Embarrassing issue

I had a TLH and I have an embarrassing problem. My DH tells me that I have a very strange smell on my breath. He said it resembles the same smell as when I came out of surgery (and apparently it could have brought down a horse it was so bad)!!! He says it isn't a standard bad breath smell but more of a "sicky" breath smell. At first I thought it might have been from the antiobiotics but I stopped those 5 days post-op. Then I thought it might have been the pills I was prescribed to soften the stool, but I stopped those last Friday.

Before surgery I never suffered from bad breath but now I am wondering if this is something that I will be stuck with or is it remnants from the anesthesia.

If anyone has had this, I would appreciate knowing if this will be permanent or not. I have looked through the posts but I haven't seen this mentioned. I realize it is a strange question, but it is not a problem I want to be stuck with.

P.B.~just a quick thought from one who tends to dehydrate. I would suggest that you're a bit dehydrated. After anesthesia, we are more dehydrated than we think. You weren't able to drink for about 8 hours prior to surgery, then after surgery it's only ice chips for a bit, and then, you just 'forget' because you're so sleepy or taking meds without enough water. Most meds tell you to drink a full glass of water with each dose...there's a reason for that instruction. All of this to say, dehydration causes BAD breath!

Best wishes on your recovery!

Thanks Ladybug78!

I had not thought of that. I was EXTREMEMLY cotton-mouthed after the operation - I had trouble swallowing my throat and mouth were so dry. In my first two weeks I was drinking so much water, I was in the bathroom every 30 - 60 minutes. However, I have slowed down some since then and that is when my DH noticed the smell again. How much fluid does a body need after surgery - sheesh! I really hope it does go away...

are you eating and drinking enough? since we usually have to fast before surgery, its normal to have bad breath. but it can continue if you are not taking in enough calories. try to drink a lot more and make sure you eat at least three meals a day, if you arent already.

Hi dressedupinblue!

I am drinking a little less than the first 2 weeks post-op but a LOT more than I used to drink before the surgery. As for eating, I am pretty much back to my normal eating routine, but maybe the portions are a bit smaller. I'm not moving around as much as I used to so I'm not as hungry. Maybe I need to walk more?

no one has told me that, but my mouth feels dry and yucky.

I learned something new today, but I will tell you that my told me that I had to 10 - 12 8oz beverages everyday. It is easy when I don't think about it.

I had the same thing and a film on my tongue. Turns out I had thrush from Flagyl (the antibiotic). Not sure if you have the film but worth checking out if you took Flagyl.

Sorry but I don't know what "thrush" is... The dry mouth lasted about 2 days and finally went away but I was drinking an incredible amount of water. I stopped taking antibiotics 2 weeks ago. I am just stuck with this "breath" issue.

Hi P.B.,
Thrush is a bunch of white places all over inside the mouth...can cause all kinds of issues. I would check and see if you have this and if so I would call your doc and see if they can give you something for it. Sometimes when you have the tube down your throat during surgery you can get thrush from it. If you don't have thrush then I would still call the doc and see if there is anything they can tell you. Have you tried using baking soda to brush your teeth with?? Do you brush your tongue each time you do your teeth? I use my mouth wash on my tongue every morning and haven't had any issues with this.
Hope you can get some relief soon.
Take care and hope this helps some.