My niece had esophagetomy in May, she now has an awful taste in her mouth continuously and prevents her from eating, she is losing lots

[tarzan1944]

weight, is there anything she can do or take to relieve these symptoms.

[hunsdon]

Hi the only time I have the awful taste in my mouth is when I lay down to flat on to my left side, so to avoid this I keep myself up higher with a few pillows. There is a name for the stuff that comes back into your mouth but I am not sure what it is called ???? Also try mouth wash called Corsodyl as this helps as well. I am 19 months post op.Tina

[clachuk]

The bad taste is due to acid and bile reflux. This can be reduced by taking proton pump inhibitors such as Omeprazole. Also, I found that taking Gaviscon after meals helped reduce the reflux. As hundson suggests, sleeping on an incline helps reduce reflux during the night, the best way is to prop the bed up at the head end by about 8".

I am 41/2 years post op.

[jay2908]

It sounds like the weight loss is significant, so definitely go and see your nurse/doctor and explain the issue. I agree with the previous responses that it could be bile reflux. It's unlikely that she would have bile reflux whilst upright, so it would be interesting to know whether she has the taste in her mouth only when lying down.

I had lost lots of weight post op and opted for a nasal gastro feeding tube for a few months to put the weight back on and take the pressure off eating enough calories. In the end I found that 25mg of amitriptalene per day has increased my apitite and allowed me to maintain my weight. Aged 39 and 6 years post op. Regards,

Jay

[hilr]

Hi, I had surgery in June. I suffered from bad taste and lack of taste but suspect it was down to the chemo,which tends to give a metallic taste in mouth. I found my tastes changed too -I used to LOVE chocolate and cakes but am indifferent to them now. I like strong tastes like blue cheeses, licorice, Werthers toffees, chutney etc. Now that I have finished chemo I think my taste is beginning to return.

I don't really enjoy food anymore and find eating a real chore, with the threat of dumping syndrome always lurking in the background, but the secret is to keep grazing all day and keep plenty of tempting foods in small quantities available. It's important to remember that eating will make you stronger and help your surgery to heal, maybe think of it as a treatment?

Good luck, Hilary x

[speakman]

Hello,

I agree with much of what has been said. I think the first port of call ought to be to the nurse specialist attached to the team who dealt with your niece. He/she ought to be able to advise on the best course but everyone who has undergone this treatment will have had problems relating to appetite to a greater or lesser extent. The important thing is to avoid losing too much weight - this will only bring on its own problems - so, as I say, contact the nurse specialist.

Regards,

Speakman.

[Hidden]

If your niece did not have this bad taste originally, but it has developed recently, it does sound a bit like bile. It will not do her taste buds or appetite any favours, and if she is not eating because of it, it is not surprising that she is losing hard-earned weight. There are tests that the hospital can do to check whether it is bile or not, and they may want to check her gall bladder.

Gaviscon will work as an alginate; it creates a protective raft and does that regardless of whether it is stomach acid or bile (alkali). If she takes omeprazole, or similar, that will tend to switch off production of the stomach acid, and that makes it a bit more likely that it will be bile rather than acid. If she takes antacid tablets (like Rennies) from the chemist's and they make no difference, this might also indicate that it is bile rather than acid. There are medications that will counteract bile but it is really important to get the cause of it checked properly.

One thing she might laos think about is visiting the dentist to check the enamel on her teeth because these strong chemicals do not do the teeth any favours, and keeping up oral hygiene can be important.