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Covid

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Original poster

Total loss of taste and smell. Fed up.

66 replies

PollyPepper · 04/09/2021 15:09

Obviously I know compared to others I am incredibly lucky. We have lost people close to us to Covid and in the shadow of that, this is nothing.

DH and I on day 6 of isolation, both positive on PCR and LFT's. Our taste and smell has completely gone and it is pretty horrible. One of the only things I had to look forward to and enjoy during isolation and feeling so crappy is now no more! Everything just tastes like cardboard. I just took a huge bite out of a raw onion just to TASTE something and.....Nothing.

It's starting to get me down, I'm so envious of those who can still taste.

Does anyone have any words of advice/tips/encouragement?? I'm so worried I'm going to be one of the many who say they still have no taste or smell months and months down the line.

I'm about to burn an orange and mix it with brown sugar. What has become of me.

OP posts:

StealthPolarBear · 20/09/2021 07:28

As someone who needs to lose weight losing my smell and taste was a revelation. It stopped all my cravings and bad lazy eating habits in their tracks. When I noticed I was hungry I'd think I should eat but had little energy.
It's the only thing that's ever done that. I've just had a wisdom tooth removed and in between the pain and discomfort I was still craving chocolate.
Unfortunately my smell and taste came back within a few days.

hopefulsunshine11 · 22/09/2021 12:50

I'm now on day 19. Taste is at about 20% smell 40%. Slight improvement so hopefully more improvement soon and this isn't it! Can't even smell my alien perfume lol.

TrevorWithTheWeather · 22/09/2021 12:57

I'm almost 10 months post covid. Smell & taste went almost straight away for me, then in April it turned into Parosmia which makes everything taste & smell utterly rotten. I've lost 4st due to living on very little and only being able to drink bottled water. Even tap water has a foul smell to it.

RedDeerRunning · 22/09/2021 13:08

I am 4 weeks post testing positive and still suffering various ill effects, although most people I know recovered much more quickly.

I still have near total loss of smell but that isn't the worst thing. It is the truly awful phantom smells that have affected me most. I have a lingering smell of sharp strong rotting most of the time. Even at night - it sometimes keeps me a wake.

I have found carrying round olbas inhaler useful and at night have a cloth sprinkled in olbas oil near my face. That definitely helps override the smell. I have also taken to burning scented wax and incence sticks during the day (never did this before as hated the things), again, very helpful.

Having a bad day as the smell was improving over the weekend, but today seems to have got worse again. Same with the fatigue.

Retrievemysanity · 23/09/2021 17:27

Lost my sense of taste and smell over the weekend. Not sure if it’s starting to very slowly come back now. Can get the ‘tang’ of strawberry sauce on ice cream but not the flavour. Can smell some shower gels when I stick my nose in the bottle but not from a slight distance. It’s so weird! DD’s love heart hand sanitiser has such a powerful smell, I can always tell if she’s put some on when she’s sitting behind me in the car. Today, we put some on, couldn’t smell a thing! Hope everyone recovers their senses quickly.

MrsTtobe · 29/10/2021 07:47

Hi everyone, I know this thread hasn't been updated in about a month but just curious to all the people here and how you're all getting on now? Please can you all tell me your taste and smell has returned to normal and everything is OK?🙏
Covid has hit hard. Day 10 here. Can't smell or a taste a single thing and it's depressing. More than anything in the world I miss the smell of my babies 😭 This is horrendous!

Tina8800 · 31/10/2021 17:27

I am curious to know the same! On day 8 now and fed up! I don't care for taste but the smells are so important to me! I am so worried it will be a long issue!

