Anyone suffering with Phantosmia post covid infection?

[TheGriffle]

I had covid around 5/6 weeks ago. Lost my sense of taste and smell on about day 3. It has maybe come back 10%ish, nowhere near full senses.

While I had covid I had a few episodes of smelling burnt food and didn’t really think anything of it. Since I’ve recovered and especially yesterday and today all I can smell is burnt. Yesterday it was burnt food, today cigarette smoke. So strong it’s like I’m sat in a smokers lounge.

I’ve Googled (who doesn’t!) and it sounds like a side effect from covid. Has anyone had it and does it ease off? I’m so sick and tired of not tasting and smelling things properly 5 weeks later and now this is.

I've never heard of this but I hope it eases for you, what a pain. My sister's taste and smell did not come back for 3 months, I hope yours returns sooner.

Oh blimey I haven’t knowingly had covid but I’ve smelt non existing burning toast a few times recently

I keep smelling musty food

Hi
I had covid in september and also completely lost my sense of smell and taste. Taste came back first after about 2 weeks ,smell a bit later but not 100%. I can smell sweet things like perfume but still cant smell coffee very strongly. As my it was coming back I kept getting the smell of poo. It drove me mad for about 2 weeks , seems to have subsided now but now and then still getting it . So weird . Try training your self , everyday first thing open the coffee jar and smell. It apparently helps to reset your brain .

Yes, the strong overwhelming smoke smells like sitting in a room full of smoke coincided with some of my smell returning. Now I get it every now and then along with smells of faeces or rotten food. I am 10 months post-Covid.

I’ve had this on and off for four years now (obviously not post covid). It’s awful. Some days I can smell things normally. Other times no sense of smell. The worse is when all I can smell is faeces or rotting fish or gone off meat.

I got Covid in March 2020 and - although CEV and warned to expect the worst- my biggest symptom was total loss of taste and smell. That lasted about 3 months, after which I could smell v strong smells only, and they had to be right under my nostrils, and could differentiate between sweet and salty and that was all. Gradually came back but had loads of phantom smell / taste experiences. So weird. Burnt food, rotten food, chocolate tasting like onions, everything smelling like dirty nappies, smell of smoke everywhere etc etc.
Took 8 months to be able to reliably smell / taste anything, and I still have one nostril that doesn’t work properly at all.
Interestingly, I can now taste artificial sweetener / colouring in absolutely everything it is in, so a cupcake tastes overwhelmingly of the one drop of food colouring that’s in it, or a can of Diet Coke is utterly revolting to me. So bizarre.

White toast still smells like dead mice to me.

Yep! Constant smell of burnt cigarettes. I’ve now developed parosmia too which is a lovely treat! I had covid in May and there’s no signs of the cigarette smell going away. I’ve just got used to it now and have to make sure my smoke alarms are fully working. There’s a Facebook group run by AbScent which I’ve found quite useful.

@Choconuttolata

Yes, the strong overwhelming smoke smells like sitting in a room full of smoke coincided with some of my smell returning. Now I get it every now and then along with smells of faeces or rotten food. I am 10 months post-Covid.

What the hell?😂

I had Covid in September and now have either a constant smell of cat food, burning or a weird sort of frying oil smell. Nothing tastes right and I can't stand the taste or smell of ground coffee.