Horrible Taste and Smell (burning garbage) post COVID: Anyone else?

Sorry to hear, I keep forgetting to tell other Covid suffers about my first battle with Covid because it’s takes so long to explain what happened. As far as I can tell, on April 7th 2020, I contacted Covid in a most unusual way, the hospital accidentally caused it. Since I was probably the first person in my area to get it, NYC is where it was first detected, it went up my right nostril entered into my brain via the blood vessel up there. It attacked my brain first, then kidneys and finally my heart. It never got into my respiratory system but nearly killed me thru my blood. In my brain, it entered that part of the brain that triggers road rage. I was trying to clip my large toenail and when I couldn’t, I ripped it completely off, ouch!!

It caused other issues but went after my kidneys which began to get so bad, I was headed for dialysis but recovered somewhat but is still in a crisis. It finally went after my heart, it’s damaged so much, I’ve been told I could die any second. I’m still here tho, trying to survive another day. So you see, Covid can cause anything, I never had it in my lungs but it sure caused trouble were blood went and caused a lot of neurological damage. I hope you recover soon, good luck!!!

Parosmia sufferers
In 4/21 , and still ongoing shy of two years now, experienced distorted smells. Over sensitive to onion and garlic. Meat smells like a dead deer. Gasoline smells like chemicals. Skunk smells like onions. Toothpaste used to smell like onions. Cannot eat salad dressings. Eggs smell like and taste like metal. Soda smells like gasoline. Can only use certain soaps, shampoos and men’s deodorant. Can only eat cold turkey sandwich meat. This was after second vaccine shot. May have had Covid prior to this but NO symptoms.

Hi @jrg71, you are certainly not alone in dealing with parosmia post COVID infection even without symptoms. To help you connect with others, I moved your post to this existing discussion:
- Horrible Taste and Smell (burning garbage) post COVID: Anyone else?: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/garbageburning-taste-and-smell/

Totally. 2 years into longcovid and can’t taste or smell much, except these weird phantom smells that don’t exist irl as far as I know. This week the smells are on a bizarro spectrum between battery acid and fruit loops. It’s a sliding scale so sometimes it smells like a bowl of fruit loops is burning in an electrical fire and sometimes it just smells like a burning battery, with a range in between. Used to just be gasoline all the time. Much prefer burning fruit loops. Sorry you’re having to deal with this. I’m about to try this clinically tested red light up the nose treatment that’s shown to reduce swelling. Hoping that will help with the weird smells. I’ll let you know if anything good happens.

A neurologist recommended using a simple saline solution you can get at the pharmacy over the counter. It worked like magic.

Nasal spray

I tried the Flonase and a RX potency but no luck. I’ve tried essential oils. I have tried just about everything.

Not sure what RX potency is, but if it’s not the saline solution, give it a try. I suffered for years prior to Covid, found myself in neurologist’s office with long Covid and she recommended it. It worked so fast and so well. I was shocked. For years I was plagued with a stale smoke, burning rubber smell that came and went, but sometimes stayed for weeks.
Best of luck to you. I don’t even use it all the time. Just a couple sprays and it’s gone.

RX is prescription Flonase

Hope the saline spray helps you.