Anyone else having parosmia since having COVID?

[Lumie9]

Wondering if anyone else is experiencing this as it’s driving me crazy.

Husband and I both had COVID back in March and experienced total loss of smell and taste for about 3 weeks. It really was a total loss - I couldn’t taste anything, couldn’t smell my kids’ nappies, nothing. It was a really unsettling experience.

Both senses did slowly return once we had recovered, but we’ve since noticed that things smell and taste...different. Specifically, we have noticed that we can often smell what we call “hot garbage”, a sort of savoury, onion-like smell. We both get it with cooking smells in general, and most disturbingly, with ourselves... we’ve both noticed that when we’re a bit sweaty, we no longer smell of ordinary BO, but we smell of “The Smell” as we call it. It is so, so strange and we were amazed when we talked about it a few weeks ago that we were both experiencing the same thing. Totally uncanny. Of course we’ve no way of knowing that we are smelling exactly the same smell, but my husband agrees with my hot garbage/onion comparison.

I’ve read that it could be due to the lockdown changing our microbiome (because we are not mixing with other people) which is making us personally smell different, but that doesn’t explain why we’re also experiencing “The Smell” from cooking smells and also whilst out and about. We keep getting wafts of it during the day, turning to each other and saying, “can you smell The Smell?! Yes!!!”. It’s almost like the way our brain is interpreting smells has changed, if that makes sense.

My husband thinks it’s funny and is choosing to ignore it, but I’m finding it quite distressing to be honest. I’ve always had a very keen sense of smell and am a bit of a foodie, and it’s changing the way I smell and taste anything. I can’t get away from it.

I’m not sure it’s something I should bother the GP with, as I’m still hopeful that it will fade with time, but I’d be interested to know if anyone has experienced similar?

Thanks for reading!

That is weird and I would also find it unsettling. It is especially odd that both of you have the same phenomenon. I dont think the GP will be able to do much unfortunately, hopefully it resolves itself.

Hi, I think you hold definitely speak to your GP. I had a friend who had this years ago, so not covid, it was taken seriously.

Sorry you're feeling worried.

Strange you should bring this up. I wrote about my smell and taste being gone ages just yeaterday. Mine is mostly back goes again occasionally, my taste is dulled still. But theres a dam smell thats making me crazy. My bloodhound of a Dh can't smell anything so I know it's part of Covid, he hasn't had it.
Today it was more likes rotting cooked onions, yesterday it seemed more musty and something going off. It ruins meals, and it driving me crazy.

I definitely have this too! Put it down to hormones 🤣 I'm getting random burning smells and also can only smell limited notes of my normal perfume. I also had a hyper sensitive sense of smell previously so I feel a bit like I lost my super power!

I read an article that was suggesting that it could be because unlike a normal 'bunged' up loss of sense of smell, covid infects/attacks the sensors. They can regenerate which is why there is an evolving set of smells. Apparently you can also try to stimulate growth by smelling strong scents.

A bit like the over sensitive sense of smell, which was sometimes a real nightmare to manage, I suspect that if it's just post covid damage there's not a great deal you can do about it and it"s just a question of time and luck.

The worst thing is that there is clearly a chemical which is used in nachos and some popcorn, all I can currently taste of it, is perfume, which is really distracting. It was also in an almond croissant I ate (or rather couldn't eat because it just tasted of perfume) the other day!

I am experiencing this! Lost my sense of smell and taste before it was officially announced as a symptom and didn't think anything of it. I regularly lose taste and smell due to sinus issues.

However....I now can't stand the smell of certain things now because they don't smell like they used to! It's particularly bad with berry scents...Ribena for example now smells repulsive.

I have this. I’ve joined a couple of groups on FB and there are loads of people experiencing the same. I had Covid in March and lost smell and taste completely - then it came back about 50% and then I got parosmia which has been going on for about 6 weeks now. It’s horrible. I can’t drink coffee anymore, or eat mince or chicken. I often just get a whiff of the Covid Smell (people smoking triggers it for example). My husband has it too.
I don’t know if it will get better. It’s pretty grim. Have a look for the FB groups if you are on there OP I’ve found them a real lifeline

I had this in 2018 after a bad cold. It lasted about a year. Cooking onions and garlic smelt of poo 💩 it was grim. My BO was disgusting. I didn't go to the GP just waited it out and slowly all went back to normal.

OMG so happy I came across this thread.

Never been tested but start of May I showed symptoms; fever, cough and loss of taste and smell. The latter lasted about 8 days but gradually came back. I work in community care and back then care companies were struggling to get masks. We had to go in to people who had tested positive for coronavirus. My colleague fell ill at the same time. No surprise to either of us.

A couple of weeks ago out of the blue I was about to eat something but had to spit it out it was so foul. When it first started it was so bad I was struggling to eat anything but even though it hasn't left yet it is now manageable.

Was worried it was oral hygiene related and started googling (never a good idea). I haven't made any appointments with my dentist or doctor but if it persists I definitely will. It's ruining food for me and was really struggling to think how I'd describe a dirty bin taste and smell haha.

My niece in Italy had covid in April. She has this as well. She smells/tastes a shower gel type smell/ soapy taste though ! When she eats or smells certain foods on particular

theconversation.com/coronavirus-scientists-uncover-why-some-people-lose-their-sense-of-smell-138898

My DH lost smell and taste back in March. There weren’t any easy public testing available then, and he wasn’t ill so we can only assume covid. Anyway he’s having antibody test at weekend so we will know.

5 months on and his sense of smell hasn’t come back 100%. I’m
Not sure if he smells “The Smell” though. I’ll have to ask !

My 14!year old dd is experiencing similar.