Bookridden · 31/10/2021 18:35

I am curious too. I tested positive about 4 weeks ago. I have some smell returning (20%ish), but it seems to come and go. Food tastes OK, but bland, and my appetite is still reduced. It's like food has gone from colour to black and white.

hopefulsunshine11 · 05/11/2021 10:06

So I lost my taste and smell on 5th September and although I have some of it back it's not completely restored. I was so depressed to start with. Literally everything tasted and smelled of nothing! I can taste about 50% but a lot of things don't have flavours anymore! Nothing taste rich anymore, I'll taste garlic, spice etc ok but for example I'm eating salt and vinegar crisps right now and I can taste the vinegar but the flavour is very faint, I had an Indian the other night and I could taste spice but the flavour was missing.

With regard to smell, I can smell certain things up close but can't smell faint or distant smells. Perfumes don't smell the same as they once did. My candles, wax melts etc are very faint! I also TMI can't smell when the car has done a number 2 in the litter tray or my partners wind which once used to give me the heave lol. It's a strange one, I can't smell potent smells but can smell tones of fragrance and some cooking smells.

All in all I'd say I have 50% of each back on a good day, sometimes it comes and goes!

I still have my down days and miss tasting and smelling as I once did and I hope and pray it comes back completely but not holding out much hope!

Stay positive though, we are all different and heard a lot of full recovery and successful stories xx

hopefulsunshine11 · 26/11/2021 15:41

Hi me again - Well I have completely lost my taste again after getting it back slightly. It's gone again over the last two days accompanied with a head cold!

redferrari · 26/11/2021 16:37

11 months here. Xmas morning would be my one year without 2 senses. Last year I could taste what I cooked. It came back and Parosmia came after 4/5 months and that was the worst. I have now about 50% and still can't taste coffee, peanut butter, toast and butter and anything citrusy. Unfortunately I haven't been able to eat healthy as veg and fruit were hard for me to eat. I ended up having carb heavy or sugary food and have gained weight. Recently been able to have apple and cucumber which I am trying more fruit and veg daily. Smells are v faint but slowly coming back.

redferrari · 26/11/2021 16:37

Couldn't taste...

Havehope21 · 14/12/2021 07:20

Hi @Sulla1105 - I know this is an old thread but I have a very similar time frame to you and wondered how your taste / smell is? How long did each go for and do you have them back now? I never thought it would be as depressing as it is now and I am only on day 2 of neither of them. I feel so isolated from cooking, eating and smelling - especially at Christmas.

KissKissButtCheek · 14/12/2021 07:50

Exactly 1 year to three day I caught Covid, and still have no sense of smell or taste!

Utterly depressing me now
I convince myself I am enjoying food from memory of what stuff tastes like, and textures and a lot of spices are now my best friends x

Sulla1105 · 17/12/2021 16:51

@Havehope21

Hi *@Sulla1105* - I know this is an old thread but I have a very similar time frame to you and wondered how your taste / smell is? How long did each go for and do you have them back now? I never thought it would be as depressing as it is now and I am only on day 2 of neither of them. I feel so isolated from cooking, eating and smelling - especially at Christmas.

@Havehope21 I got my smell and taste back after about 10 days, but not completely, I would say 80%. I was fin for a couple of months and then I had a sinus infection (I get them quite often) and ever since all I can small is cigarette smoke, I can also taste it at the back of my mouth. It isnt nice as I dont smoke, its thought that Covid may have affected/damaged my olfactory nerve in some way and then the sinus infection affected it again. Its really weird!

My wife still cant taste tomatoes 3 months on and frequently gets a phantom small of either olbas oil or electrical burning!

Havehope21 · 17/12/2021 17:12

Hi @Sulla1105 - that must be really hard. I am 5 days since I lost my taste and smell. I have taken zinc and turmeric supplements for the last 2 days and done the scent training as various people had found them helpful. Today I am getting teeny tiny whiffs of certain scents when I put my nose right close to them - although it is only a select group of smells. I couldn't smell whiskey but could get a fleeting whiff of burnt toast (but then that disappeared). I also got a tiny hint of mincemeat and mustard - but can't smell wine at all.
No improvement on the taste - although I do find fresh fruit has texture so is more exciting! Fingers crossed yours improves soon.

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