Loss of taste and smell

[Idontneedausername]

I'm a long time lurker, never posted before but I need help!

5 days ago I woke up without being able to smell or taste. I havent had a cold/flu, haven't had any sinus infections as far as i am aware. I thought maybe I was going to get a cold as I usually lose my tastebuds then but nothing has happened. No cold or flu, no cough or temperature, slight scratching of the throat but that comes and goes.

I Googled (yes I know!) And came across loss of taste and smell being a possible symptom of Covid19 but it's not on the "list" I've tried to contact GP incase it is (hopefully!) Just a sinus infection but cant get passed the receptionist!! She did say to go online on nhs111 but that just says to call GP...
Given the circumstances at the moment I dont want to call 111 as it's not exactly an emergency but I am worried taste and smell wont come back.

Anyone had this or know anyone that has? Can someone point me in the direction of what to do next?

Taste is sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami/savoury, sensed by your tongue. Every thing else is really smell. I had thought I'd lost both taste and smell, so I did an experiment. I ate a teaspoonful of lemon juice, expecting nothing - it was horrible! Like being punched both sides of my tongue (sour), with no nice lemonyness. So I then ate a teaspoon of sugar - definitely tasted that too.

So I haven't lost sense of taste, only smell.

Had some chocolate earlier - literally nothing. OH said last night's dinner was really nice.

Keeping in mind that if this is really mild covid - I'll take it.

So 13 days in and I have smell.. not perfect and it takes a lot of sniffing but it's there! I can smell vinegar, and a slight bit of perfume. I thought I was imagining it at first!! Still no taste though. I'm presuming if it's like when you have a cold, then the stronger you smell the more you can taste, so hopefully it'll get stronger as each day passes.

Sorry cant remember the name of who said it, but I've had literally no taste for anything sweet, salty etc. Theres just nothing there, even now with my tiny bit of smell I can't taste salt or vinegar.

I am amusing myself going around doing "sniff tests" though and I am very much looking forward to the day I can actually smell everything.

I tried eating some onion chutney - definitely taste is there; sweet, sour and savoury, but no real flavour. I've decided to take it as a scientific observation exercise rather than mourn over something I can't change.

@Idontneedausername is it back to normal now your smell? I cant smell a single thing at all, its 15 days since i lost it an nothing i can taste food a tiny bit more than at first but no real flavour..i had a minor cold the week it started amd thats it , worried this is permanent its crap

@SocialConnection did yours go back to normal aswell? Its so bizarre wether its corona or another virus so many people have this complaint most dont seem ro go on quite as long as mine is

I’m now on day 23 of this, so coming up a full month. I can smell a few strong things now if I get close to it but my taste is still shot. I can tell whether things are sweet, sour, spicy etc but can’t get any flavours. I’m giving it till Tuesday then ringing the doctors as I don’t think it’s normal to go on for a month.

Update - smell and taste back!! Still can't taste anything with little taste like fruit or more importantly chocolate! But I can make out and enjoy the majority of foods now. Smell, completely back to normal.

It's taken around 21 days to get to this point. Hang in there, it should come back, I dont think anyone has a definite answer for how long it should go on for. Everything with covid is still so new

@Leadust92 did u have any other symptoms? I agree it is very weird & not nice at all & anxiety does not help in thewe situations. I literally cannot smell one little thing, but its encouraging that your starting to smell!

@Idontneedausername glad yours is more or less back to normal hopefully ours will be same.

@Chocqueen99 I had a headache for a few days but I’ve had that all through my pregnancy so far so it could have just been that? It’s so hard not knowing because I think if I do ring the doctors they’ll probably just want me to stay away because of it being a symptom of corona. I will never take food for granted again when it comes back but is so hard not to worry that it never will. I’m seeing it as a good sign that I can now smell certain things close up but I cleaned the bathroom this morning and couldn’t smell any of the products at all which is odd. Hope yours starts to come back soon. Keep me posted x

I've had no taste or smell for 14 days. It is just starting to come back slowly. I had a slight runny nose at the beginning which only lasted a couple of days and then my taste and smell went. No other symptoms at all. I honestly thought it had gone for good. At its worst I couldn't even smell Olbas oil, bleach, nothing. I have never experienced anything like this before unless I have had a heavy cold and even then smell/taste comes back after a couple of days, usually very quickly. It seems to be getting slightly better each day. Don't give up hope.

