing,

Jenny

Hi Maura,

Oh how i hated cardboard mouth!

I compensated with tart things like lemonade or lemon italian ices, etc to make sure I was getting enough liquids, especially right after my infusions.

As far as eating, try not to add too much salt because you don't need to retain any more water than the chemo is already doing to you. 

It does pass, but when you are stuck in the middle of it, the passage feels more like molasses going uphill in the winter!

Hugs,

g