Side effects

I'm having treatment for breast cancer at the moment and really really struggling with a salty mouth from the chemotherapy. 

Has anyone suffered this abd have any tips?

I'm struggling to drink and eat 

Parents
  • I say this on repeat, so bear with me. I worked in a dental setting for years (not a dentist), and what you're probably experiencing is altered taste. This can manifest in many different ways such as having a salty, metallic, sweet etc taste. This usually clears up after the medication in question is stopped. If you find it overbearing, you could try a little bit of lemon juice to try to counter it. If you find that too bitter, you can add a little sugar to it.

    What i will say, be careful as lemon is acidic and well, we all know what sugar can do to your teeth. So it's a very fine balancing act. Chemo can make your mouth dry, and a dry mouth can speed up tooth decay. If at any time you think the salty taste is coming from only one area, it would maybe be wise to touch base with your treating doctors or a dentist just to make sure it isn't an infection of some sort as they too can give off a salty taste, but you usually know if it's coming from a certain part of your mouth rather than being a general taste. More than likely just altered taste.

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  • I say this on repeat, so bear with me. I worked in a dental setting for years (not a dentist), and what you're probably experiencing is altered taste. This can manifest in many different ways such as having a salty, metallic, sweet etc taste. This usually clears up after the medication in question is stopped. If you find it overbearing, you could try a little bit of lemon juice to try to counter it. If you find that too bitter, you can add a little sugar to it.

    What i will say, be careful as lemon is acidic and well, we all know what sugar can do to your teeth. So it's a very fine balancing act. Chemo can make your mouth dry, and a dry mouth can speed up tooth decay. If at any time you think the salty taste is coming from only one area, it would maybe be wise to touch base with your treating doctors or a dentist just to make sure it isn't an infection of some sort as they too can give off a salty taste, but you usually know if it's coming from a certain part of your mouth rather than being a general taste. More than likely just altered taste.

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