@Leadust92 it is a good sign u can smell certain things now but it does seem to be dragging out for us this, @mrswhiplington i cant smell bleach! Well i cant smell anything, im slightly jelous of you to slightly gettin your smell absolouly nothing here for 16 days. .. i defo have said the said will never take food or smell for granted again @leadust.. ive never known anything like it either ive had bad colds before an lost it for a few days due to nose being blocked... but nothing on this scale. Keep us posted x

I’m on day 19 of no taste or smell, my other symptoms have all gone though. I got a tiny bit of flavour from a love heart sweet earlier so I’m hoping it’s on it’s way back!!

I had 18 days of no taste or smell along with headache and very mild sinus pressure, absolutely no cough or high temperature. Coincided with the start of hay fever season though so also had itchy eyes etc. Was before loss of taste and smell was being talked about as a symptom so just assumed hayfever. I am frontline NHS and told my manger but as they weren't recognised symptoms I was told it was okay to keep working. Have to admit I wish I had chosen to self isolate

I had three days of exhaustion, dicky stomach and not complete loss of smell but things like my normal coffee tasting weird. I have heard the loss of smell and taste can be related to your body using certain minerals like zinc to fight the virus. So taking supplements can help.

Ive had a slight whiff of perfume this eveing, i have to sprayed it on to my arm an really sniff to smell it tho lol! I really hope this is the start of of it coming back its been so long now 17 days.. hope u lot are getting something soon also

Any improvement @Leadust92

@Chocqueen99 not any more than last time :( so can still smell some strong things close up but no flavours yet. It’s been over a month now so I rang the doctors. She said to keep going with nasal spray but can’t offer me decongestants because I’m pregnant. Said to give it a couple more weeks. So if it’s not back by 6 weeks I will ring again. How about you?

@leadust same here no change i started being able to smell perfume and vinegar close up that was almost a week ago now though & no other improvement since its frustrating isnt it! Ive not tried decongestants just the spray i just thought if it was a virus it wouldn't make much difference as i dont feel blocked/bunged up but i may try them..im over 3 weeks aswell & ya feel like this is just how it is now dont ya lol hopefully not fingers crossed x
Ps keep thinkin i can smell a burnt smell dunno if im imagining it

Dh and I first lost our sense of smell and then taste and had none for about 11 days until it slowly came back. We had other covid symptoms, me more severe than dh but nothing close to calling 111.

Loss of smell/taste is just a possible symptom. Just keep monitoring your symptoms especially for shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. Otherwise, just continue to rest and isolate at home.

@Leadust92 I’m also pregnant and lost my taste and smell along with headaches, temperate, cough, sickness and diarrhoea. I ended up needing to go to a and e as I was severely hydrated. My doctors said I needed to treat as Coronavirus.

I’ve had a confirmed case of covid-19, my husband has too.
We both lost our sense of smell after being bunged up and congested, once this had cleared we had no sense of smell.
After two weeks I can get slight hints of strong odours like garlic but nothing else yet.

A month since my sense of smell went. No hint of it returning. My sense of taste is there; I can taste lemon curd (sweet & sour), onion chutney (sweet, sour and savoury), rocket salad (bitter), salt on chips. I can enjoy texture and temperature - but it's no substitute for smell. I've never thought how important it is before. Weird thing - we had a bottle of Echo Falls wine which is very sweet and sugary with fruity elements and I think I could actually smell as well as taste it. God knows what's in it. This image shows how smell works - the yellow feathery bits at the top of nose are the detectors. I had a kind of sandpapered sore throat feeling roof of mouth and up into nose just as I began to feel ill - I wonder if that was the cause of the loss?

Maybe @SocialConnection strange how were all losing it for so long, im the same can taste sweet bitter, salty but no real flavour! 4 weeks here aswell starting to get used it which is miserable. It needs to hirry up back!

Indeed @Chocqueen99 - I'm EATING SO MUCH too and remembering how it tasted Before.

Im eating loads lol all rubbish which is daft seen as i can barely taste it!