Strange smells 6 months after covid... anyone had this?

naturemumma · 2022-04-30T14:27:34+00:00

I had covid in October and completely lost my smell (and taste). It came back gradually and although not back to my pre covid levels was basically fine. I had a cold about a week and a half ago and gradually over the past week I've been getting a really strong smell of exhaust fumes. It comes and goes, but is more there than not. It goes away if there are other really strong smells. I have read that some people have experienced this a few months after covid - just wondered if anyone else has had similar and found any relief?

Myownpapillon · 30/04/2022 15:29

No ideas on how to help but I'm still smelling smoke a few times a week (5 months post COVID).

Pegasaurus · 30/04/2022 15:31

Yes, I smell a chemically smell instead of real smells and unfortunately no, nothing has helped. It's been well over a year now, I try not to dwell on it.

waterlego · 30/04/2022 15:33

I think this is pretty common and usually seems to be smells of burning/cigarettes/fuel.

In my case, it’s…..baked beans 😂 I just have a day every so often when I can smell baked beans all day. I had Covid about 16 months ago but I still get baked bean days. Not as many as I used to get though.

Original poster

naturemumma · 30/04/2022 18:00

Thanks everyone. I’m glad I’m not alone, but sorry you’re experiencing similar! I hope it eases off for us all soon.

@waterlego I love that you call them baked bean days 😂

OP posts:

planetme · 09/05/2022 16:18

I got two weeks of constant cigarette smells about 4 weeks on from recovering from covid

I have had two more bouts of it but shorter and less constant

Plus when this happens I get like a "raw" feeling in my nose and am a bit snotty

For some reason fresh air helps

planetme · 09/05/2022 16:18

waterlego · 30/04/2022 15:33

I think this is pretty common and usually seems to be smells of burning/cigarettes/fuel.

In my case, it’s…..baked beans 😂 I just have a day every so often when I can smell baked beans all day. I had Covid about 16 months ago but I still get baked bean days. Not as many as I used to get though.

lol at baked beans days 😅😅

Crocsandshocks · 09/05/2022 16:21

My sense of smell is still disordered 2 years on. Cigarettes smell different, hard to explain, but like burning cookies. Eggs smell weird too. Bad smells are hard to smell. Mint tastes odd.

FabulousKilljoys · 09/05/2022 16:26

Since I had Covid the first time in 2020 I keep getting a smell of gas (like from the cooker), which has panicked me a few times but the way it comes and goes tells me it's not actually a gas leak! I did get my appliances checked btw. Guess it's just a weird leftover.

planetme · 09/05/2022 22:32

Crocsandshocks · 09/05/2022 16:21

My sense of smell is still disordered 2 years on. Cigarettes smell different, hard to explain, but like burning cookies. Eggs smell weird too. Bad smells are hard to smell. Mint tastes odd.

Yes I still can't smell bad smells !!! Which is kind of good sometimes 😅😅

VintageGibbon · 09/05/2022 22:38

I can't smell garlic anymore. I can be frying it and get no scent of it. But I do get a gorgeous fresh lemon cologne scent that is imaginary, I keep thinking it's a soap I've used but it's nothing like any of them.

Poppetlove · 09/05/2022 22:42

Pegasaurus · 30/04/2022 15:31

Yes, I smell a chemically smell instead of real smells and unfortunately no, nothing has helped. It's been well over a year now, I try not to dwell on it.

Yes! I would describe my smell as chemical smell too, particularly before eating food.

TheGriffle · 09/05/2022 22:54

I’m 8 months on from covid, lost my sense of smell completely and it’s maybe only 30% back if that. I have days/weeks where for 24 hours/7 days a week it smells like I’m sat in a room with 40 people puffing away on cigarettes. The smell gives
me a headache, even makes me cough it’s that strong.

Things taste and smell wrong too. Coffee smells like burnt toast, fruit juices and gummy sweets taste musty and fruity hand washes smell musty too. Perfumes and candles don’t smell like they should half the time or I can only smell certain notes in them.

Its very disconcerting to not be able to smell a single thing even when you can breathe clearly.

SanFranBear · 09/05/2022 22:59

I smell cigarette smoke - a lot but most commonly when I'm just snuggled down into bed. Also discovered today that for some random reason, I can't smell my favourite shower gel anymore. I even got DD to smell it to see if it had somehow lost its scent but no, it's me 😕

I have a weird after taste as well...

Had Covid last September and if anything, seems to be getting worse!

