Bye Bye (Taste) Buds
The medical team tells you to eat and stay hydrated while going through your chemotherapy, but how do you do this when you are nauseous and everything tastes horrible. I might be a picky eater but this took it to the next level. Everything I ate or drank for the first two weeks of my chemotherapy tasted like melted butter or metal. Luckily the third week before I had my next treatment wasn’t so bad, but then it started all over again.
A few days after my first treatment, we were eating a pretty simple dinner. Most of our dinners usually consisted of a meat - mostly chicken, a grain - mostly rice and a veggie. This evening we had chicken, sides and a salad. I took a bite of the salad and wow it tasted horrible. I don’t remember what it tasted like, but I just remember saying wow this Italian dressing must be really bad let’s throw it out. My Italian husband was puzzled - how does Italian dressing go bad? He tried it and found nothing wrong with it. The next day I had one of my favorite foods - pickles - and had the same experience. I was ready to throw a brand new jar away. It wasn’t the dressing or the pickles, it was my taste buds. From then on, the first two weeks following a treatment I ate only very bland foods. The third week (the week prior to treatment) I planned for all my favorite flavored foods!
I knew it was important to stay hydrated. I mostly only drank water during the day anyways so I thought “this will be easy.” I had my favorite drinking cups - some gifts from my support team - and filled them with water. The first sip of water the day after my chemo tasted like warm melted butter. It was absolutely awful! I’ve talked to some other cancer survivors who didn’t have any issues with their taste buds, but wow mine were going to be off for the next few months.
I was always a fan of Vitamin Water - all flavors especially the Blueberry Açai - but I didn’t know how much I would rely on this brand especially the “Vitamin Water Zero Rise Orange” and “Vitamin Water Zero Squeezed Lemonade” flavors. I would need Vitamin Water by my side at all times to stay hydrated. Citrus flavors were the only beverage flavors that I could tolerate. Too bad we weren’t Costco members at the time, but my husband would come up with bags filled with “Squeezed Lemonade” and “Rise Orange” Vitamin Water Zero from our local 7-11 almost every other day. He always made sure I stayed hydrated during those first two weeks. On week three I was so excited to just have plain water. Not that I didn’t love the Vitamin Water - I just needed a break.
One would think after all the Vitamin Water I drank during chemo, that I would be sick of it, but it is still one of my favorite beverages to this day. Every time I drink one I say a little “thanks” because without “Squeezed Lemonade” and “Rise Orange” I would have been one thirsty survivor.
Thank you Vitamin Water!
(If you have dry mouth during chemo drinking Lemonade can help!)