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Loss of smell & taste

Posted by marciachess @marciachess, May 1, 2024

I loss my ability to taste and smell over 3 years ago. This was during a bout with COVID. Anyone else this lengthy? I recently had a C scan, which showed inflammation. Prednisone was prescribed, but didn't help. Also had allergy testing done - again without results.

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celia16 | @celia16 | Dec 26, 2024

I posted on another thread about this, but my smell/taste disorder did resolve within a year…..Except for the constant bitter taste, but other than that, I now smell and taste fine. Scored high on the standardized booklet tests. So, there is hope for improvement. Some of my other symptoms are improving too.

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debbie75 | @debbie75 | Dec 26, 2024

I lost my taste and smell in August 2020 and they still have not returned. I cannot smell anything unless it is really strong--like too much cologne or strong mint smells. I can only taste spicy, sweet and salty, but nothing nuanced. It sucks because I love to cook and eat, but this has taken a lot of the joy out of it for me.

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marciachess | @marciachess | Dec 27, 2024

In January, it will be 4 years since I loss my smell and taste. An ENT detected some inflammation in my sinus area during a C-scan. While no treatment was ever prescribed, he said there is physically no reason why these senses couldn't return. Hope he's right!

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lkirnbauer | @lkirnbauer | Dec 27, 2024
In reply to @jeindc "Huge sigh of relief - oddly - to read these posts. I tested positive in late..." + (show)
@jeindc

Huge sigh of relief - oddly - to read these posts. I tested positive in late March/early April 2023 - I didn't take a photo of the test; I knew I was sick. Within 10 days, I had swollen legs and a rash. Since then, the progression has been "fascinating" - that is, each new symptoms (tinnitus, musical tinnitus, neuropathy in my feet - more the right where the rash was on my leg, lost hearing), and now, I think, diminished taste. I noticed it the other night - perhaps wasn't paying attention. Most foods have no taste at all. I just ate a York Peppermint and I COULD taste the peppermint not the chocolate. Last night, we had a dish we make often (pasta that is "dressed" in lemon & herb infused olive oil) and I could barely taste the olive oil. Like w/ hearing loss, I check w/ my spouse - "can you hear that ok?" and this was "did you use [he the cook!] less olive oil?" to which the answer was no and "isn't it ok?" I said it was fine.

I read that symptoms go away within a year. Why would more continue to develop over time? Thankfully a new doc seen the week of 12/23 and someone who listened and is well-educated on LC.

Each time another sense is lost or something bad gained, I think it has to be a virus still in my body. New doc said it's likely since I'm in remission from non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.

Oh just one day of sanity and no horrible symptoms.
JE

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I believe every person who has lost their taste and smell are different. I lost mine in December of 2022 and still don’t have it back, after having 7 Stellate Ganglion Block Injections. What the injections did do for me is take away the body jitters, as they use this procedure for PTSD. I don’t know if I had PTSD, but I wouldn’t rule it out, as I feel better in that respect. I still do have some brain fog, but it’s much better as well. I really do miss eating something and actually tasting it. It’s hard to continue eating when you can’t.

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pah17 | @pah17 | Jan 10 4:17pm
In reply to @jeindc "Huge sigh of relief - oddly - to read these posts. I tested positive in late..." + (show)
@jeindc

Huge sigh of relief - oddly - to read these posts. I tested positive in late March/early April 2023 - I didn't take a photo of the test; I knew I was sick. Within 10 days, I had swollen legs and a rash. Since then, the progression has been "fascinating" - that is, each new symptoms (tinnitus, musical tinnitus, neuropathy in my feet - more the right where the rash was on my leg, lost hearing), and now, I think, diminished taste. I noticed it the other night - perhaps wasn't paying attention. Most foods have no taste at all. I just ate a York Peppermint and I COULD taste the peppermint not the chocolate. Last night, we had a dish we make often (pasta that is "dressed" in lemon & herb infused olive oil) and I could barely taste the olive oil. Like w/ hearing loss, I check w/ my spouse - "can you hear that ok?" and this was "did you use [he the cook!] less olive oil?" to which the answer was no and "isn't it ok?" I said it was fine.

I read that symptoms go away within a year. Why would more continue to develop over time? Thankfully a new doc seen the week of 12/23 and someone who listened and is well-educated on LC.

Each time another sense is lost or something bad gained, I think it has to be a virus still in my body. New doc said it's likely since I'm in remission from non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.

Oh just one day of sanity and no horrible symptoms.
JE

Jump to this post

Thank you. A "fascinating" progression caught my attention. I made it until Christmas '24 before contracting Covid for the first time. So I'm just past 2 weeks out and the progression is far from linear. It's more like a street with round abouts that you get caught in or the menu special of the day. My husband and daughter are much better. They each had varying degrees of respiratory congestion. I did not (at first). I had pronounced body aches & fatigue. Last weekend I had a couple of days of sneezing with runny nose which was eased with a single dose of Coricidin. (I must have come through the back door) But now I have lingering swollen sinuses, no mucus production and complete loss of smell. My husband and I both still tested positive 3 days ago. The doctor's office says some people test positive weeks out, but we're likely not contagious.
I am working with essential oils for smell re-training. I will report back. Yesterday I was able to get a distinct whiff of a dish that my husband was cooking which gives me hope that this will be short-lived. I taste food but not in full flavor kind of way, but at least it's not unpleasant for the most part.
I am interested in your story and look forward to hearing about your continued path to recovery.

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1 reply
jeindc | @jeindc | Jan 10 4:36pm
In reply to @pah17 "Thank you. A "fascinating" progression caught my attention. I made it until Christmas '24 before contracting..." + (show)
@pah17

Thank you. A "fascinating" progression caught my attention. I made it until Christmas '24 before contracting Covid for the first time. So I'm just past 2 weeks out and the progression is far from linear. It's more like a street with round abouts that you get caught in or the menu special of the day. My husband and daughter are much better. They each had varying degrees of respiratory congestion. I did not (at first). I had pronounced body aches & fatigue. Last weekend I had a couple of days of sneezing with runny nose which was eased with a single dose of Coricidin. (I must have come through the back door) But now I have lingering swollen sinuses, no mucus production and complete loss of smell. My husband and I both still tested positive 3 days ago. The doctor's office says some people test positive weeks out, but we're likely not contagious.
I am working with essential oils for smell re-training. I will report back. Yesterday I was able to get a distinct whiff of a dish that my husband was cooking which gives me hope that this will be short-lived. I taste food but not in full flavor kind of way, but at least it's not unpleasant for the most part.
I am interested in your story and look forward to hearing about your continued path to recovery.

Jump to this post

It's all bizarre. And fascinating - if one can 'get out of themselves' and look at it. If I were a medical scientist, I'd want to look at all of the symptoms just posted here. At the progression; at what helps some and not others. Living through this is just not fun. I have to update my post about progression .. forgot some of the "fun" symptoms.

I'm thrilled you got a whiff of food. Food for me was unpleasant for a time - it didn't last long. I'm curious to see what goes next!

Here's to us.
JE

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