taste of food

[marie]

I had surgery on the 22nd and have very little taste of food. I do eat and I am hungry but nothing taste right. Anyone else experience this?
Earline

 

[Bina]

Yes, I think the majority of us have had this happen.
Continue to eat well, small amounts often, and the tastes will come back.

 

[hensylee]

it's mentioned a lot here after surgery. Your taste will come back, given time. Otherwise you are doing well? Blessins........

 

[Ross]

Food taste terrible or not at all for about 3 weeks for me. Once it subsided, I was ready to eat the neighborhood.

 

[Susan BAV]

I recall shortly after surgery telling my husband that the hospital sheets smelled exactly like the food tasted--everything was just an icky bland smell and taste. Once my taster worked again, after a couple of weeks or so, my appetite returned also.

 

[lieb2101]

For me, it's anything sweet or "fake" sweet that's the worst. It leaves a terrible aftertaste in the back of my mouth. I can look past it though for a bowl of ice cream

I certainly can't wait for it to go away.

 

[catwoman]

Marie:

I lost about 24-26 pounds post-op. Had no appetite, and nothing tasted right -- except for sweet things, such as watermelon, cantaloupe, sweetened iced tea. Could not tolerate sodas; the fizz bothered me.

While in the hospital, I examined my tongue because nothing felt right when I tried to eat. My tongue was all white! Don't remember if I mentioned it to the nurses.

My husband had an appetite problem for a day or two while in the hospital for his MVR. My sister had brought him some goodies, which he didn't eat.

Don't despair. Your appetite will return.

What with the anesthesia, antibiotics, other cardiac drugs we're given, it's not surprising that loss of appetite is common with OHS.

 

[WayneGM]

Yep....it was a month or so before food started to taste right again. Before that, I was hungry and ate, but it didn't taste the same. It'll get better over time.

 

[harleygirl528]

Unfortunately for me Marie, the loss of taste and appetite only lasted a couple of weeks. At first nothing, I mean absolutely nothing, tasted good. My poor mother paraded through my hospital room with many delectable items trying to pique my tastebuds...but nothing worked. In fact, for 2.5 days post-op I didn't eat anything other than an occasional bite of jello. I eventually was able to eat as I was hungry but it has only been in the last week that food has actually tasted good. I am still very picky and sometimes I will crave something but once I get it in front of me I can't eat it. You would think I would be losing massive amounts of weight with this loss of appetite......but it hasn't happened! My surgeon told me to avoid carbohydrates and sugars post-op and focus on proteins and fruits and veggies...but wouldn't you know the things I crave aren't what's good for me?
I think it is very common to experience the loss of appetite...but for some of us it does come back sooner than we would like....lol!

 

[Philip B]

Food & Taste

Food & Taste

Yes, everyone who's posted replies to your post so far seems to have had the same experience with lost of taste that I did. It will come back; it just takes some time.

-Philip

 

[dan777]

Same here... except for hot fudge sundaes, beer and red wine.... not at the same time of course

Hang in there !

 

[netmiff]

the only things that tasted "normal" to me for about 3 weeks were pop (I drink diet Coke) and Graham cracker cookies . . . I even thought the horrid little Polystyrene cup-things that water comes in in hospital were what was making the water taste bad (imagine, even the water tasted bad) so I sent poor DH on a journey to the hospital cafeteria for a bottle of water, and even it tasted awful ! I asked him to bring in some snacks, cookies, but my wonderful mother nixed that, saying I shouldn't be eating "junk" - I wanted Granola bars and plain cookies, maybe a mint or two !

Also being on a cardiac floor, all the food was almost saltless and sugar-free etc., so it tasted like cardboard in the first place. I do remember getting an orange on my tray one day, that was REALLY good.

've just remembered, too, that all I wanted was a jam sandwich and a glass of milk, first thing I did when I got home (and mother had left lol) was dig into that, and it tsted awful, too. What a disappointment.

It goes away, and your taste buds will recover.

 

[Rich]

It's very normal as you can see by all the posts.
We have discussed this many times in the past, and all pretty much agree it was most likely due to all the meds we were given in the hospital.
It will come back before you know it.
Rich

 

[Blnmakerr]

Everything I ate tasted "metallic" for about four weeks. Because of the metallic taste, I didn't eat much for the first several weeks and lost fourteen pounds....Don't recommend this as a way to lose weight...

Give it a time and your appetite and sense of taste will return to "normal"...

 

[marie]

Well then I must be normal All food taste like cardboard. I was so sure it was hospital food but no it all taste the same. My friends are making all kinds of good stuff for me and I am eating it but not enyoying it like I noramlly would but no taste. I'll be two weeks out tomorrow so maybe it'll change soon. Thanks for all of your input. Have a great day
Earline

 

[Ross]

Well then I must be normal All food taste like cardboard. I was so sure it was hospital food but no it all taste the same. My friends are making all kinds of good stuff for me and I am eating it but not enyoying it like I noramlly would but no taste. I'll be two weeks out tomorrow so maybe it'll change soon. Thanks for all of your input. Have a great day
Earline

Earline give it another week or maybe even sometime this week, but get ready, have your favorites on hand and ready to EAT!

 

[aussigal]

Took me about 10-12 weeks before I was hungry and able to enjoy the taste of food again....much to my amusement even chocolate tasted awful

 

[witzkeyman]

I had surgery the same day. taste buds are fine. just having bouts of diarrhea. not used to meds.

 

[DebbyA]

I'm having a two-layer experience with taste. Almost everything has it's proper taste, but there's a second truly nasty taste that never leaves even between meals. Amiodarone was fingered as the main culprit at my post-op check-up, with the warning that the taste problem would fade slowly even after ceasing to take it.

 

[Adrienne]

Just to encourage you, I took 800 mg of Amiodarone for about 7 weeks before my surgery and 200 mg for 5 weeks after my surgery (just to make sure the A-Fib didn't come back). After 10 days, the taste thing went back to normal.