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Original poster

Anyone else with parosmia?

16 replies

LaCerbiatta · 03/07/2022 23:06

Had covid Oct 2021, lost smell for maybe 6 weeks, then had phantom smells (cigarette smoke, burning, etc) and now parosmia 🙁

Started maybe 2 months ago but is getting progressively worse. Can't eat meat, most fruit and veg, coffee, coke etc. Bread, cheese, potatoes, plain rice and pasta and biscuits has become my diet 🙁 Also I'm the cook in the house and all the smells are nauseating 🙁

Anyone has any positive stories of things that work? Is it worth going to the gp? not sure if long covid clinics are dealing with this at all... I'm starting to get a bit distressed about it...

TIA

OP posts:

SteveHarringtonsChestHair · 03/07/2022 23:11

Yes. My sense of smell is still weird after covid in January. It was bad enough when I couldn’t smell at all, but now I get wafts of shit or rotten eggs, everything smells strangely chemically, and coffee etc just doesn’t smell as delicious as it used to. I can’t tell if chicken etc is off, because it all smells rancid, so I just have to get my DCs to sniff things to make sure they’re ok.

There's a weird caramel/butter smell on all my glasses and crockery so even water tastes weird as the glass makes it smell like butter.

Really pissed off with it now! I bought some essential oils and new perfumes to try and retrain my nose. Apparently strong smells can reset things so I’m persevering!

YellowHighHeels · 03/07/2022 23:12

Yeah I have it. Covid in Nov 2020, full.anosmia to start with and now I pick up very strong aromas only as weird sweet/ burnt smells. I can taste sweet,sour, salty, bitter, umami but no distinction between them. I identify food by texture and combination of these basic flavours.

Green peppers and kale are inedibly sulphurous tasting and tap water has started tasting like that.

Speak to your GP and see if they can refer you to a long covid clinic. Not much has happened for me except that I was included in a study who recommended Coldistop vitamin A nasal drops. I've been using them one month and can't say anything has changed yet but it's early.to tell. The long covid clinics in your area might be able to help more tho.

Original poster

LaCerbiatta · 03/07/2022 23:16

Thanks! I had heard about some vit A trials. May try it.

I have been trying to retrain my smell with spices and essential oils. It helps a bit in the moment, when I can't get rid of that garbage smell / taste 🤮. But as I'm getting worse rather than better don't really think it works.

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Original poster

LaCerbiatta · 03/07/2022 23:19

Oh and agree with peppers, they are the absolute worst!!! 🤮🤮 Funnily kale is ok ish.

Do you also find that fruit and veg are almost ok if not ripe or only just cut? It's like they release something as they oxidise or ripe that tastes rancid 🙁

OP posts:

YungDumbThrills · 03/07/2022 23:25

Yes! I'm 14 months in and finally seeing some improvement. I'm 9st down after living on pasta and cheese for over a year. There is light at the end of the tunnel!

Original poster

LaCerbiatta · 03/07/2022 23:32

14 months after covid or 14months of continuous parosmia?

OP posts:

Original poster

LaCerbiatta · 03/07/2022 23:33

I'm such a foodie 🙁 I feel completely lost without the food enjoyment ....

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willowstar · 04/07/2022 04:58

I had covid in September 21. I lost my sense of smell completely but it returned. All was ok until one day in January, things just started to smell strange. Onions, garlic and coffee are the main ones. But also myself. I smell different to myself. It is all a bit odd. And yes to phantom smells. I had to dash off an online meeting recently with someone I don't know because I could suddenly smell fire. Which wasn't there.

Devonchills · 04/07/2022 06:57

I had covid Oct 2021, lost taste and smell for 8 weeks, then Parosmia. I could barely eat anything and lost quite a bit of weight. I joined a FB group and there were lots of tips.

Someone suggested forcing yourself to try tiny bits of everything no matter how bad. So, kind of Training the taste buds again. I did this and gradually things got better and better.

I am now eating 95% of what I used to, the only things I can't eat are salami, cured meats and lamb!

It will come back, good luck!

Pureimaginations · 04/07/2022 07:03

long Covid long hauler here. I know it’s grim…

For me the smells are far worse when I’ve overdone things. I use it as a red flag telling me I must slow down… so I do less and I feel better, and the phantom smells receed again.

Acupuncture has also really helped.

Smell training is cheaper - but takes longer!

Hth

Original poster

LaCerbiatta · 04/07/2022 07:06

Thanks. Up to recently I was forcing myself to still eat even if it didn't taste great but now I'm struggling a bit... Will look up fb groups, thanks.

OP posts:

Anonnnn12 · 10/10/2022 16:57

I was wondering how the prosoma was now? I’m 13 months in to it and starting to see improvements now.

Bikeybikeface · 10/10/2022 17:06

Yes, both myself and DD had it. My Dd was never a good eater before but she lived off plain pasta for months. She is slowly coming out the other side after 16 months.

My parosmia lasted about 6 months and I’m about 80% sorted, certain foods are still no go such as peanut butter, swede and roast potatoes.

Anonnnn12 · 10/10/2022 17:09

Just realised I misspelt Parosmia, glad to hear your both coming out of the other side. One of the worth things I’ve ever experienced.

redferrari · 10/10/2022 20:35

I have an altered sense of Smell and taste since Dec 2020. Strangely I had the mildest form of covid with only loss of smell and taste but it was 100% lost for 3/4 months. When it returned I had a combination of v strong smells for some and some diminished and some altered. I have had a course of steroids which made no difference. Smell training seemed to help but only upto some point.

YungDumbThrills · 11/10/2022 22:52

LaCerbiatta · 03/07/2022 23:32

14 months after covid or 14months of continuous parosmia?

Sorry I've only just seen this! I'm now almost 17 months with parosmia. Still can't do chocolate, onion or garlic (taste and smell), but have recently been able to do coffee, which doesn't taste as it should but it's drinkable. There is light at the end of the tunnel, it's just a case of waiting it out unfortunately.

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