Head/neck patient and taste changes

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Hello, I have a patient going through chemo/RT for head and neck cancer who is not eating and losing a ton of weight because food tastes horrible. I've tried giving this pt recipes for different high calorie smoothies and other things but the pt says everything tastes bad. I am a novice oncology nurse and don't have much experience dealing with these taste changes. What can I do for this pt to help them eat more? Any help is greatly appreciated.

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Specializes in retired LTC.

Is she being seen by an RD? Also, joining a support group for similar pts may help as they freq try to help one another. They ARE the experts. This might be my better idea.

And not to beat a dead horse, but oral care --- the support group may have some ideas.

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Specializes in retired LTC.

Thinking outside the box - consider support groups like for bariatric/eating disorder pts. They often experience appetite and taste issues. Maybe dental groups too.

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Specializes in Medical-Surgical/Oncology.

I have experience with working with H&N patients that are having chemo/RT. First off this is the hardest treatment that I have witnessed. Really tough. Usually our dietitian will follow them. Usually for these patients I will have to arrange IV hydration because of dehydration. If weight loss continues then a feeding tube is needed because as we all know adequate nutrition is essential to healing. Once chemo and RT cease taste should return. Some patients report that everything taste like salt or metal. I encouraged them to eat whatever taste good or tolerable. Our dietitian suggests Scandishakes because these are high caloric. Discuss this without outpatient dietitian. I hope this helps. Feel free to reach out to me for any other questions. I have been a Radiation Oncology nurse for 6 years.

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