No smell and my GP - AIBU?

[Bel1038]

I haven’t been able to smell or taste since mid November. Had awful cold and still now, although main symptoms have gone, I’ve got non stop phlegm and a cough.

The GP won’t give antibiotics and I’m at my wits end. Surely this shouldn’t continue for so long? I am so miserable.

Sounds like you've got Covid?

Antibiotics do not treat viruses.

Anyway, for a viral illness, I'm not sure what the GP could do. I've had a post-viral cough for a weeks, anything up to about six weeks they're not worried about IIRC.

ETA: That does sound miserable for you, OP. But not out of the ordinary.

It's common after covid. I lost my sense of taste and smell for a few months. There's really nothing you can take for it

Id request that they do a sample and sensor for testing but yes, YABU to expect antibiotics without knowing if they will work.

You dont need antibiotics for this. After a bad cold you can have lingering symptoms for weeks such as post nasal drip or cough. If you still have lots of phlegm then perhaps a nasal spray is needed or some decongestant which you may be able to get over the counter in the pharmacy. This may also help with the return of your taste and smell.

The smell/taste is not concerning I wouldn't say. It is pretty common for a nasty cold to damage the nerve endings in your nose, but they should repair themselves (can take months). I had no smell for six months after the cold once! Covid can do the same thing.

The cough though - obviously you should follow the NHS guidelines for reporting a cough (look it up but I think it's three weeks)? Sounds like you've done that though. If the GP has checked it and is happy, just wait.

What do you want antibiotics for?

Go to pharmacy and get yourself a syropu to help you cough out all the phlegm.

What makes you think antibiotics will help? What does gp think is the problem? Colds are viral. Antibiotics not going to help.

Antibiotics for what? They're not a pill to cure all and every malady you know.

Be careful with a nasal decongestant. They are addictive. They are only supposed to be used for about three days, IIRC.

Sudafed tablets (or similar) might help your symptoms, OP.

I did too, all over Christmas. Very miserable indeed. It will pass OP, just do as pp suggest as I doubt you’ll get antibiotics. Hope you feel better soon.

I don't think it's that unusual to still be phlegmy a few months after a viral infection. The loss of smell is very common with covid infection, I know people who still don't have the smell back a couple of years on. Antibiotics aren't going to do anything for you unless you have a bacterial infection which I'm guessing the GP has ruled out.

My sense of smell/taste did not come back fully after Covid in 2023. I’d say it’s at 20ish% now .

If it's not an infection there's no point in antibiotics.

Maybe a steroid spray? I was prescribed that by an ENT specialist as I have a deviated septum and really bad sinuses. You could ask for a referral to an ENT?

I hope you feel better soon. X

Did you miss the worldwide virus that causes loss of taste and smell

It's common to lose your sense of taste/smell with a viral infection. It's also common to have a cough for 6 weeks, both of the above can happen with a bad cold or covid or flu. I assume the Gp has listened to your chest?

No one on mn can say if you should have antibiotics or not, but ongoing cough and loss taste/smell after an illness in its self is not an indication

If tt's a virus, and it sounds like it is given that you're linking it with a cold, antibiotics won't work. YABU to think you know better than your GP about this.

My sense of smell and taste has never come back after Covid, and I got it just before the start of the first lockdown.

My sense of taste is more affected than my sense of smell though. It's given me a massive loss of confidence in my cooking, as I can't tell if things are seasoned enough.

I would write a cold, legal letter to GP holding them resposbile for non treatment and ask them to write back, not call back.

This worked for my Late Father where the GP ignored his recurring cancer. We wrote a letter that death due to negligence would be attributed to the Surgery and it's owners. The next day, an ambulance came and got him admitted in Hospital where they confirmed the cancer had come back.

It is very important to explicitely state "write back, not call back".

But the OP doesn't have recurring cancer. S/he has a very common after effect of a virus and doesn't need treatment, much less antibiotics

Sorry for your loss, but the OP has very common post-viral symptoms and is demanding totally ineffective antibiotics. Such a letter would be pointless and time-consuming for the GP.

She's got cold.
Send a threatening letter for that and you'll end up being asked to register elsewhere....

Steam in the morning and at night with a little boiled water and olba oil. You will start to notice your sense of smell coming back,

lots of fresh air and healthy food to recover. Zinc tablets can help

My smell was gone for ages after covid, one of my colleagues suggested some sort of smell therapy that he had tried - alternating a bunch of really strong scents. It did work, although at first I dropped one in the kitchen and everyone else tells me it was pungent - stuff like citrus, cloves and eucalyptus.

I'm sorry for your loss but writing such a letter to a GP who has nothing to prescribe for extremely common post-viral symptoms is crazy.

They stopped giving antibiotics for no reason years ago.

Although it's more likely to have been covid as others have suggested, it might be worth asking your GP to check for nasal polyps and - if appropriate - make a referral to ENT.

Nasal polyps cause loss of smell and taste and often come with a side order of asthma - for me that's just a persistent cough, nothing to worry about - and intolerance to NSAIDs (ibuprofen etc). They can be surgically removed and there are treatments that can help prevent recurrence.