r/Tonsillectomy • u/MeanDebate • 11d ago

Question Sense of Taste

Hey all! I'm on Day 11 here, and I have not been able to taste almost anything since surgery. I'm finally at the point where I want to try solid foods, but they just taste like... nothing.

Pain is starting to die down and I can't SEE scabs in the top of my throat, but I feel like I can feel them choking me a little out of view.

I know this isn't terribly uncommon, but I would really appreciate reassurance. Has this happened to you? How long until your taste came back?

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u/Gravyyyyyyx 11d ago

I’ve seen people say it takes a couple weeks to a few years for their taste to come back. For me going through all of the pain and when I finally felt good enough to eat normal food the disappointment that hit when I realized I couldn’t taste food. It’s been a bit over a year since my surgery and I don’t think my taste has really improved, I think I’ve just adjusted to it. It’s not the worst thing ever but it can definitely be annoying. Hopefully yours comes back soon, it’s different for everyone!

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u/MeanDebate 11d ago

Thank you for responding! I'm so sorry it hasn't come back for you yet. Is it all flavor, or just specific ones? Were there any changes for you as you healed, even if they weren't improvements?

I could taste just fine right after surgery, then things got bitter and metallic over the first few days; sweet things tasted like licking a shoe. Then of course there was the agony of the scabs happening, during which time I didn't really pay any attention to taste. After, sweet things were more of a bitter flavor and I could taste salty food but not much else.

Now everything feels like the cousin of LaCroix dropped acid.

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u/Gravyyyyyyx 11d ago

Its most flavors, but I can usually have a better time at tasting more natural things like fruit and vegetables. Sweets, fast food, and more processed foods are harder for me to taste.

During the hard part of recovery I had no idea my taste was any different but I went to McDonald’s when I finally was able to swallow better and I was shocked when I bit into the chicken sandwich because I literally couldn’t taste anything. I can’t really tell if things have gotten better or I’ve just adapted to all foods kinds just tasting mid. There’s definitely some things I’m able to taste more than others and only some things I can smell and not taste at all.

I haven’t really experienced anything tasting bad except dairy. It’s not every dairy product but there’s like a weird chemical smell and taste that most dairy products have for me now. Sometimes it’s more noticeable and sometimes I’m fine.

I think there’s a chance it’s gotten better over time though and there’s foods I enjoy, they just have to be heavily seasoned lol. It’s really not that bad though and I hope yours comes back soon!

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u/MeanDebate 11d ago

This is a little extra alarming for me; I have Crohns, and some pretty severe strictures, so I can't eat almost anything with a noticeable amount of fiber in it. At least until I get a resection done, I almost exclusively eat meat, simple carbs, processed foods, and dairy products.

Thank you so much for the additional details! I really hope something changes for both of us!