very sick mother--another update

[kerriw]

I have posted before twice about my mother (age 74), who has been very ill for over 2 and a half months with  digestive ailments, including  vomiting, diarrhea (which was worse early on), constipation (more common now) and a large weight loss (at least 25 pounds).
A gallbladder scan found an ejection fraction of 0%.  She is scheduled to have the gallbladder removed Thursday, although we have no guarantee that this will fix the problem.
My current questions are:
1.  One of the main problems here has been that my mother just cannot eat regular  food.  She has been surviving for weeks on Ensure.  She says everything 'tastes like garbage'  (except, mercifully, the Ensure, which she thinks tastes like it should).  I asked her if things smelled normal, and she seemed to think they did, but that they tasted terrible.  One of her friends said this can be  caused by  zinc and/or potassium deficiency; is this true?  Are there any other electrolytes that could be the cause?
2.  Because of her problems, my  mother has elected to go off most of her medications, and she was on a lot of them.  I believe she was on a cholesterol-lowering med, diuretic (Lasix), potassium supplement, multivitamin, and morphine, which she has taken for 14 years following botched back surgery.  She may have also been on some kind of estrogen, because after breast cancer 12 years ago, the tamoxifen gave her terrible hot flashes, which she never got during menopause.  The only thing she is still taking is the morphine.  The question is, could discontinuing the medications have caused the taste distortion?
3.  Given her sudden onset of symptoms and the description of said symptoms, what else could cause the taste distortion?  She never had a fever or gallbladder pain that I know of.  Could it be gallbladder related, or just  a result of all the digestive upset, or is there ANY OTHER plausible reasons you can think of?  
This is a major, major issue, because obviously  in order to have a shot at recovery, she's going to have to eat!

[Kevin Pho, MD]

To answer your questions:
1) I am not aware of zinc or potassium deficiency leading to taste abnormalities.  Infections, chemical exposure, lithium, and kidney abnormalities can all lead to problems with taste.

2) It is possible, although without knowing which medications were discontinued, it is impossible to tell.  

3) I am not aware of gallbladder symptoms leading to taste abnormalties.  Evaluation can be considered with brain imaging studies (i.e. a CT or MRI) as well as blood tests looking at a CBC, sedimentation rate, plasma creatinine, liver function tests, antinuclear antibodies, and a thyroid profile.

These options can be discussed with your personal physician.

Followup with your personal physician is essential.

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

Kevin, M.D.
kevinmd_

[Nursgirlie23]

This may be off the subject or totally irrelevant to your grandmother's situation, BUT.. My grandmother had the taste distortion problem for about 2-3 years.  The doctor put her on vitamin B12 shots once per month and her taste returned to normal!!! She has several health problems and has had them for years.. including diabetes, heart disease, glaucoma to name a few... just thought I would pass the Vit B12 info along.. possibly that could help your grandmother? It also helped mine have extra energy.. she is doing much better.. she's 83!

[Thuney]

Could it be a twisted bowel? HAs she been to a GI doctor?