Earlier today, someone posted something on one of my online support groups that jumped out at me. He was saying that everything tasted salty to him and was wondering if anyone was having the same experience. My answer? Yes, but never gave a thought that it could be FTD.
The day after New Year's Day, I made ham broth by simmering the bone for several hours. I added a bunch of diced up ham, then froze the broth so I could use it once I wasn't tired of the ham. Earlier this week, I pulled the container out of the freezer and popped it into a soup kettle. I made ham pot pie, lots of it. If you aren't Amish or familiar with their cooking, ham pot pie in this area is basically ham broth and ham with potatoes and pot pie noodles (large square ones). I have always loved it so I was looking forward to it. Once it was ready, I tasted it and it was like licking a salt lick. I had my husband taste it and he said it might be a bit salty, but not much. I dismissed his opinion, because 'he can't taste anything anyway', and threw out the whole 4 quarts.
When my friend posted the question about salty tastes, I thought perhaps I should have believed my husband. I now think that I was simply tasting the inherit salt from the ham in the broth and my sense of taste was bad, not his. I had not added any salt to the broth since it gets plenty from the ham bone and it had not been a very salty tasting ham. What a waste!
Last evening, we were both tired and dinner time was running late. We ended up having fried egg sandwiches. I normally use just a tiny bit of salt on my fried eggs, but a ton of pepper. When I was eating mine, I kept thinking that I had over-salted my egg because I was tasting the salt, even over the taste of all the pepper. Now, I think back and remember many instances of turning down a salty food like chips. They just don't taste very good to me anymore.
I have gone through several other changes in eating. For about three months I craved Chips Ahoy Candy Burst chocolate chip cookies. Unusual for me because I have never liked pre-packaged cookies at all. I was going through an entire package in one week then, suddenly, didn't want them anymore. I found them dry and tasteless... from one extreme to the other.
I have always loved Italian food. Now I almost detest red sauce, even on a pizza. I made a small pan of lasagna last week. Usually, that is two meals for us. Right now, half of it is still sitting in the refrigerator waiting for me to toss it. Any Italian food that does not include red sauce, I still love.
I have written before about how most people with FTD crave sweets and carbs even if it was something they never craved before. There is no doubt about that. I hadn't added sweetener to a cup of tea since I was a kid. Since FTD, I want it sweet, almost as sweet as southern sweet tea which I used to abhor. I get migraines from any artificial sweetener so my evening cup of tea is just empty calories... but at least it still tastes good.
It has become more and more difficult for me to decide what to fix for dinner. I will go through all the possibilities and nothing will appeal to me. I do have trouble making decisions since being diagnosed with FTD, but it has been getting ridiculous. Now, I am thinking it is because the foods I normally have in the house are ones that I used to like but no longer appeal to me. How do you shop for groceries when you have no idea what you will be willing to eat for a week's time? How do caregivers deal with such changes in taste. It must be frustrating to keep someone with FTD fed when their taste changes so dramatically.
Anyway, when my friend wrote the question about salt, I felt relieved. Now, I can convince myself that all my strange food cravings and avoidance is related to FTD and not just getting cranky (crankier...) now that I turned 64. [Imagine Beatles music here...] "Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm 64?" It just might be a challenge!
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