Have you ever lost your sense of smell/taste?

[Glitterbiscuits]

I’m looking for anecdotes or advice. I had a horrible cold 6 weeks ago. After 10 days I got some antibiotics from the GP as it was likely sinus infection. No idea if it was Covid as I didn’t test.
My sense of smell and taste disappeared entirely. It hasn’t really come back properly. I can only smell things faintly if they are right under my nose. I used to have a great sense of smell! Nothing has much taste.
I can’t smell if the baby has a dirty nappy or if the cat has peed on something. Both strong scents! I don’t know if food has gone off, or if clothes need a freshen up.

I have bought a kit of essential oils and i am trying to smell them daily in an attempt at ‘smell training’ but they need to almost touching my nose!

Things have just plateaued. I’m not making any improvements.

As others have said, I did with COVID. My taste and smell totally went for 24 hours then came back. Looking at these comments I was super lucky!

I lost my smell for 4 months, I had multiple respiratory infections due to covid then pneumonia.

I kept finding articles that said the usual period of time losing your sense of smell after covid was 3-4 weeks so got worried thinking it has gone for good.
I was like you and started smell training with essential oils, couldn't use a nasal spray due to migraines but would have tried it if I could.

Eventually over the course of a few days my sense of smell returned and I was so happy!

Also with covid. Gone completely for a few months and took a couple of years to get back to normal.

I lost mine for a few weeks after a horrible cold developed into a sinus infection a few years ago. I remember feeling very down. It came back very gradually. I also lost it for a few days last week with Covid, which is fairly common. But the way it came back was so strange. For a couple of days I could only smell ‘sweet’ things like shower gel and washing powder. And because that was all I could smell, it was incredibly strong and overpowering. I cooked bacon for my son and all I could smell was the soap I had washed my hands with, but not the bacon. Weird!

I did lose my sense of smell. I kept getting sinus infections. Finally stopped getting them (it was because I had pain relief that I put up my nose) after I stopped taking the medication

Fasting was water, tiny amounts of fresh juice, herb teas. I did a week eating plants before too so it wasn’t a shock to my system.
There’s some research suggesting after 3 days fast autophagy happens, where the body starts regenerating cells - Google if interested. So I reckon that’s what happened with my sense of smell.

yes, had covid on my birthday & realised when the bottle of perfume DH had bought me didn't smell of anything

Only after a car accident. It took bloody years to reset.

I had Covid over a year ago and still have almost no sense of smell. The smell training helped slightly but I’ve just learned to live with it. I get my DH to smell or taste food, if I’m not sure if it’s ok. When I cook food I guess how much flavouring to add and hope for the best. I generally use unscented products on my skin and hair as I’ve also had skin problems since having covid. I make sure I wear clean clothes every single day as I can’t tell if I smell fresh.

I can usually taste if things are salty or sweet but can’t taste actual flavours. Chocolate tastes sweet but no actual chocolate flavour - it hasn’t stopped me eating it (or anything else for that matter!). I can’t taste the flavour in spicy food but get a sensation of heat from it, which I quite like.

The advantage of anosmia is that unpleasant smells don’t exist in my world. Breath doesn’t smell in the morning, farts don’t smell, fresh paint didn’t smell when we decorated the living room and I don’t have to avoid a friend who likes wearing strong perfume!