I have good news and bad news. The good news is that I've ramped up to the final dosage and Talvey has not produced any serious neurological side effects. I'm probably out of the woods on that.
And some more good news: unless I'm badly mistaken, Talvey doesn't require dexamethasone after the ramp-up period. In fact, it's specifically prohibited. I need to confirm this, but it would be good news indeed.
And now the bad news: Talvey almost instantly knocked out my sense of taste. It's now all but gone, though I can still sense sugary things. Can I live on a diet of just cookies?
The official cautions about taste are, as usual, worthless. Is it permanent? Does it come and go just on dosage days (once every two weeks)? No one gives a hint. I managed to find a few personal comments and they were bad: it's permanent, severe, and kills your appetite. But maybe the folks with the worst reactions are just more likely to write about it?
Stay tuned. Like most of us, I wouldn't mind losing a few pounds. I'm just not sure this is a great way to do it.
Can you still enjoy the smell at least?
I wish you good luck!
I'm mid-60s, too, like Drum, I think. And assume by this age we're all starting to lose sense of taste a little. All senses diminish with age. Losing sense of taste is kind of a bummer. But also, the most important foods we're supposed to include in our diets (fruits & vegetables) are rarely (ever?) as flavorful as fats (especially meat fat) and simple carbohydrates (sugars). So, basically, you have to know enough about food and diet to include vegetables on your plate at all, and be creative making them (usually involves adding fats and sugars to them) if you care that they're flavorful. And even then....vegetables just don't have much flavor (except alliums, I guess which barely qualify nutritionally unless you eat, like a whole onion). They just don't taste like much , but you eat them anyway because they're good for you, not because of the taste.
I wonder, if you lost your sense of taste completely, would you still feel hunger and want to eat? Or would you slowly just waste away because nothing tasted good any more?
I wonder, if you lost your sense of taste completely, would you still feel hunger and want to eat?
For sure you'd still feel hunger. Think about it: if you're truly famished, even quite stale bread will be most welcome.
My chemo was 3 years ago and i was not curious as to its brand name. It did knock out my sense of taste (or numbed my taste buds) for 5-6 days after each infusion. After chemo was over, I regained my full sense of taste. Hopefully this is your experience.
Although I have never had any Covid symptoms, I am apparently an asymptomatic carrier. I haven't tasted (or smelled) anything in over two years! Food texture counts for a little, but just get used to it. Maybe you will be lucky and your sense of taste (and smell) will return. Good luck.
Wouldn’t loss of taste or smell be a symptom?
On the upside, if you've lost your sense of taste you'll be able to catch up on all those tv shows you'd otherwise hate.
Uggh. My chemo didn't knock out my sense of taste but the "metallic taste" made everything taste BAD. Combined with manageable-but-always-perceptible nausea, I never wanted to eat even though I was hungry.
IMO this has a bigger impact on mental health than people usually acknowledge. Eating is a minor but important and frequent "source of joy," and messing with your sense of taste saps that joy or eliminates it. Watch your mental health and take care of yourself.
For me, sense of smell wasn't affected at all. So if that works for you, eat a lot of strawberries or whatever. Seek those out.
Fortunately it all came back for me, but as for many chemo things, it took weeks and weeks after the last treatment.
I'm sorry to hear your sense of taste is so diminished, Kevin. Let's hope that it's temporary.
While you're not tasting anything I've recently discovered that I like frozen bread.
It's like, but without the scorch marks.
It's like toast but without the scorch marks.
What does one put on frozen bread? Fudge sauce and ice cream ?-)
Plain and natural.
Though I have been secretly thinking of going nuts and trying strawberry jam on it.