What was altered/loss of smell/taste like for you?

[Mumof3andlovingit]

If you had covid, did you have complete loss of sense of smell and taste?
DS is 9 and he is saying he can smell, but it’s a bit off and can only smell really strong smells (aftershave) Says he can taste a little, but food tastes blandish today and not how it should be? Negative lateral flow.
He had a cold 2 weeks ago and is recovering. At the time we had a negative pcr. He’s still got a bunged up nose though.
I’ve got another pcr booked for him tomorrow morning. Just curious what others experiences were like.

Everyone I know lost their smell and taste completely, it didn't change, it just went

I can taste that something is salty/sweet etc and am just today able to slightly smell very strong smells (day 6 here). It's nothing compared to when I had chemo and everything tasted absolutely vile.

I've got covid at the moment, lost my sense of smell yesterday and have a strange burning sensation in my nose. This evening I couldn't taste my tea, food was bland. Could slightly taste chocolate!

The first few days I could not taste or smell anything. Taste is around 50% back now (nearly 2 weeks later), smell only very slightly back.

I completely lost my sense of taste and smell. They came back completely after about 2 months, but after about a month I could taste the difference between sweet, sour, and salty.

Yep, mine went completely.

One of the worst and bizarre symptoms for me.

Couldn't smell a thing, I work with some strong chemicals that can knock you off your feet....Couldn't smell a thing...first clue something was wrong!

Taste, nothing everything was nothing, I could feel tastes, chilli for example, I could feel the heat but not taste it, same for neat whiskey.

Loss of smell was complete and seemingly instant.

Started to get my taste back after about 2 days. Smell not do much. Could only smell certain things and then quite limited sense of smell too. Took about a month and a half where I felt my smell was back but, I had covid beginning August and, I’m just realising how things taste and smell so much better now.

It was like a switch had been turned off, absolutely nothing. No blocked nose either... very strange feeling. Came back gradually after about a week.

Sense of smell completely went instantly and still hasn’t come back at all, four weeks later.

Sense of taste was diminished but I could taste haribo tangfastics properly - it was the only thing that tasted the same. It is really diminished for other things. I can taste a big but not a lot. It makes me want to eat loads so that I can keep tasting and hoping!

First time I had Covid taste was altered but smell disappeared for 3+months. Had it again 6weeks ago and both smell and taste went completely for a week then returned fairly quickly. I could taste salty but nothing else.

I was positive last Friday and my smell went seemingly instantly yesterday afternoon. I made mint tea and it tasted of hot water. I stuck my nose in the coffee jar - nothing! I'm finding this oddly upsetting

Mine changed. Smell was very very faint. Like I could smell rosemary if I stuck my face in it, but I burnt my toast every day for a week and didn't smell it burning at all.

Taste was different rather than gone. Things like pasta, bread, chips tasted really bland. I could taste strong flavours better, but sweet or acid much more than salty.
Some things just tasted different. Coffee still tastes weird. And hummus too, it tastes really astringent.

@WellTidy

Sense of smell completely went instantly and still hasn’t come back at all, four weeks later.

Sense of taste was diminished but I could taste haribo tangfastics properly - it was the only thing that tasted the same. It is really diminished for other things. I can taste a big but not a lot. It makes me want to eat loads so that I can keep tasting and hoping!

Yes! Tangfastics were the only thing I enjoyed eating for a week! Once I worked out that sour/sweet was good I started eating oranges.

My smell went completely, still hasn’t come back yet 3 weeks later 😩 It’s like all smell is gone from the world. Today, I’ve got an odd burning sensation in my nose & a not overly pleasant smell in it.. but I still can’t smell actual things.

My taste dulled to very little. I could taste stuff was salty or sweet but not really what food was. Chocolate tasted the same as say Diet Coke or a banana. Just sweet. My taste has come back a bit, I can now tell what I’m eating mostly but not completely. I cannot taste garlic, ginger, mint, rosemary .. it’s very odd! But I can taste bread, butter, potato! Not sure why I’ve lost the strong flavours 🤷🏼‍♀️ I wondered if it was something to do with my lack of smell.. maybe smell plays a big part in tasting these stronger flavours?!

Thanks for sharing ladies. Awaiting his results now. In meantime done another lft and still negative. Feeling a bit more hopeful though after reading the posts

Another one who's loss of smell was total. Some smells now coming back after about 3 weeks, but it's hit and miss.

Smell went completely. Everything just smelled of nothing. Like fresh air.

Taste could only taste salty, sweet, sour etc. No depth of flavour. So salted caramel icecream just tasted sweet and cold. You couldn't tell the actual flavour. Made food very bland and boring.

Thankfully all came back after a few weeks.

Both my taste and smell completely disappeared. I was sniffing cayenne pepper, vinegar, tuna, eating lemons, just to try and smell/taste something but nothing! Took about a month for it to return, it was a gradual process.

Complete loss for me too but it was back in a couple of days.

Smell completely gone, can only taste salt (which tastes really really salty and horrible). Can sort of detect sweetness or bitterness but not actually taste it. It's actually really depressing, it's been the worst thing about it.

My dd didn't lose her sense of taste or smell, but the thing which prompted me to get her tested was that she was a bit under the weather and kept saying her food and different things tasted/smelled funny. It came back to normal after a day!

I tested positive yesterday and can still taste (I hope I don't lose it! What's the point in eating if you can't taste anything!)

Smell has completely gone for me too, it went like switching off a light. One minute it was fine then suddenly I couldn’t smell anything. Really odd! I can taste some things but mainly spice, salt and pepper. Salt and pepper are really overpowering though as there aren’t any other flavours to balance them out. Hope it doesn’t last too long

I lost taste and smell for about 10 days and then they gradually came back. It's still not 100% normal and I tested positive at the end of July. Some things taste and smell strange, onions, coffee, peanut butter, toast and hummus are pretty grim. Lots of cleaning products smell weird. I've read it's to do with the sulphur in these things!? Who knows. I hope it gets better though, I really miss coffee!!

No sense of taste or smell. 6 weeks now. Hoping it will come back soon!

Compete loss of taste and smell, it was utterly the most bizarre thing I've experienced tbh. I knew what things should taste or smell like but there was just nothing at all.