Those of you who lost your sense of smell/taste

[TitsalinaBumSquash]

Was it a gradual this or did you just suddenly lose it?

I'm slightly paranoid, we're a shielding family with a very high risk child.
Today I've noticed my sense of smell seems to be off, DH cooked bacon and I didn't smell it until it was on the plate in front of me and now I can't smell the bread cooking unless I open the lid of the bread maker.

If this was a sign for you, how long after did other symptoms appear?

[NotPennysBoat]

Both DH and I experienced this about 3 weeks ago, having never experienced it before! But we literally couldn't smell or taste ANYTHING - even if it was very strong and right in front of us! It lasted a good couple of weeks for us and the only other symptoms we had were mild coughs (no temp). No idea if it was COVID but that was our experience!

[Rebelwithallthecause]

No idea if it was COVID as it was February time when they said it couldn’t possibly be.

But smell and taste went quickly as soon as the sore throat, temperature and headaches appeared.
Lasted a few weeks and put me of all food for a while.

I was about 20 weeks pregnant and had been ravenous prior to that

[formerbabe]

I totally lost my sense of smell about a month ago...it felt like it happened overnight. Even if I put something right up to my nose I couldn't smells thing...garlic, oranges, perfume, nothing.

It's back now...no other symptoms. Dh and dc did not experience this and also had no symptoms.

Very odd

[formerbabe]

*smell a thing

[Mikki2019]

I just a couple of times realised food didn’t really taste as nice as usual or wasn’t appetitising, then realised I couldn’t taste something pretty hot (I think it was green curry )

[Gimmeashake]

I had been ill for about 5 days with classic symptoms (fever, burning chest, cough) when it suddenly disappeared completely. I couldn't smell olbas oil, literally nothing. It's only come back about 50% four weeks later! So not gradual at all. The trouble is, symptoms seem to vary so much it's difficult to compare.

[StrawberryJam200]

I think some only get that one symptom. Mine altered, had a strange metallic taste for a few days (plus other mild symptoms).

It must be very hard in your position, but try not to worry, even if it is Covid it's not necessarily the case that a) you will infect your child and b) that any of you will have serious symptoms. I think there's lots of examples of high risk patients who recover fully.

In the meantime is it possible for you to isolate from your child and partner in your house? How old is your child?

[womanvsfood]

I didn't lose mine until about day 3 or 4 of already feeling ill - fever and really bad headache/sinus pain. I think it came on pretty suddenly - woke up and it was completely gone (I realised I couldn't taste any food or drink). But I was already isolating in the attic by that point so no obvious strong eg cooking smells to have missed or noticed as being less strong in the lead up if you see what I mean.

[augustusglupe]

Mine went suddenly on Fri 20th March and came back slightly after 5 weeks. It’s pretty much back now, but very subtle tastes are still not there. DH had exactly the same symptoms, but he’s about a week behind me.

[Tempnamelady]

I became unwell 5 weeks ago last Friday , my smell and taste didn’t go until I started to recover slightly. My symptoms started with sore throat, then breathlessness , then an awful continuous cough. I lost my voice for 3-4 days, developed a bacterial chest infection after a week, for which I was prescribed anti biotics. The last symptom was the smell and taste.

It still hasn’t come back, I can make out sweet and savoury, also spicy, but nothing other than that. Can’t smell anything at all. 🙄

[yogz1976]

It was sudden for me. Took about 2-3 weeks for it to return

[Inkpaperstars]

I think mine went suddenly, certainly the first time I noticed it was gone it was completely gone. Never experienced total loss of smell before. Just nothing. That lasted about two weeks or just under, I can't quite remember, since then been very gradual recovery, not back to normal yet. I have no idea if it was covid linked.

[Inkpaperstars]

Sorry, forgot to add that no other symptoms followed apart from strange stinging feelings in the nose and odd sensations in nose and mouth/odd tastes. Still got this a bit. It is not unpleasant.

[MereDintofPandiculation]

Mine went, not totaly, but I couldn't smell my perfume, just the carrier, I couldn't smell the daffodils in a vase in the kitchen etc. never had anything like that at all before.A couple of days later my throat and upper chest started feeling rough, not sore as such, but just dry and sandpapery. No other symptoms. Took about 2 weeks for smell to come back.

[TitsalinaBumSquash]

These are all helpful and reassuring that a lot of you didn't have anything serious happen.

[FrancesHaHa]

I had this for about 2 weeks. Didn't notice until I had no sense of taste or smell. It came back gradually. Also very tired and headachy. A number of my colleagues also had it and we'd all been in contact with someone with a confirmed case of CV.

UCL are doing a study on it at the moment- I filled in a questionnaire after receiving a text from my GP practice,

[FrancesHaHa]

Oh, and my colleagues who had it had various symptoms such as a temperature for 24 hours, tiredness and or headaches

[GoodWeatherforDucks]

It was a very comprehensive loss of smell and taste, which happened quite suddenly, about 4 days after I’d felt a bit nauseous for half a day and had had a very weird little cough. (No other symptoms, and it’s possible that neither the nausea nor cough were related to the loss of smell and taste.) What surprised me was how I could smell virtually nothing, from the usually overpowering Aussie shampoo I use, to the stinkiest pile of dogshit. There was a slightly metallic taste in my mouth for a few days and chocolate was completely unenjoyable for several weeks. I normally love broccoli but this was just like chewing on old twigs and strawberries were joyless. This happened on 13 March and it was at least a month before it started to get back to normal and even now, I’d say my sense of smell and taste are still somewhat dimmed. I’ve taken to eating really strong flavours, like blue cheese and olives and the strongest possible salt n vinegar crisps. It might have stopped me putting on so much lockdown weight, but my arteries are probably composed of pure salt crystals by now! I have lost my sense of taste and smell before, during heavily congested colds, but never so profoundly and certainly not for so long. At the height of it, I kept burning food because I couldn’t smell it, and was able to eat an entire dessertspoon of chilli paste, as a dare, with no problems.

[Inkpaperstars]

Hope all is ok Titsalina

[Figmentofmyimagination]

Overnight suddenly - could smell nothing at all.

Slight temperature plus fatigue. Clear nose. Very odd.

Taste and smell back to normal after 10 days.

[Figmentofmyimagination]

Metallic taste too.

[ibelieveinangels]

My daughters taste and smell just suddenly went.she was saying she had sinus about 5 days before they went. She felt very very tired but no other symptoms.

4 weeks later and they still havent completely come back

[thecatneuterer]

For me it was sudden and lasted around two weeks. I also had a high fever for around ten days (and I lost my sense of smell on day 4) and felt shit for a further ten or so days after that.

[thecatneuterer]

Even though I think it went suddenly it came back gradually. I would get a waft of something, and then it would be gone again. It gradually came back over about a week.