Loss of taste and smell - how long?

[Covidwoes]

Hi everyone, I tested positive for Covid just over 3 weeks ago. I'm also 35 weeks pregnant. Feeling much better overall, but my sense of taste and smell is still pretty much non-existent. Is anyone else in the same boat? I would have thought I would have recovered some smell and taste by now, but neither is getting any better. It's the taste thing that's annoying me the most! I'm not sure if it's normal for it to last this long, or if I can expect this for a few more weeks. Thank you!

Congratulations on your pending little one. Not really to the point, but after COVID when I regained my taste and smell, I found that I liked Celery ( couldn’t stand it before) and perfume smelled differently.

I tested positive 12th November, I’m slowly regaining my smell/taste, lost it totally for a while - I can now enjoy food, but some stuff still isn’t as “tasty”.

DH tested positive on the 4th Nov and still can’t really smell/taste anything except “salty”, “sweet” etc. I’m hoping it will return before Xmas!

My daughters had covid mid October and the youngest one still can't smell but she's got a bit of her taste back. I think it can take some time for it to fully return.

I don't want to alarm anyone but my Dsis had covid in April and still has no sense of smell or taste.... apparently it can happen with other viruses too its just not common. Her GP reckons its probably not going to come back now as its been so long

My friend had this, it lasted maybe a month. But she says certain things still taste a little odd - not necessarily better or worse, just not like before

Mine came back after a few days but I don’t think it’s completely back yet, just grateful I have some.

I lost my sense of smell in January (obviously no way of knowing whether covid or not) and it still hasn't returned so I guess that's it for my nose now.

I was ill in March and lost smell and taste. Taste came back after a few weeks although some things still taste slightly different than they used to. Smell took months and was then intermittent for months but is back completely now.

Oh gosh @ChablisandCrisps that's terrible! Has she seen a specialist about that? I must admit I'm worried they'll both be gone for ages. I'm usually such a foodie and am finding it really frustrating I can't taste food. I can taste salty (slightly), sweet (very sugary sweets for example) and spicy (just the heat), but absolutely no flavour at all.

@Kitcat122 and @TerracottaTortoise sounds like you both very likely had Covid. It's such a specific symptom isn't it. So frustrating.

She has been referred but her GP thinks it is nerve damage from covid so what if anything can be done she doesn't know.

She does say there is one perk- she can drink cheap shitty wine now because she can't taste it but still feels relaxed after

My taste took weeks upon weeks to come back and then I was left with a funny taste in my mouth where everything tasted the same.

My smell came back gradually after a few weeks but it’s not returned to pre-Covid levels unfortunately. I can’t smell things like toast, farts (no bad thing!) and other more subtle smells.

A man in Ireland who lost his sense of taste and smell after having COVID last March has just set up an online support group to help other people in the same boat, and when he was doing interviews about it he said he already had 500 members, shortly after he set it up, so some people clearly have longterm issues.

www.rte.ie/news/coronavirus/2020/1116/1178538-taste/

DH lost his sense of smell and taste back in March. Taste came back quickly enough but smell took a lot longer and even now it's still not quite right, he'll occasionally get a burning smell for no reason at all. The GP thinks it did permanent damage.