One of the strange, unexpected, and most disconcerting consequences of the ear surgery I had about six weeks ago is that I seem to have lost my sense of taste in the food that I eat. Everything I put in my mouth tastes either bland, metallic, or bitter. Even my favorite foods seem to have little to no discernable taste anymore.
Enjoying delicious-tasting food is one of life’s little pleasures and it’s killing me that I don’t get much pleasure out of eating these days. I actually did a Google search using the phrase “lost sense of taste after ear surgery.” One of the articles I came across said:
“Taste change can occur after ear surgery due to a nerve of taste that runs under the eardrum and brings taste to the side of the tongue. Loss of taste on the side of the tongue can occur in up to 10% of ear procedures and may last for a few months.”
Great. I’m one of the lucky 10%. But maybe there is yet some hope that my good taste will return — probably right around the time that I have to go in for round two of ear surgery.
Living in a fishbowl
Our new home that has lots and lots of windows, which is a good thing because it’s open, airy, and bright. But it has no window treatments. No shades, no blinds, no curtains, no shutters, no drapes. Which is fine if you’re exhibitionists. But my wife and I are not.
So one of the first things we did after moving in last week was to meet with a local purveyor of windows treatments and order a bunch. But because they will be custom made for our various windows and sliding glass doors, it will take about four to five weeks for them to be delivered and installed.
Not wanting to be living in a fishbowl for the next month, I spent hours over the weekend putting up opaque window film on all of the street-facing windows in the house just so we can walk around inside our own home without our every move, particularly at night, being visible to any of our new neighbors walking by our house. After all, you only have one chance to make a first impression, right?
This, That, and the Other 
This is the first place I’ve lived where it doesn’t matter about window treatments because we are so far back from the street — and no one walks around here anyway — that it doesn’t matter. But before this, each time we moved, it was thousands of dollars, especially in older houses where each window was a different shape than the others and we couldn’t buy standard drapes.
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My mom lost her sense of taste, but there seemed to be no reason. It came back after a while. Hope yours does too!
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I always felt that you have good taste.
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I hope your sense of taste returns in a few weeks. Hope you’re enjoying your new house.
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Thanks. I’m still unpacking, organizing, and getting used to a new house and a suburban way of life.
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It will take a couple of months to be comfortable here. But you’ll get the bulk of the things done soon enough. 👍
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I hope your taste comes back very soon.
The last part was hilarious.
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Oh my God re the sense of taste Fandango. I know that from chemo. It’s absolutely shitty! I’m glad it is not going to be permanent though, as you say, you have to have the other ear done too. I ate loads of spicy foods but stilk couldn’t taste properly, and everything tasted like cardboard. So I sympathise. Roll on the day when you can taste again.
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I know a couple people currently going through chemotherapy. One is married into the family, and one is online. You might have more of a store of knowledge from your experience. The cousin-in-law chose additional dosage at the end of a course (that is, the extra dosage was considered optional); thereupon, she has had nerve damage from it… both in her extremities and with regard to her memory. The other person seems to have been affected mentally from almost the very beginning. Is it understood that some people have such side effects more quickly?
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Hi there. I am so sorry to hear about the people whom you mention. I can only speak from my own experience, but I had large doses of chemotherapy because my cancer (Hodgkins Lymphoma) was very advanced. But yes, it left me with very severe nerve damage. Called peripheral polyneuropathy. All my motor nerves were affected so I cannot walk. But the sense of taste did return eventually. Mi think that the higher the dose, depending on exactly which drug it is, the more likely you are to get these serious effects. I am blind too. Mbut I am alive ! If you would like to email me my addy is lorrainelewis48@icloud.com
No problem if you don’t want to as I may have answered your question. This chemo stuff is horrid, but I guess if it saves our luves……well….
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Thanks, Lorraine. I do think the person who has shown neural effects sooner (as in almost right away) does have a more advanced situation, from the beginning of it being discovered.
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It’s very interesting Marleen. Whatever, the sude effects are not nice
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I’m going to have to ask the other person, my cousin-in-law, what her tastebuds are doing. Last time I visited, we carefully ordered Chinese takeout. She couldn’t have any meat that wasn’t ground up, as regular meat is supposedly too fibrous. But she could have fish, so we got some of that in xo sauce. She didn’t mention if things weren’t very tasty.
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“…and everything tasted like cardboard.” Exactly!
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I know. It’s horruble Fandango. Yuk!
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Good to see you’re back
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Not quite fully back, but getting closer.
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Boy… that is really frustrating
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When our home was the first finished in a Houston area, we were subject to the same thing. Not only the workers looking in, but our view of them working in the woods, not great with no facilities nearby 🤭. I made our drapes immediately.
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Hope your sense of taste comes back soon!
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Thanks. Me, too!
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Oh my. I hope the second round does restore at least some of your sense of taste. And that those window covers come sooner than expected!
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Thanks.
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I got window treatments (blinds) first thing when I moved into this house. The rear portion faces that damned truck yard and the countertop shop to the west, so I wasn’t that concerned about modesty from those windows. Well until my brother informed me that people weren’t excited about viewing my ancient bits when I flashed the invisible people. I still want to know who the hell was looking and how they hid themselves so seamlessly. I now put on a towel if I’m “walkin’ round naked in my (own) living room!
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“I now put on a towel if I’m “walkin’ round naked in my (own) living room!” That’s probably a very good idea! 😂
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I hate that fishbowl feeling. If the lights go on the curtains need to be closed. As for your taste… I can sympathize. When I had my chemo it was a constant metallic taste in my mouth. Metallic plus lots of flavors do NOT mix well. The only think I could eat that tasted close to normal was extra salty foods, potato chips and french fries were my friends. I hope it returns soon for you!
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Thanks. So do I.
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You are welcome.
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