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Original poster

Anyone else panicking about not being able to taste all the delicious Christmas food?

38 replies

witchimon · 16/12/2021 12:28

I only lost my sense of taste and smell 3 days ago and I'm surprised how much it's bumming me out. I'm so worried about not being able to have a proper feast at Christmas!

I really didn't expect it to make me feel so weird and unnerved. Has there been any other virus that does this? It's so strange and worrying as presumably this is coming from something going wrong in my brain!

OP posts:
HereticFanjo · 16/12/2021 14:07

I know a few people who are genuinely upset about this having lost their taste / smell weeks or months ago. I think about them when I see people being cavalier about Covid. It's the symptom that had caused them most distress and I think the impact is really underestimated especially when it persists.

Cornettoninja · 16/12/2021 14:15

God, I hadn’t even thought about that! I’ve not got covid but the thought of losing my sense of taste and smell over Xmas is depressing tbh. My gifts are likely to be scent based (perfume/candles), it’d be miserable.

You have my sympathy @witchimon. One of my friends had covid last week and tells me that she’s started to get bursts of taste and smells here and there. I hope yours comes back soon Flowers

Mattietoes · 16/12/2021 14:15

Me!!! I am feeling so worried, it's really getting me down. Obviously very lucky not to be really ill with it (barely any other symptoms) but at the moment I feel like I would take a cough/fever if I was able to smell and taste!

Mattietoes · 16/12/2021 14:17

I've been reading a lot about it and it does seem that in some cases it comes back quite fast, so I am staying hopeful. I would say my smell is currently about 5% of normal and taste maybe 20%...

zippityzip · 16/12/2021 14:17

I've been senseless now for about a week and it's really really getting to me. Can't smell or taste a single thing. HATE preparing dinner for the family and can't find joy in anything.
Can't even think of Xmas because if it's still the same then my only plan is to be drunk as hell on tasteless wine.

wincarwoo · 16/12/2021 14:20

I tested positive two weeks ago and the first prompt was loss of taste and smell. I had flu symptoms.

Taste and smell is gradually coming back now - every day it's better.

Original poster
witchimon · 16/12/2021 14:29

@HereticFanjo

I know a few people who are genuinely upset about this having lost their taste / smell weeks or months ago. I think about them when I see people being cavalier about Covid. It's the symptom that had caused them most distress and I think the impact is really underestimated especially when it persists.
Yes I have to say when people mentioned it before I didn't think too much about it but it really is so odd and unsettling. I was cooking dinner last night and something was burning and dh had to tell me as I couldn't smell it! So strange.

I can't seem to taste savoury at all but can sense a hint of sweetness in sweet stuff like orange juice and very sweet chocolates. But it's still pretty faint.

OP posts:
Wejustdontknow · 16/12/2021 14:32

I lost my sense of smell in March, I have the odd occasion where I can smell randomly but for the most part I can’t at all. The one smell I miss the most is a roast dinner cooking… love the smell of stuffing 🙂 luckily I never lost taste so if I can’t smell my Christmas dinner at least I know I will be able to taste it when I eat. I feel very sorry for anyone who loses both together

Metalhead · 16/12/2021 15:13

I’m with you OP, really hope my taste/smell will improve before Christmas! Can’t smell anything right now, and can only vaguely taste salty/sweet - really sucks the joy out of eating anything.

CatherineCawood · 16/12/2021 16:08

I can't taste or smell anything either. Literally nothing. I reckon I stink, unshowered in same pjs 4 days running. I wouldn't know though! Keep thinking I should crawl out of bed and have a bath.

I lost my sense of smell in April 2018 because of a virus and it took about a year to come back. It has never quite been as good since.

