Chemotherapy and radiation can have some pretty harsh, long-lasting side effects. I have discussed chemo brain, depression, body image, and a range of other effects in this blog, but a larger attack on the system is the five senses: sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste.
One of the areas that I noticed a change almost immediately was my sense of smell. I have always had an excellent sense of smell that actually saved my life once during a gas leak in my apartment. After chemotherapy, it escalated ten-fold!
The first time I realized it was while I was still going through chemo and my mother had hard-boiled some eggs and set them in the fridge uncovered. Later that day I opened the fridge and gagged, ran to the bathroom and threw up. I have had the same reaction to that smell ever since!
Another instance while still receiving chemo was when a friend was cooking scallops with garlic and I could smell it from my room on the other side of the house. I had to stay in my room the rest of the night to avoid getting sick.
What is odd, is that after almost three years, this is still having an effect on me! I can smell things from miles away, I swear! I can smell when there is a fire in the hills; when neighbors across the street are cooking something wonderful; and when the trash in our garage three floors down needs to be taken out!
The next sense that was affected immediately was my eyesight. During chemo, my sight went blurry and my eyes would water whenever I tried to read. After chemo, my sight never did return to normal and I had to get reading glasses. Three years later, my sight has deteriorated quickly and it is time for a stronger prescription.
Next came my hearing. Now, remember, during chemo you lose ALL the hair on your body not just on your head. This means eyebrows, eyelashes, nose hairs and the tiny hairs in your ears that vibrate to pick up the sound. I literally went deaf for about a week.
Today, the long-lasting effect is that everything seems TOO loud! When I am out and about in the city I feel like I am being bombarded with noise. When at my computer I must use headphones so I can be in control of the volume.
Then there are the taste buds. I have been a pretty picky eater most of my life. Texture plays a big part in whether or not I will like something as well. During chemo, I preferred my food to be somewhat bland. I wanted savory, not sweet. I wanted smooth and creamy textures.
These days it is like I have a whole new appreciation for good food. I acquired a taste for asparagus that I refused to ever eat before. I lost my appetite for fish altogether. I prefer salty snacks over sweet ones. Some foods simply have no flavor to me at all and I need to add salt or spices.
Luckily, for me, my sense of touch was not affected at all. I did not develop neuropathy in any of my limbs or digits and for that I am grateful. I have spoken to many survivors who say the tips of their fingers have lost feeling, or they find it hard to walk because they developed neuropathy in their feet.
I find it so interesting that my sense of smell and my hearing were both escalated above normal, yet my sense of taste and my eyesight deteriorated. I would love to hear from any of my readers how chemo affected yours, and which senses were changed the most!
Image provided by Pixabay.com