Crocsandshocks · 09/05/2022 23:06

I really hope.these are not permanent.
Lemon on the other hand smells and tastes delicious. Also peppers taste much better than they used to as do olives.

Crocsandshocks · 09/05/2022 23:06

I really hope.these are not permanent.
Lemon on the other hand smells and tastes delicious. Also peppers taste much better than they used to as do olives.

Neverendingdust · 09/05/2022 23:12

I smell cigarette smoke quite often, sometimes I do wonder if it’s actually there in the air and my nose has just become super sensitive to it? It’s a weird version of cigarettes though, almost like a memory from how they smelled to me as a child, almost stale and not the same as walking past someone actually smoking if that makes sense.

I’m still unnerved at the way I felt when I had Covid last year, the loss of smell and taste was scary and at times I was panicking wondering if I was breathing properly.

Odd, very odd.

NellyTimes · 09/05/2022 23:46

Crocsandshocks · 09/05/2022 23:06

I really hope.these are not permanent.
Lemon on the other hand smells and tastes delicious. Also peppers taste much better than they used to as do olives.

Thats funny, I used to hate olives, but since having covid I love them!

I had covid last summer and completely lost my sense of taste and smell and I also can still smell smoke a lot of the time, particularly in the evenings. Also a lot of strong smells all smell the same to me, for example coffee, onions, curry etc. They all have the same slightly pungent chemically smell. They taste perfectly fine, just the odd smell.

Crocsandshocks · 10/05/2022 07:32

Has anyone decided to visit doctors or just live with it?

SanFranBear · 10/05/2022 07:53

Crocsandshocks · 10/05/2022 07:32

Has anyone decided to visit doctors or just live with it?

Living with it, at the moment. It doesn't strike me as something the GP could really do much about although if that's not the case, please do let me know as I'd love to rid myself of my aftertaste (and smell my shower gel again 😄)

Original poster

naturemumma · 10/05/2022 09:10

I’m so glad I’m not the only one! It’s just so odd. The gas smell hasn’t been quite so bad for me the past week or so, but now certain things smell so weird and coffee tastes a bit burnt. I haven’t bothered with the Dr yet. It seems to be quite a common thing. It feels a bit disorientating at times though. I always used to have such a good sense of smell so I’ve definitely lost my super power.

OP posts:

gluenotsoup · 10/05/2022 09:18

Same here I’m afraid, 5 months on. I still smell cigarettes very strongly a lot, plus a turps like smell. I also get a sewage/raw chicken type smell a lot, and can’t smell bad smells the same. All my smell skills are just reduced too. I also get the raw feeling. Hopefully it’s just time, and cells repairing, because I don’t like it!

ClearButtons · 10/05/2022 09:21

Yes parosmia/phantosmia is quite common after covid 19. A lot of things have a chemical smell or taste to me - most meat, peppers, certain plants, garlic. It's quite annoying and it didn't start immediately after I had covid - it started the day I gave birth to my daughter (5 months after covid) so everytime I smell this horrible smell, it reminds me of being in hospital 😅. Apparently there is no cure and it can just resolve on its on - there is a Facebook support group if you need any more info!

PerfectionValley · 10/05/2022 09:25

I hadn't realised this might be related to COVID which I had in December.
I completely lost taste and smell for about 10 days but it came back pretty much 100%.
Since then I have smelt a cigarette smell or burning smell for a while but that seems to have gone now.
For the last couple of months I've been smelling something overly sweet, almost like a fragrance from a wet wipe or similar. It's hard to describe.

It's weird but could be worse I suppose.

Boiledeggandtoast · 10/05/2022 13:59

Perfection I've also had the overly sweet smell. When I had Covid back in October I was given some scented narcissi which I couldn't smell; I now get a narcissi-type smell but not in a good way, more like a sickly sweet, cheap imitation perfume sort of smell.

planetme · 10/05/2022 16:53

TheGriffle · 09/05/2022 22:54

I’m 8 months on from covid, lost my sense of smell completely and it’s maybe only 30% back if that. I have days/weeks where for 24 hours/7 days a week it smells like I’m sat in a room with 40 people puffing away on cigarettes. The smell gives
me a headache, even makes me cough it’s that strong.

Things taste and smell wrong too. Coffee smells like burnt toast, fruit juices and gummy sweets taste musty and fruity hand washes smell musty too. Perfumes and candles don’t smell like they should half the time or I can only smell certain notes in them.

Its very disconcerting to not be able to smell a single thing even when you can breathe clearly.

I have the coffee smelling burnt too! Luckily it still tastes nice
But I miss that nice coffee smell 😢