Sense of taste still off 5 months after covid. Will it come back?

[Readyforthegoodlife]

Ds (15) had covid in April. He was only moderately ill for a few days. At first his sense of taste was absent for some flavours so he could eat ok but but it wasn’t ideal.
But, weeks later he started complaining of a persistent bad taste in his mouth and then bad smells when there was nothing. Then food started tasting awful (rotten/metallic), especially meat, fruit and veg. He is surviving off cereal and protein bars.
I spoke to the GP a couple of weeks ago who seemed pretty much uninterested and said they might consider doing some blood tests at some point in the future if I think he’s getting a deficiency.
I’m guessing he must be deficient in something by now because he’s been eating an absolutely terrible diet for months now, but how do I know? Anyway, I need some practical ideas for what can I do to help ds.
Smell training is the only thing I’ve come across but he hates doing it as they all smell disgusting to him. When he’s already so fed up and feeling like crap it’s hard to get him motivated to smell unpleasant odours repeatedly!

There's a research trial starting at UEA, it was on the news yesterday, looking at vitamin A nasal drops to see if that helps smell return. I think they were looking to recruit volunteers, whether that would include kids, I don't know. It's run by a Prof Philpott who is an EN&T specialist.

Thanks very interesting and good to know there’s some hope of treatment. I’ve just looked it up but can only find the BBC report, nothing in whether It might be possible for him to participate.
In the meantime though, I am worrying about his overall health.

I read of someone whose sense of taste/smell returned after taking a liquid vitamin/iron supplement (floradix I think). Could be coincidental but maybe worth a try, especially if you’re concerned about his diet.

I was actually looking at floradix for him when I was In boots the other day! I only didn’t get it cos I thought he would hate the taste, I’ll get done so he can try it, definitely worth a shot thanks.

OP, try this article from the Evening Standard.
www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/anosmia-vitamin-a-nasal-spray-covid-loss-smell-b957811.html
It ends by saying people wanting to participate should get a referral to the James Paget hospital. (I assume enrolling can be done remotely?!). They will be recruiting people from December, so if smell is still absent then, maybe worth it....

Hi - my DS who is 17 got Covid last October. His smell and taste went strange on Christmas Day - the smell of the turkey cooking was making him retch and he couldn't eat his Christmas dinner.

At first he was struggling to eat all meat, eggs and particularly anything with onion in. It has slowly got better over the year and he is now ok to eat most meat and he can manage eggs if he sprinkles chilli flakes on them!

From the research I have done, most people who have been similarly affected have been able to tolerate food if it is made with chilli or curry so that might be worth a try - it was definitely the case for DS.

All the best to your son - it's not an easy thing to have to cope with.

Also, in terms of things to try - I joined a Facebook group for people with anosmia (loss of smell/taste) and parosmia (altered smell/taste). There were various things suggested on there (some of which were decidedly odd) but a regular recommendation was 'powering through' and eating the food whilst trying to remember what it used to taste like in the hope of re-programming the brain.

DS wouldn't try it but your DS may be made if stronger stuff and be willing to give it a go!

@eleflump your post fascinates me! I got covid in jan and entirely lost my sense of smell and most taste. It’s returns more or less but I can’t tolerate the taste or smell of eggs nor onions. Eggs are so eggy -sulphur like- I can’t bear them. I can just about tolerate scrambled eggs. And onion is the worst! I now have such a heightened smell for onion and can smell it being cut up on the kitchen when I’m in another area of the house 😂. If anyone has a slight bit of sweat, it smells of onions to me.
I’m glad your DS’s sense of taste is improving. OP, hopefully your DS’s follows
suite ..

@Skinnyjeansandaloosetop DS is definitely the same with onions - he walks round with his tshirt pulled up over his face to block the smell if I am cooking them!

The eggs he can just tolerate now if they are scrambled and covered in chilli flakes like I mentioned, it doesn't look particularly appetising though!

Hope your onion sensitivity improves soon - it really is such an odd side effect to have post-Covid.

I haven't had my sense of taste since dec 2020. I lost it in Xmas day and tested positive on Boxing Day. No other symptoms. My sense of smell is coming back but taste is v off. It's a struggle some days as I just don't feel like cooking and eat comfort food (I can taste salt and sugar no other flavors). Facebook groups are great as I don't know anyone in RL who have this issue and friends are baffled when I say coffee tastes like burnt rubber. I have started a lot of vitamin supplements but nothing has made a huge difference. Private ENT gave me steroids but it made zero difference. I just hope some day it's comes back

I read an article today (I think maybe in bmj, some professional one anyway) that said steroids were not worth prescribing for covid related anosmia/Parosmia.
Ds unfortunately won’t power through at all. He also has autism and adhd so life is already very challenging for him, he really doesn’t need this to deal with as well. He’s getting moodier too, don’t know if that’s nutrition related or just inevitable frustration with his situation. I’ve tried to persuade him to do smell training but firstly he is very demand avoidant and secondly they all smell revolting to him so it’s very hard for him to tolerate.
I’m going to try making him some chilli and curry his weekend, veggie versions as meat is one of the worst things. It’s unlikely he will eat them but still worth a try. He’s been entirely vegan (but in a bad unhealthy way) for all these months.
He said today there are only two tastes for him. Things that taste ok; protein bars, biscuits, chocolate, some cake, occasionally cereal and bread. Everything else is totally disgusting.
On a brighter note, from my reading it does sound like Parosmia following anosmia is the sense of smell/taste reconnecting but doing it imperfectly at first. So there is hope for it to get better. Just difficult to be patient and to find a way to manage a remotely healthy lifestyle in the interim.

Has anyone experienced not being able to taste new foods? I had loss off taste, it returned and I went to a restaurant exited to taste the goodnesss but could only taste the food I'd eaten before! As if my brain knew what the familiar food was but not the new dishes

I think its probably different for everyone but I would say DS started to have some improvements at about 6 or 7 months in so there is definitely hope. The range of foodss your DS can eat does sound really similar to how it was for my DS in being able to tolerate sweet things and cereal/bread.

I know you will have tried everything but for my DS bananas have been ok pretty much all the way through and he could also manage protein shakes made with milk and chocolate flavoured protein powder. He was also ok with vanilla flavoured skyr/kvark.

It's so difficult particularly when they are teenagers who can take a lot to fill them at the best of times - I really hope he starts to see some improvements soon.