Covid smell loss

[vickemma]

Hello, I had COVID in January 2021 and completely lost my sense of smell. Thankfully it partially returned after around 3 weeks but I still have very little sense of smell from my left nostril. Has anyone else experienced this and has it eventually got better? I am starting to lose hope. Thank you

I've heard of smell training being done to help improve your sense of smell. I think it involves smelling certain things each day. I'm sure Google could tell you more.

Hopefully the fact that you have some of your sense of smell back is a good thing and it has the potential to improve.

Hi, I also had it in Jan and had anosmia, I can barely smell a thing apart from cigarette smoke 🤢
I’ve been offered olfactory rehab, which is a kind of retraining to smell but haven’t taken it up as just assumed it would start to return. Am wondering now whether or not it will and whether I should should try it. However I do still think it’ll return in time.

Mine took 9 months to fully return. It was intermittent for months so I could not trust it. I too would smell phantom cigarette smoke- very weird.

I've got covid at the moment and have totally lost my sense of smell. I'm wondering how long before it comes back. Sounds like it could be a long time from what posters here have said

@Arriettyborrower I’m the same, just a horrible smell of stale cigarette smoke.

Thanks for all your responses. It is really starting get me down. @Kitcat122 were there periods during those 9 months when your smell was back to normal it's just that it was not consistently normal? Mine is showing no improvements so am wondering if this is now my new normal 😞

I had nothing for months, then some days I could smell certain things then it would disappear again. It is completely back to normal now. Though it took soo long I thought I permanently lose my smell sense.

Most people do regain their sense of smell within weeks. I'm experiencing it too and I can hardly be bothered to eat but I'm avoiding the horror stories of permanent loss of smell/taste because it's not the case for the majority.

I had it in March 2020- and it took about 7 months for my taste and smell to come back. Even now, smells are still much stronger in my right nostril than my left. Such a strange sensation.

i heard that zinc supplements are good for smell loss. not tried it though!