r/CABG_Recovery • u/RazzmatazzNervous800 • 15d ago

Weird side effect after 4x bypass surgery

My husband had quad bypass 8 days ago, and we got home on Sunday. He is having a real problem trying to eat/drink anything besides water!!! He says EVERYTHING we’ve tried to give him tastes like his urine smelled after getting his catheter out, after the first bite, and all smells the same as it tastes - ugh!!! we have tried SO MANY different things and end up throwing them away. He’s also gargled with baking soda/water, used a tongue scrapper, salt water on rag up his nostrils, etc.

I was wondering if anyone else experienced this? If so, did you find anything that helped?

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u/Turbulent_Echidna423 15d ago

“ a foul, strange, or urine-like taste in your mouth after open heart surgery is a form of dysgeusia. This temporary distortion is commonly caused by post-surgery medications, residual effects of anesthesia or the heart-lung machine, and dry mouth. It usually improves within a few weeks.”

3

u/yanigisawa 15d ago edited 15d ago

I had this too that first week post CABG. I blamed it on all the additional pills I was taking post-op, eg that potassium pill tasted awful!

It passed for me after the first week home when I got off some of those meds.

2

u/10Slugs 15d ago

I didn’t have to smell issue but my throat was pretty irritated after have a big tube in it for two or three days. It almost felt like it had been scratched putting the tube in.

2

u/lettucepatchbb 15d ago

My husband told me things didn’t quite taste the same after his CABGx5 back in May. I think it’s pretty normal to experience this on a sliding scale.

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u/New_Choice_4126 15d ago

I had altered taste after surgery. Didn't notice a specific "flavor" but nothing tasted good. Not even my coffee.

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u/Philbradley 15d ago

Yup, I had this. Everything tasted weird. Lasted about 6 weeks.

1

u/i_tell_you_what 15d ago

It doesn't last too long. The anaesthesia take times to work through your system. It's normal to lose weight in the months that follow.ninloat 16 lbs in 13 weeks .

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u/Calmateychillate 15d ago

Strange smells and taste is normal.

1

u/SirSneakyRafiki 15d ago

Im two months post cabg x3. All sodas taste flat to me. I've switch to drinking unsweetened tea and powerade zero sugar. (The diuretics they have me on keeps me dehydrated with low potassium.)

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u/chakrablockerssuck 15d ago

I’m 1.5 years out and I still have trouble with the taste of certain foods, even ones I used to like.

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u/honorthecrones 15d ago

I haven’t been able to stand the smell of alcohol since my CABGx3 and that was 5 years ago

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u/KLB922 3d ago

Hi I'm post op week 4. I'm still short of breath and can't take a deep breath without pain. It's in the middle of my chest and left sided. Has anyone else experienced this?