After Tonsillectomy: Sense of Taste
Taste after tonsillectomy or sense of taste are subjects of much discussion on the tonsillectomy forum. The experience of tonsillectomy has rippling effects upon individuals, beginning with the anticipation of surgery and, hopefully, extending long after surgery in improved quality of life. During the first two weeks of recovery, tonsillectomy patients’ daily lives are turned upside down. The daily diet is often limited to liquids and very smooth, soft foods like gelatin. Narcotic pain medications are usually taken several times per day. Sleep is erratic and often fitful. Activity levels are greatly reduced. When the fog of pain, fatigue, and disruption lifts, one of the first irregularities patients complain of is an altered sense of taste. Let’s take a moment to look at tonsillectomy and its effect on sense of taste.
The American Academy of Otalayngology- Head and Neck Surgery describes how taste sensation works as,
Gustatory (taste nerve) cells are clustered in the taste buds of the mouth and throat. They react to food or drink mixed with saliva. Many of the small bumps that can be seen on the tongue contain taste buds. These surface cells send taste information to nearby nerve fibers, which send messages to the brain.
I suggest that several factors contribute to disturbances in a person’s sense of taste after tonsillectomy. Firstly, tonsillectomy surgery itself can cause bruising to the tongue, where taste buds reside. Most patients complain of tongue pain after surgery.
It’s also likely that the post tonsillectomy diet has an impact on the patient’s sense of taste for some time after recovery. Many experts point out that taste buds are in a constant state of growth. As people eat various rough textured foods, small amounts of tissue scrape off and are replaced by new growth. Many believe that the almost liquid diet of most tonsillectomy patients disrupts this process and thus, affects their sense of taste.
Still another camp holds that deficiency in zinc after tonsillectomy contributes to these taste disruptions. JOSEPH M. BICKNELL, MD and ROBERT V. WIGGINS, MD published in the Western Journal of Medicine in October of 1988. [Bicknell JM, Wiggins RV: Taste disorder from zinc deficiency after tonsillectomy.West J Med 1988 Oct; 149:457460] They followed two tonsillectomy patients who complained of unpleasant taste sensation after tonsillectomy. The patients complained of changes in their sense of taste after tonsillectomy. They used descriptions like, coppery, or metallic when interviewed. Both had these complaints two months after tonsillectomy surgery. The doctors tested liver and thyroid function, as well as hepatitis. All were normal, but serum zinc levels were low in both patients. They were given 220mg zinc supplements twice per day. Within three weeks, the zinc levels were normal. They reported tastes improving after ten days, and after 22 days, the metallic sensation had ended. I’ve read anecdotal accounts on the tonsillectomy forum from people having success with zinc supplements after tonsillectomy. Ask your doctor before trying the zinc supplement for tonsillectomy and sense of taste.
Considering all the variables, one must also consider the effects of both antibiotics and narcotic pain killers over a two week period on the sense of taste. The FDA does not list taste disturbance as a side effect of either penicillin or hydrocodone. (the two most commonly prescribed medications after tonsillectomy in the U.S.) There has been a connection between the use of oral antibiotics and oral thrush, (Fungal infection – mouth; Candida)
It is very common to experience an altered sense of taste after tonsillectomy. Most people feel that their taste returns to normal within three to six weeks. However some may experience unpleasant taste sensation for several months.
It was truly depressing for me that my favorite cocktail, (the bloody Mary), tasted like something from the planet salt for months after surgery. Thankfully, within 5 months, my sense of taste was completely back to normal.
Hi,
I just wanted to add a positive story for anyone suffering from loss of taste after a tonsillectomy. I had my tonsils out in January of this year (I’m 34) and had a pretty rough two week recovery from the op. It did take the full two weeks to stop feeling the pain like most people have also experienced.
Nobody at the hospital warned me that I may completely lose my sense of taste after the op. It really was a shock. Not being able to taste food, or even sweet and salty tastes was really depressing, and there were times I wondered if I would ever be able to taste anything again. I also had a disgusting bitter/metallic taste in my mouth that I couldn’t get rid of.
However…it is now August and I have 100% recovered my sense of taste. The first to return was salty, then sweet, then more subtle tastes and now it’s back completely. I know this isn’t the same for everybody and to people still struggling you have my absolute sympathy but please don’t lose hope. Your sense of taste can and does return with time. Also, after reading about the benefits of supplementing with Zinc to aid the return of taste, I took 100mg per day for about six weeks and I’m sure this aided my recovery.
Hello everybody. I’m joining the club as I had a tonsillectomy 2 years ago. Aside from a post-op bleeding it was a quick and almost comfortable recovery, I didn’t experience too much pain. However the biggest problem persists until today, I can’t really taste my food as I could before the op. Especially Italian Pasta of any Kind, chicken meat, coke and any other sodas, subtle nuances like vanilla ice cream and so on escape me. my ENT told me that this could happen in some cases because during operation, the tongue is pressed really hard. It’s a kind of tissue damage and after 2 years now, this is going to be persistent. Good luck to everybody
Good evening,
I had a tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy, and turbinectomy 13 months ago and to this day I still can’t taste anything. This is very depressing and has really altered my life. My ENT was no help and stated he’s “never heard of this” and I just don’t know where to run for help. Can anyone that has suffered from this and recovered please guide me? I’m willing to travel to seek help.
