Pine mouth - warning!

[mas_runner]

I have a feeling that most of you will think I am crazy, but I don't want anyone else to experience this so here goes.

While I was eating my breakfast this morning I noticed that my milk tasted funny, I pitched it and also my toast and PB as that too tasted an extremely sour with an intense metalic after taste. I didn't think too much of it until my morning coffee at work tasted horrible. Putting it down to the cold/cough I have at the moment I figured it would just go.

Off to a resturant for someone's leaving do lunch and I could barely eat my meal, it was horrible, like someone had dowsed it in some metalic liquid, my pint of beer tasting like it had gone off. Noone else was complaining of this and people who had the same beer as me said theirs was fine.

Getting hungry now but couldn't stomach my supper, my poor wife looked at me as I winced as that same now familiar sour metalic taste filled my mouth again. I chugged a big glass of water and went for a lie down.

Upon getting up, my wife suggests, "have you checked the internet?", "are you crazy? i'll get 1,000 million articles from brain cancer to autoimmune disease of the pancreas.....".

I relented. Keep it simple I figured. Opened google, typed "sour taste in mouth after eating" and dozens of articles popped up.....about the same affliction....PINE MOUTH.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/artic ... taste.html

http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/I ... story.html

PINE MOUTH is caused by pine nuts that have oxidised and "gone bad", typically Chinese pine nuts are to blame, sufferers get a horrible metalic taste in their mouth after eating or drinking, it can last weeks.

Pages and pages of folks commenting on that they too had this and that they too had had pine nuts a day or so before they realised that they had this horrible taste in their mouths.

Normally I would have been, "hahahaha, whatever..." but I had a beef salad with a healthy dose of pine nuts in it on Sunday night. Pine nuts that we bought a while back and have been in the cupboard unopened since. I just checked the label, product of China. They are now in the trash. Casting my mind back, I had a glass of wine last night and after taking a gulp uttered, "YUK!" but my wife said hers was fine. In one of the articles I read they said that red wine tasted attrocious while they where suffering from pine mouth.

So there it is, I have pine mouth, I am absolutely starving, I want to eat, but the taste is just so bad that I don't want to. How long will this last, I have no idea. I don't want to be a scare mongerer, but I also don't want others to experience this. Check your nuts, no Doonst, not those, your pine nuts. If they have been in the cupboard for a while or were imported from China, they may be rancid. Keep newly bought ones in the fridge or freezer to prevent the oxidation of the fats in the nuts.

OK, post over, I am off to gargle with bicarbonate of sodium, apparently it helps quell the taste...

[Jo-Jo]

That does sound strange and wierd.
Keep us posted!!

[trixiee]

Hmm... I have a package in my cupboard. I will check them. Thanks for posting.

But on the other hand - a new weight loss strategy?

[DonnaRigs]

I kinda know how you feel. One of the meds a doctor gave me to try and prevent my migraines gave me a horrible metallic taste. It passed a few days after stopping it.

Hopefully it passes quickly for you!

[Marg]

Wow... thanks for this.
I'll be checking my nuts too!

[mas_runner]

Thanks guys. I am currently trying to force down a ham and cheese omelette and toast, it tastes awful awful awful.


Apparently this affliction is less likely to occur with italian pine nuts...

[getfit]

But on the other hand - a new weight loss strategy?

That's exactly what I was thinking

Actually, I had the metallic taste thing a while ago and I thought it was caused by my new water bottle. Hmmm, can't recall eating pine nuts, however, I may have eaten pesto with pine nuts in it.

[turd ferguson]

I'll be checking my nuts too!

Me too.

Wait, what?

[Kelodie]

That doesn't sound pleasant. I hope it goes away soon.

[hezzy]

I told my co-worker about this and she said she's had it happen in the past but didn't know what it was. She went to the doctor and everything. I've passed on the links to her that you provided. Good luck in getting rid of this as quickly as possible!

[Tori]

Yuck I totally feel for you! I took antibiotics last fall where 5% of the population will get a nasty metallic taste in their mouth. Sure enough I was gagging for about 5 days. It didn't matter how much I brushed my teeth, drank lots of water I couldn't get it to go away. Strong gum and mints was all that I could do. Thank goodness it subsided.

[RA.]

Wow. That sucks.

[Jwolf]

What a story-- thanks for the info. I'm pretty sure we always get the Italian ones and keep them in the freezer.

I hope it gets better for you soon and you can get the nutrition you need for tomorrow. Then hopefully you 'll have a PB that tastes better than what was on your toast.

[Dr. S]

I've never heard of that, definitely sounds like a great weight loss solution hahaha

Hope it goes away soon!

[mas_runner]

It's day 3 since I ate those odious nuts. Breakfast was horrible but forced it down, I am forcing down a coffee right now. I will not let this disrupt my nutrition, I HAVE to eat, I will just have to put up with it for now and hopefully it goes away soon. 10 days to 2 weeks seems to be the most common timeframe reported for this, it would be funny if it wasn't so unpleasant.

[La]

Maybe try this:

[trixiee]

Can you try taking some Boost ot Ensure?

[mas_runner]

Can you try taking some Boost ot Ensure?

It's an option, everything that I "taste" has the same bitter metallic taste, so it is all the same to me....

[Jwolf]

Can you try taking some Boost ot Ensure?

It's an option, everything that I "taste" has the same bitter metallic taste, so it is all the same to me....

It's just an easier quicker way to get the nutrition.

[gnu]

Thanks for sharing this...I am going to be pine nut paranoid from now on as this does NOT sound like fun!!

[Agent Provocateur]

Interesting. I've had metal-mouth before but never attributed it to pine nuts, which I eat quite regularly. Now I know I'm not crazy! (My metal mouth has lasted from 1-3 weeks. I ate regularly anyway).

ps: Marg, I had no idea...

[drghfx]

I think B-Man had this once but his symptoms only seemed half as bad as yours.

[trixiee]

I think B-Man had this once but his symptoms only seemed half as bad as yours.

Frig, Dennis! Now there's tea spilled all over my keyboard!

[VeloCarrie]

Have you tried something like Ambesol (numbs your mouth) or something like Maalox (coats your GI tract) before you eat? Might be a temporary fix to an unfortunate situation.

[mas_runner]

Quick update:

The intensity of the bitter taste has definitely diminished. I can put up with it as it takes it's course, lots of people have much much much worse things to deal with.