Hmm Question

[Hound dog]

For those who have either had a heart attack or family member suffer from one I have a question.

Did it change how everything you ate or drank tastes?

husband loves rice krispies, now he wont touch them. He was a milk addict. The taste disgusts him. So many foods now he won't eat because they feel weird or taste off, evidently way off enough to destroy his appetite which is currently basically in the toilet.

He LOVES mac and cheese. Just made him some and he didn't get past the first bite.

I'm now attempting beef stew (mine, no salt) and had to remove the carrots because they totally turned him off......He's now attempting to eat the meat and potatoes and broth.

This isn't just because he's salt free ect. This is stuff he can have that he normally likes as well. At first I just thought it was because he wasn't feeling that great. You know how that can affect your appetite and the taste / texture of foods. But this is strictly limiting what I can get him to eat, so he's not eating much at all........because I won't let him vary off his diet for other things he wants to "try" to see if they taste the same.

I might let him vary a tad, but his legs are swelling so I'm being as strict as I can. He's cheating with pbj sandwiches occasionally.......1 at a time as opposed to 4, but still I have to be fairly strict about his salt intake when he's swelling.

After mine I was put off of food for a couple of days but nothing like this. And I'm pretty sure this isn't an act because it's involving too many of his favorite munching foods.

 

[DDD]

Nope. There was no change in appetite or taste buds. That is strange and I can't imagine what would have caused it.
Sorry. DDD

 

[TeDo]

My dad used to complain about the taste of food when they had him on a certain medication after his heart attack, can't remember the name of it. He said many foods tasted "metallic". It ended up not doing what it was supposed to do so they changed the medication to another one I can't remember (give me a break...he's been gone 13 years) and his taste went back to normal.....at least that what he said. Any new medications???

 

[DammitJanet]

Im thinking medication related myself. Some of my medications can make certain foods taste differently at first.

 

[keista]

No experience with heart attacks, but after DD2 had her month long stomach bug, she didn't like most of her usual foods or at least the usual brands. Took about six months for her to get her "normal" taste buds back.

So, with a heart attack, and new medications, yeah, can totally see it happening.

 

[Hound dog]

Yeah probably medication related as he's never been on the ones he's taking now. And this IS something he complained about in hospital, he just thought at the time it was "hospital food".

He did eat a little of the stew, not much, but a little. A banana too.

I had a sit down with him and I told him he has to eat 3 meals a day, regardless if it tastes right or not. He can't regain his strength this way, and it makes the body think your starving so your metabolism slows waaaaaay down, which is the last thing he needs. I don't care if they're small meals, he just has to eat something fairly nutritious 3 times a day at least.

The love of his life, Coke, is a total no go. He got all excited over his first one and hasn't even asked for more. He's drinking water all day. Shocking, but healthy.

I hope his taste buds adjust soon.

 

[DammitJanet]

tell him you will make him some soda but it cant be cola flavored. It can be any flavor that you can get lemon, lime, grape, orange, strawberry. You need to buy just the unsweetened packets of kool-aid and then get some agave nectar to sweeten it with and mix that with soda water. Instant soda! Perfectly good, low glycemic index too....lol. No bad things except the dye and if we can figure out how to get the flavors without the koolaid, we will have that whipped. I just cant thin of where to get a flavor that isnt already sweetened.

 

[HaoZi]

Either medications or the kidney issue, I don't recall Mom's tastes changing, but I was pretty little at the time. Our eating habits changed but I think that was for health reasons.

 

[tiredmommy]

Has he quit smoking? That can also affect taste.

 

[keista]

The koolaid soda is a great idea. They do have a few flavors in their "invisibles" line - NO dyes!

 

[InsaneCdn]

I know strokes can affect how things taste, so its possible that a heart attack could also - but probability is higher that it might be one of the medications.

Ding! that little bell just went off in my head.
Depression is often a side-effect of a heart attack.
And depression can alter the taste of foods, especially those we really like.
Possibility?

 

[HaoZi]

Could be a psychological effect, too. His body knows what his mind doesn't want to admit. Is he eating healthy food okay?

 

[InsaneCdn]

Both depression and appetite problems (specifically, how food tastes) can sometimes be related to a deficiency in zinc. I have NO idea what the rules are for supplementation, or what the drug interactions might be... but it seems to ring a bell that someone in the family used it for one or the other and it worked.

 

[Hound dog]

Depression most certainly is high on the list as a possible factor. I mean the man got hit over the head with his own mortality and then told he won't get better, just worse. medications are probably high up there too. Anxiety and just plain fear may be having something to do with it as well I guess. And the whole not feeling so great on top of it all.

He's sleeping far too much, he's alseep much more than he is awake. He's averages 4-6 hrs a day awake, which is not good. I can't get him to walk except to the bathroom, and he's not drinking much so he's not going much. He doesn't eat if I don't make it except on very rare occasion.......and then it's something he really shouldn't have like lunchmeat. (it's in the house for travis, I don't eat it) He is having some obvious dizziness........which could be either blood sugar related due to the eating very little or heart related as he could be going in and out of atrial fib again.

Today he was awake perhaps 3 hrs total.

Tomorrow is mega doctor calls to set up a zillion appts. He'll have his trazadone back soon and hopefully something for the anxiety too. And they can check him over to check on the atrial fib thing too and see if he's going to need lasix.