LARYNGECTOMY FAQ'S

Why does my food not taste the same?
(by Glenn E. Peters M.D., Director, Division of Otolaryngology
Head and Neck Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham,
Birmingham, Alabama, USA)

Ever since my laryngectomy food just doesn’t taste the same. You didn’t operate on my tongue (Did you?) so why is it that I don’t taste as well as I did before surgery?

Taste is a complex special sense. What we know as "taste", particularly the more delicate tastes, is really smell. The subtle tastes of eggs, certain cheeses, fruits, wines and the like depend on an intact sense of smell for their discrimination. Smell relies on our ability to move air containing certain molecules into the highest recesses of our noses. When we eat, the air with the odor bearing molecules goes behind the palate up into the nose. Following your laryngectomy, you no longer breathe through your nose but through your stoma. This results in less air reaching the smell part of your nose. The bottom line to all of this is that with a decreased sense of smell, it naturally follows that your sense of taste will be less as well.

Some patients learn how to "sniff" a little air up into the nose to enhance their sense of smell. Another tip is to add a little extra spice or cook with pungent herbs to help the job that your tongue is doing for you. This may make your food a little more enjoyable. Bon Apetit.