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Old 06-27-2012, 01:58 PM   #1
Vicki revised
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Join Date: Mar 2012
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Question Questions about strange smell and taste

I have chemo every Mon. and Fri. receive supplemental fluids and decadron for a weekend boost. I had the bad metallic taste while on TCM last year.

A couple of weeks ago everything started smelling sicky sweet like a maple syrup overload and tasting that way as well. Even the dog smelled that way to me and poor guy got 3 baths in 1 day.

I have a powerport and noticed the smell/taste intensified when I received fluids. Monday during treatment I sensed a strong odor like warm or rancid plastic or rubber. This odor has replaced the sicky sweet one and I'm still experiencing it 2 days later.

Anyone ever had something similar? Could the sweet odor be from the fluids (glucose)? Why did it start? Is the current odor from the abraxane, herceptin, decadron or any of the premeds I had Mon? Is my port involved? Am I nuts?
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Lord, give me the comfort of Your embrace and acceptance of Your will.

3/11: DX: IDC, HER2++, ER/PR neg, stage 4, mets to liver. Primary tumor: grade 3; 11 cm. 2nd smaller tumor: ~2.5cm. Multiple affected nodes, 1 spot on liver. 6 rounds TCH prior to bmx.
7/11: Nothing left except Primary breast tumor now 1.5cm.
8/11: BMX, 17/17 nodes clear. No post-op chemo or radiation indicated. NED!
10/11: NED! Continue Herceptin indef.
2/12: Reoccurence of liver mets; both lobes. Tykerb added to Herceptin.
5/12: Progression of liver mets. Stop Tykerb, start Abraxane & Herceptin weekly.
8/12: Progression in liver and lymph nodes around liver and right kidney. Herceptin not working anymore! Stop Abraxane and Herceptin. Start Tykerb and Xeloda.
10/12: Severe side effects. 3 weeks break from everything.
12/12: It's working! All tumors gone except 2 (from 20+) Continue Tykerb and Xeloda. Brain and spine MRIs clear.
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Old 06-28-2012, 01:10 AM   #2
KsGal
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Re: Questions about strange smell and taste

I don't think you are nuts, and I did have the sweet smell/taste thing you mentioned, although not the plastic. I, too, have the powerport, and I am on herception, but not the same chemo regimen as you are. It started suddenly, and left just as suddenly. I was in a restaurant with my mother and ordered a chicken fried steak (my favorite!), and when the food arrived everything tasted sweet...way over sweet. It went like that for about a week..everything I ate tasted something like sweet tea for lack of any better way to describe. Then after about a week it got less each day and went away. I was on TCH, and everyone had warned me I would alteration in my sense of taste, so I just thought that was what it was.
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Diagnosed in October 2011 Stage IV with metastasis to liver.
January 2012 after double mastectomy, started taxotere, carboplatin and herceptin.
Clear.
December 2012 was diagnosed with five brain mets, and had whole brain radiation.
Around July 2014 two mets in brain, one a residual spot and one new one growing in size. Received Cyberknife on both areas
Clear/NED
April 2015 remain NED
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Old 06-29-2012, 12:33 PM   #3
suzan w
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Re: Questions about strange smell and taste

I had the same thing...sicky sweet. I also had terrible taste bud disfunction!!! (along with mouth sores...) and everything sweet tasted horrible. It took me a long time after treatments ended to regain my taste for things sweet.
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age 54 at diagnosis
5/05 suspicious mammogram-left breast
5/05 biopsy-invasive lobular carcinoma with LCIS,8mm tumor,stage 1 grade 2, ER+ PR+ Her2+++
6/14/05 bilateral mastectomy, node neg. all scans neg.
Oncotype DX-high risk
8/05-10/05 4 rounds A/C
10/05 -10/06 1 yr. herceptin
arimidex-5 years
2/14/08 started daily self administered injections..FORTEO for severe osteoporosis
7/28/09 BRCA 1 negative BRCA2 POSITIVE
8/17/09 prophylactic salpingo-oophorectomy
10/15/10 last FORTEOinjection
RECLAST infusion(ostoeporosis)
6/14/10 5 year cancerversary!
8/2010-18%increase in bone density!
no further treatments
Oncologist says, "Go do the Happy Dance"
I say,"What a long strange trip its been"
'One day at a time'
6-14-2015. 10 YEAR CANCERVERSARY!
7-16 to 9-16. Extensive (and expensive) dental work done to save teeth. Damage from osteoporosis and chemo and long term bisphosphonate use
6-14-16. 11 YEAR CANCERVERSARY!!
7-20-16 Prolia injection for severe osteoporosis
2 days later, massive hive outbreak. This led to an eventual dx of Chronic Ideopathic Urticaria, an auto-immune disease from HELL.
6-14-17 12 YEAR CANCERVERSARY!!
still suffering from CIU. 4 hospitilizations in the past year

as of today, 10-31-17 in remission from CIU and still, CANCER FREE!!!
6-14-18 13 YEAR CANCERVERSARY!! NED!!
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