Loss of smell and taste after head injury

Posted by gwenrn74 @gwenrn74, Jul 28, 2024

I was run over as a pedestrian, by a Toyota Tacoma 8-9 months ago. 3 brain bleeds, skull fracture, scalp laceration, contusions, concussions, double vision, tinnitus, balance and dizziness, plus the aforementioned lack of taste and smell. I used to bake and cook. I guess I also have SIBO and need a low FODMAP diet and be gluten free. There is terrible insomnia, depression, anxiety- esp crossing the street. I've been doing my own smell therapy with essential oils. No luck. Im pretty suicidal at this point, but I have dogs- so Im safe. Is there any hope?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Support Group.

Lisa Lucier, Moderator | @lisalucier | Feb 8 11:49pm

In reply to @gwenrn74 "Thank you very much for the insights. I am really suffering. Insomnia is kicking me hard..." + (show)

@gwenrn74 - I'm really sorry about your suffering. It sounds like you've experienced a lot of losses.

Being wide awake for 4 days sounds really difficult. If you've not yet checked out the Mayo Clinic Connect Sleep Health support group https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/sleep-health, there might be some members there with information to share from their experiences with insomnia.

kayabbott | @kayabbott | Feb 9 10:21am

Consider checking with your doctor on if you can do a sleep study; that can determine if you have sleep apnea, and also give you tools to help you get to sleep. My TBI mostly injured my frontal (emotional, smell and taste) and left temporal (finding words and numbers) lobes. If I can't sleep I count in increments of numbers, so backwards or forward in odd or even numbers. I basically bore myself back to sleep. All of the stress and the hardship that you are dealt is also hard on sleep. I hope you can find ways to escape every day, if even for a few minutes or hours.

gwenrn74 | @gwenrn74 | Feb 9 12:34pm

I'm in the clutches of workmans compensation. i've asked for a sleep study since June 2024. The psychiatrist, who manages my sleep meds, isn't part of WC and the WC MD, doesn' t seen a sleep study as a value add. I can go 4-7 days without sleep, (the least being 4 days- the most 7 days. I had "preexisting conditions" of insomnia, depression and anxiety, so WC is brushing this off.

I can feel at times, suicidal- as in I'll sleep when I'm dead. Yet, everyone agrees, sleep is healing. I've counted up to 10k sheep and backwards from 10k to zero. I've done cursive writing. I tried alcohol- which made everything worse. MMJ gummies - meh- too hung over or a brain fog- I don't care for that and certainly don't want to drive foggy.

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