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Can anyone explain the science behind a taste for certain food changing post op?

LipstickLady

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LipstickLady    25,682

LipstickLady
Posted

Someone asked me about this yesterday and I have no clue. My FIL lost his taste for most foods after throat cancer, but I know that was the chemo. If we are having abdominal surgery, what does that have to do with how food tastes? I can understand how it affects you going down as changing, but the taste itself, not so much.

Thanks!

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leeann71    539

leeann71
Posted

Great question. I would like to find out to. Also why does our sense of smell become sooo much stronger.

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leeann71    539

leeann71
Posted

For me, right after surgery I could smell everything like a 1000 times stronger. One nurse came in with some perfume on and I started getting more nauseaous(sp) and bad headache. I could smell everything even a mint my husband had finshed 30 minutes earlier before he came in the room. Also when they cleaned the restroom it made me so ill. It was bad.

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mokee    588

mokee
Posted

No smell change and all food tastes the same to me. I am 5 months post op. the only thing I noticed was I enjoy avocado now and never liked it before.

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********    397

********
Posted

For me' date=' right after surgery I could smell everything like a 1000 times stronger. One nurse came in with some perfume on and I started getting more nauseaous(sp) and bad headache. I could smell everything even a mint my husband had finshed 30 minutes earlier before he came in the room. Also when they cleaned the restroom it made me so ill. It was bad.[/quote']

Did this last forever?

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kari61    128

kari61
Posted

I'm 5 weeks post op and my sense of smell (especially for food) is crazy..I haven't had any taste changes in food, only in temperature..I used to drink room temperature drinks and now I have to have them ice cold..Before surgery all I drank was Water and now I don't like it unless I have some kind of flavor in it..But no changes in food tastes..

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leeann71    539

leeann71
Posted

Did this last forever?

It lasted me for a couple of months. Sometimes it depends what the smell is as of today. Like when Im cookingthe smells make me sick to my stomach or if someone else is cooking it does the same thing. I use to love Scentsy waxes (the ones you heat up to make your home smell nice ) now they are to strong.

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nanaspez    58

nanaspez
Posted

OMG I couldn't even open the refrigerator without gagging! :wacko: Smell and taste buds went crazy! Taste buds were so off, nothing tasted good. My Protein Shakes I loved prior I could not stand the taste or texture! Thank goodness that it only lasted for a couple of months! I am not sure what the science behind it is but it was not fun while it lasted!

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CowgirlJane    14,261

CowgirlJane
Posted

My tastes really changed... but it was temporary. I went through several months where I basically could not stand plain Water. Favorite foods were all just blah.

so, that was good!

It gave me a chance to put food in its proper place in life. It is not recreation. food can be pleasureful, but the main reason to eat is nutrition, it is fuel it is not to make your life happier.

Now, almost a year and half out, food tastes good again, I sometimes do still hear it's siren call, but overall, it has a much healthier place in my life.

I still am not crazy about plain Water but I can drink it. If I have one sadness about the surgery it is that I used to love plain water and now, I don't love it but like it okay. That isn't so bad though.

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MrsG    329

MrsG
Posted

It lasted me for a couple of months. Sometimes it depends what the smell is as of today. Like when Im cookingthe smells make me sick to my stomach or if someone else is cooking it does the same thing. I use to love Scentsy waxes (the ones you heat up to make your home smell nice ) now they are to strong.

Me too. I loved tuna, heck it was my last meal before surgery. After surgery it tasted horrible, even the very smell of it would make me gag. I also could smell everything! It sucked but it only lasted a few months for me too.

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Suko67    52

Suko67
Posted

Great question. I would like to find out to. Also why does our sense of smell become sooo much stronger.

YES!!! I'm only 3.5 weeks post-op, but my sense of smell (especially for nasty smells-bleh) are acutely heightened!

AND...things I used to like the taste of (iced tea, coffee --maybe because its been decaf) and anything SWEET or SALTY are extremely unpleasant!

I was just wondering WHY myself!

I actually re-reading all my pre\post surgery to see if I could find the answer!

If I come across something--I'll share :)

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Go To Topic Listing Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums

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    • Alisa_S

      Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
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