Thank you,
Giselle
Houston, Texas
I would sue im sueing my doctor if my taste doesnt come back
How long has it been for you? It’s now been 14 months since I tasted food. 🙁
I am 46 and had my tonsils out 4 weeks ago. I can’t taste! Also having problems swallowing. 4 days post op I was treated in the ER for a severe case of strep throat and thrush. I was bed ridden for 5 days after that episode. The first feeling I got, besides the immense pain, was a feeling of oil in my mouth. Yes oil. Everything I tried to eat tasted and felt oily. No taste then either. But this is very bothersome. All I can taste or sense is salty and sweet. There is zinc in my multi vitamin. And I take a B Complex vitamin. I have had to stop taking 2. Of the regular meds I am on as they cause dry mouth. Nothing was said regarding this possible side effect of surgery. Could it really take months for my sense of taste to come back??? Also is there a test they can do to see if that nerve was damaged??
tonsillectomy was almost 4 weeks ago. When I eat and food touches the sides of my tongue, I get this horrific bitterness. it makes me scrunch up my face (which is unpleasant for those eating with me). It is very disconcerting and I am NOT enjoying eating. I have to eat something or I get so weak I can’t function and get terrible headaches. But, I was not told that this was a potential side effect. Granted, tonsils had to come out anyway but I was just happy to not have post op bleeding. My ENT doesn’t seem concerned about this and just said, “ah, that’s normal. I’m not too worried about that.”. HHMPH! He is not the one who dread eating. I am telling you, this is an awful bitterness. If I can keep my food on the tip and center of my tongue, I can actually taste. ha. fat chance of it staying center!
Try Biotene mouth wash and vitamin b complex. Heard the vitamin B helps. I take it everyday anyways. But my taste started to come back after I had been using the Biotene for awhile. I still use it. And I know all to well about eating in front of people with this going on. Sometimes I have to spit the food out really fast. I will say this….I completely lost the taste for coffee. I was a die hard coffee drinker. Now I drink just water and the occasional ice coffee.
I had mine out back in Dec of 2015 and anything hat was sweet tasted salty but that finally went away after 6 long months. I hope yours does too!
Getting some of my taste back after 4 months. The oily feeling that I was having went away after I started using Biotene. The swallowing issue has not corrected itself. Granted I had swallowing issues before the tonsils came out, but it got worse. 2 weeks ago I had to be put under to have my throat dilated. It seemed to help a little. My Dr. For that procedure would not confirm not deny that something happened during the Tonsilectomy. But since the orginal surgery, after I eat, it feels like I have stuff stuck in the back of my throat. Which does not feel pleasant. I am constantly trying to clear my throat. It also feels like there was damage done to my soft palate. I only eat out at one place. Its very embarrassing to say the least. And I only eat there because I have been going there since they opened, and have a great relationship with the owner. I prefer to eat at home because of it. I will not eat at family functions if there are people that don’t know my situation. I just recently found out that there were major cysts in my tonsils with internal stones. It was not my ENT that told me either. It was a specialist that takes care of my IC. If she would not have wanted all OR records I would have never known that my tonsils were worse then even I knew. I have talked to several people, including my sister in law who is a RN that she has never heard of such a thing. My niece, her daughter had her tonsils out when she was 10, and does the same clearing out of her throat after she eats. That was 7 years ago. But my sister in law said hers was due to a huge cyst they took out behind my nieces tonsil. Now I am thinking I may need to see another ENT to see if there is some sort of hope in the back of my throat, and what can be done about. But here is a funny thing about the clearing of my throat, one of my newest grandsons, who was 4 months old at the time I had my tonsils out, now copies me. So when he sees me he smiles and makes the throat clearing sound…it’s too funny. Even more funny was my daughter explaining it to his DR.
I have recently had a tonsillectomy and ya know nothing tastes right everything is hard for me to swallow; the usual right? WELL that was until I started throwing up I knew something wasn’t right, there is a piece of tissue just hanging from the back of my throat. The nurses told me not to look at! She told me that it probably wasn’t cauterized good and it will come off when it comes off. I forgot about until I noticed that it is blocking off my throat completely. I can’t eat anything, not even jello! Any advice on what I can do to get rid of this piece of tissue in my mouth?
When did you have the surgery done? I didn’t eat for 11 days and lost 14 pounds. Was living off of vitamin waters.
I had my surgery on 12/10/15 and still feel weird back there and it seems worse when I have a head cold. I feel like I am constantly chocking on phlegm and feel like there is a flap over my throat. I hate the feeling and needless to say this is cold season.
You need to go back and see the sergeon again and explain your issue. He should give you some kind of reassurance and time frame about you losing that skin. They cauterize in the ER from what I was told and supposively it doesn’t hurt. If he won’t help you go to your primary care dr or even another ENT and ask them for help! Good luck!
Thanks Melissa! I will definitely try to see my doctor again and I had surgery about 3 weeks ago. I had a tonsillectomy and a adenoidectomy.
You are welcome! Don’t suffer! Make sure to voice all your concerns with the Doctor. Hope you heal fast! Took me a good three months but I am 45 and just had tonsils removed.
I’m 46, and still feel that I am not completely healed yet. I’m 4 months post op. I agree don’t suffer, talk to your ENT. If still no answers get a 2nd opinion.
If it’s not gone yet, I would tell your ENT you want it gone. It was there mistake. I would also gargle with salt water if you can tolerate it. May help it dry up and fall off.