Loss of taste and smell six months later. Any advice?

[Livelovebehappy]

I had Covid six months ago. Still have absolutely no taste or smell whatsoever. I’ve tried advice on forums suggesting smell training, using steroid nasal sprays, eating food with spice, vitamin A drops. Even tried the eating burnt orange one (when I felt sick for hours afterwards!) Has anyone out there had the same issue and managed to get it back by something other than the above? The situation is making me so miserable, as I love food, and feel that once lockdown is eased and I go to restaurants again, it’s going to massively impact my social life, as eating at the moment just feels pointless.

That’s miserable for you, OP. There is so far no other available treatment than the ones you mentioned. However, do not give up hope - six months is still relatively early in terms of Covid recovery.
Keep on with the smell retraining, but when you sniff each one, focus your brain on the memory of what it should be smelling. So for example, if you sniff vinegar, think hard about fish and chips, if you sniff lavender, imagine a garden full of it, with bees humming and the scent strong as you crush a stem in your fingers. Try to get the olfactory neurons in your brain to re-establish a connection with the sensory endings in your nose.
Some patients find that they go through a period where smells return, but are unpleasant and abnormal- so for example everything smells of rancid fat, or smoke, before normality returns.
I hope you do eventually recover some function. In the meantime try to enjoy different textures or temperatures in food to provide some variety and interest in your diet - eg hot soup/cold ice cream, crunchy celery, chewy bagels, soft cheese, etc.
Scientists are working on a nasal implant to relay some smell sensations to the brain, but it is still some years away from being clinically available.

Are you veggie/vegan/been on metformin/had a lot of gas and air?
Could it be b12 deficiency? Or maybe iron?

I just wanted to say that you are not alone. My husband had Covid last June and can literally smell nor taste anything. It’s depressing for him as he loves his food.