Swamp On A Stick

Yeah....that pretty much sums up what it tastes like to be my mouth right now.  As you may be able to tell, I have a pretty active imagination.  When I try to put a picture to the taste, what I see is basically...pond scum.  Swamp.  Ick. 

Why on a stick?  Because when I visualize the swamp, it is served like cotton candy - basically what my mouth feels like - cotton.  Stuck together and gross.

I haven't looked, but I am certain there are numerous suggestions out there to help with this.  I just know they are something along the lines of "chew gum" and "use mouthwash".  But here's the thing: every time I eat or drink something I am supposed to rinse my mouth with a concoction of baking soda and water followed by another concoction of salt and water.  The saltwater thing is not so bad.  But, for some reason, my body has a lot of trouble gargling baking soda and water.  It rejects it to the nth degree.  I have to clear my mind and take a deep breath before doing it, lest I lose my lunch while doing it.

So...I have been eating my meals in chunks.  Cramming as much into one sitting as I can, so that I am not hungry later and have to do the rinses again.  And then in-between, I get to enjoy this lovely new experience of Swamp-On-A-Stick.

Of course, the upside of this is that it means the Chemo is doing its job.  Chemo is supposed to seek out all of the fast-growing cells and kill them off.  This includes things like taste buds, hair follicles, finger nails, and cancer.  I guess the ol' taste buds are a small sacrifice I can put up with to know that it is hopefully killing off all the bad stuff, too.

Suck it up, Buttercup!