Original poster
witchimon · 16/12/2021 16:10

@Metalhead

I’m with you OP, really hope my taste/smell will improve before Christmas! Can’t smell anything right now, and can only vaguely taste salty/sweet - really sucks the joy out of eating anything.
It really does! One of my favourite vices was freshly baked bread with butter and I tried to have some today and it was just blah. Could just taste the slightest hint of salt from the butter.
OP posts:
Twolostsoulsswimminginafishbow · 16/12/2021 18:20

I had Covid in October, I can oddly sense salt and sweet but that’s it. I can’t smell either so if you’ve lost it recently it’s very unlikely to be back next week in my experience and from what others have said.

fleur27 · 16/12/2021 18:26

I had this fear when I had covid last month and lost both smell completely and any sort of taste beyond sweet/salty/sour/bitter. It came back in about 10 days and is totally normal again. It's not long term for everyone. But yes, I underestimated how awful that would be as a symptom. Takes all the joy out of any eating and makes cooking challenging!

hopsalong · 16/12/2021 18:31

I put a garlic clove half up my nose last night just to see if I could smell it and all I got was a burned/sore nose.

I'm with you. It's very weird. I lost smell a week ago and today have a faint ghostly sense of it coming back. Alas so far it is only bad smells -- first noticed the return when helping to wipe my four year old's bottom. Strong soap. Just now I ate a banana yoghurt and it had a very faint banana taste. How long has yours been awol?

Also be careful. I burned something under the grill the other day and the smoke alarm went off -- normally I would have smelled it long before!

zippityzip · 16/12/2021 18:48

@Twolostsoulsswimminginafishbow

I had Covid in October, I can oddly sense salt and sweet but that’s it. I can’t smell either so if you’ve lost it recently it’s very unlikely to be back next week in my experience and from what others have said.
OCTOBER.

FML.

Thewiseoneincognito · 16/12/2021 18:58

I described the coming back phase as like echoes, extremely faint signs. I knew how it should taste or smell but the brain just doesn’t recognise it at all. Weird. It really unnerved me.

Pollaidh · 16/12/2021 19:06

I had Covid in September and can only taste sweet and salt now too. So I'm probably going to end up enormous and with very high blood pressure. Think Christmas pudding will be fine, but I hope the texture of a roast potato does something for me.

I'm living for textures now. Hot christmas pudding with cold cream would be a nice texture and temperature difference.

Spicy stuff can work in that it's got some kind of experience. I can't taste it but I can feel the burning in my throat, and that's better than everything just being bland mush.

MrPoppysParka · 16/12/2021 20:13

@Thewiseoneincognito

I described the coming back phase as like echoes, extremely faint signs. I knew how it should taste or smell but the brain just doesn’t recognise it at all. Weird. It really unnerved me.
Yes! To me it sort of felt like when you are trying to remember a word and it’s on the tip of your tongue but you can’t quite grasp it. It’s the smell version of that ☹️
dottyaboutstripes · 16/12/2021 20:20

It's really very strange. I keep wondering whether I can taste a vague hint of things or not. It's bizarre.
Also, my mouth and tongue feel strange - almost like when you burn yourself by eating food that's too hot. Anyone else?

Clarkey86 · 16/12/2021 20:29

Mine is gradually coming back, and started to about a week after it went. Sweet far more than savoury which is annoying because I love a food plate of beige! I’m living for the day I can taste garlic and cheese again, hopefully not too long.

Original poster
witchimon · 16/12/2021 20:36

I can't quote your post @MrPoppysParka but that description is perfect, it's like the flavour/taste is kind of there but I can't quite get to it. It's really frustrating. Texture is definitely more satisfying now, I had some dirty fries and the crispy fries with the melted salty cheese gave me some sensation, it wasn't massive but the pizza we also had gave me nothing.

OP posts:
fingersdoublecrossed · 16/12/2021 21:29

I got Covid in January and my taste and smell still haven't recovered.
Apart from being tired, I suffered no other symptoms and continued to work remotely throughout my isolation.
Almost a full year later and my smell and taste are still hugely affected!
It's been like an invisible disease 🤦‍♀️

ShrillSiren · 16/12/2021 21:32

@MrPoppysParka Yes, that's exactly how it is. I can almost taste it but not quite. So annoying.

Hereforthelaughs2020 · 16/12/2021 21:39

I’m the same, tested positive over a week ago now and the thought of not being able to taste my pigs in blankets on my Christmas dinner is awful! 😭😭

Fingerscrossed2022 · 16/12/2021 23:02

It might come back quicker than you think, when I had my first bout of Covid I lost taste and smell for 16 days then one day it suddenly came back. It was absolutely the worst symptom for me, not just food but the loss of the smell of familiar people like my partner, he seemed like a stranger to me.