She was referred to an ENT who took it seriously. He didn’t have much practical advice but mentioned that several others have reported ‘the smell’ and an altered sense of taste.

I have this too, tested positive at the beginning of May. Taste and smell went completely, started to come back then two weeks ago from nowhere I got a horrid taste in my mouth and now all poo smells of rotting beef and I keep getting a rotting beef smell from certain foods. It’s bloody miserable as I love food and I love smells.

Thanks so much for your replies and sorry for dropping off the thread! It gives me some comfort to know that other people have this (and hopefully it will get better with time) though I hope it’s not causing anyone too much distress.

It’s so interesting how similar the smells are between different people - I definitely identify with rotting beef/soapy smells. And I can no longer eat coriander! I’ve always known that some people hate it as it tastes “soapy” to them. But now it does to me too! I used to love it!

Thanks again for the replies. X

I've also suffered from this though it does seem to be getting less frequent. It's sort of a rotting garlic smell sometimes or sometimes more drainy/cabbagey. I was ill towards the end of March and lost my sense of taste and smell around 26th. They both came back within a week or so but with some dulling of taste for a while (though I think it's all ok now) and the lingering occasional parosmia.

Yes, I have this. Many things I still can't smell at all, or only in an incredibly dulled and distant way. But most things I can smell smell different, and bad, and. In many cases the same as each other. Lots of products smell 'off' and huge numbers of things just smell the same, hard to describe but there is a 'burnt' element dominant and even sometimes things taste of it. Things that I know should all smell different all just smell of this burntness. It's isnt nice, like bonfires, it's horrible and distorted.

I think sometimes it can be a sign of recovery that in between no smell and normal smell comes distorted smell. I hope so. I had it in early April and I have had enough!

This is absolutely fascinating. Me and my son were tested for covid, but think we tested too late, it came back negative.

But thinking on it, we had weeks of symptoms. I am only just able to drink coffee after about 8 weeks of it tasting just wrong. It's hard to explain. My three year old has been complaining everything is "absolutely yucky"

You can try retraining your sense of smell, both of these websites were recommended in BMJ article about COVID related anosmia recently-
www.fifthsense.org.uk/smell-training/

abscent.org/

It’s almost like the way our brain is interpreting smells has changed, if that makes sense.

Yes, I had this. The loss of taste and smell only lasted a few days, but then I had several weeks of things tasting and smelling weird. It wasn't a specific smell/taste though, everything just smelt or tasted wrong. I came to the conclusion that as the senses were coming back my brain was struggling to interpret what I was smelling properly.

On the bright side - it's all back to normal now, I no longer make toast then throw it away because it smells like burning rubber,

Had a very unpleasant shower this evening, wondering why the conditioner I have often used now smells of stale fish. 😕

OMG,OMG,OMG I am so glad I came across this post. I have been googling for weeks and only just seen this and I am not the only one with the weird/rancid/metallic/chemical/deadbadger smell up my nose and taste so awful I can't even describe what ittastes like! I had mild Covid symptoms in March when I completely lost my sense of smell and taste for several weeks and as it returned everything is now not what it used to be. Washing powder shampoo, bleach, flowers, petrol, fresh cut grass, oil, dehoderant, poo, cooking meat, washing up liquid and a million more things smell totally horrendous and so many foods now taste just as bad as they smell. I can't drink coffee, juices, coke, lemon or eat chicken, beef, onion, garlic, eggs, toast, pickle, gravy, lemons, fruit yoghurts and dozens of other things. I am driving myself mad with it as I have googled and self diagnosed myself with some awful things when the gp keeps trying to reassure me it's a long lasting Covid symptom. I have tried antibiotics, nasal cleansing, steroid nose sprays, antihistamines, smell training and gargling salt water and nothing is helping. I am beginning quite depressed about it as life itself is starting to.make me feel.physically sick as so many random things trigger a horrendous smell and taste. Am praying someone sees this and responds. I even had to register with mumsnet and create an account so I could write all that as I am so excited to have stumbled across this thread!!

Please someone get back to me on this thread. I am not sure how to message people etc but I am desperate to talk to others who have been suffering from this as it’s making my life miserable and I am so worried about it.

I’m so pleased I’ve found this thread! I had Covid (untested) in March. I completely lost taste and smell for a couple of months. It slowly came back, and while I don’t think it’s back to normal, it’s not bad. Me and my boyfriend both had the “corona smell” for ages. Kinda musty, burnt, fungus type smell. I now only get that if I’m really tired. But for the last month I’ve been getting a weird smell and taste. I can’t think what it’s like... maybe mouldy butter or the black mould that comes out a bath toy! Even my poo smells of it! Water smells of it! Coffee too. My boyfriends sweat as well. It’s so bizarre.
I’m hoping it’ll go as quickly as it came.

Ugh yes the rancid butter taste that even water now has... I’m hoping though that these new (weird) tastes and smells are my brain starting to learn to taste and smell again. I lost my sense of smell completely for two months, couldn’t even smell cigarette smoke, so having something back feels like progress at least...

Also having similar symptoms. Had suspected Covid in March, completely lost taste and smell and was ill (mild symptoms) for over a month. Five months later and my sense of smell is still fleeting however in the past couple of weeks I’ve developed parosmia. The worst culprits are coffee which really does smell like some sort of decaying corpse (yet I can still drink and tastes ok) and meat, which also smells horrible and gives me a sort of metallic taste / smell. It’s awful. I still cannot smell so many things (a bonus when wiping children’s bottoms) but I am getting a little concerned at how long this may go on. I did read somewhere that distortion of smells could precede a recovery stage so hoping that’s what that is. Have honestly never smelled anything as vile as coffee beans right now!!