Covid, loss of smell. Any positive stories about it coming back?

[IvorCutler]

I’m 4 days in to my first ever bout of Covid. Yesterday my sense of smell went completely. I keep spraying perfume and holding things under my nose but nothing is happening. My taste is odd too but I can differentiate between sweet/salty/spicy.

I suffer with anxiety and I’m really concerned about it not coming back… I know millions of people have been through the same and I’m probably being unnecessarily dramatic about it.

If you lost your sense of smell during Covid how long did it take to return?

@YingMei - happy for you that it returned😊 anything you tried yourself within those 3 weeks? Thanks

Has anyone experienced getting some taste but the smell is distorted so you will only get a burst of the smell (the smell matches the item that you're smelling, but disappears in afew seconds like it never existed?
Positive stories please, thanksxxx

My sister's took about two months for taste and smell to come back and be normal.
The only weird thing that remains is that coriander tastes like soap to her now!! Not the worst thing to happen really!

@Staystrong7 I made sure to spend time several times a day smelling stuff that I know is strong like peanut butter and curries!! My DH did the same and also had his smell and taste back in 3-4 weeks

Mine was back within just a few days.

It took a month or so to get to full strength again but it did return just fine.

Try sniffing really strongly scented things from time to time to try and get even the slightest smell. I did that and got the occassional slightest waft. I think it might help kick-start it coming back.

6 months to a year for full perfect recovery. I have a wide range of essential oils so I used to smell then regularly everyday after recovering, smell would not come back started with a tickling, then faint smell, then proper smell, Now super sensitive to everything really.

@YingMei & Lindy2 & Ladydoris - this will be my 9th week, trying to stay positive smell and tast will come back cause all you lovely people on this post are keeping me going😊
which strong smell did you go to on a daily basis? How many times on a daily basis did you smell? 3 to 4 times a day? Thanksx

Staystrong7 I'm sorry you've lost your smell for so long. It really is horrible and unsettling to loose it.

I would try a range of strong smelling things. There may be 1 thing that triggers some scent.

I remember really deeply sniffing a very strongly perfumed hand soap and being delighted when I smelt a tiny something. It wasn't quite the normal smell and it was very faint but I kept returning to that soap to smell and gradually it got stronger. (although some times I got nothing).

I'd suggest perfume, garlic, coffee, vinegar, strong cheese, antiseptic. Anything strong and a range of different things.

@Lindy2- Thanksx i'd be lying if i said i don't feel low but keeping hopes up because of everyones positive stories, tips and supportx

I had this! If I held perfume almost up my nostril I could smell it fleetingly.

Thankfully my sense of smell is properly back since I started this thread! It took a while.

I lost smell and taste for 2 weeks and then it gradually came back.

It was surprisingly depressing so you have my every sympathy.

My sister had Covid August 2020 - she has no sense of smell since the covid - she lost her sense of taste as well but this has come back

I only had about two or three days of no sense of smell or taste at all. My sense of taste came back fairly quickly but my sense of smell took much longer, I can't remember exactly how long, just very gradual. It's still not quite right now though; almost back to normal but I used to have a really good sense of smell and now I can't always smell things that other people can.
I also got random strange smells that didn't exist, this was while I was still quite ill/recovering.

@IvorCutler - sorry you had to go through the same aswell. I'm happy for you that you got your smell back😊
It is fustrating on a daily basis when this happens everywhere you go but again, luckily, have lovely support from everyone here, thank youx
how long did you have to wait for the smell to come back? Thanks

I lost my taste and smell so entirely it was shocking. I thought it would never return. But 2 weeks later, it came back all at once.

Husband exactly the same.

@catsonahottinroof -so relieved that you didn't lose your smell and taste for too longx. I believe your smell will improvex

Thank you! It was weird, it actually did come back early on for a day or so and then went again completely. That gave me hope but confused me. It was over a month before it returned. Not worried about it disappearing again! Good luck 💐

@Exasperatednow -happy to hear that you regained your smell and tastex
It's nice that everyone here understands what we're all going through and give strength to each other that it will get betterx

Any top note : Mint, lavender, lemon, tea tree : because the scent is so strong that you would feel the change even if you do not smell it. Then very subtle scent (base notes) like cedar wood, rose vanilla cinnamon, clove. You alternate. At least once every day. But 3 times a day was my regimen. Like food. You will start feeling tingling after a while. At the beginning you might be crying realising that there is absolutely no difference. Then it will be so faint that you could consider stopping. But it will come back. Persist. I can deconstruct a scent (food or fragrance) like before. It took a while though.

@IvorCutler -this will be the start of the 3rd month, i pray the smell returns and stays just like yours. It's difficult each day but will use the positive energy that everyone here has given me to stay strong🧘‍♀️
Was there anything that you tried during that time to help regain the smell?
When i tried to explain to anyone that the smells was just a burst and then would disappear after afew seconds, no one really knew what i meant, thank you for understanding where i'm coming fromx

@ladydoris - thank you for the tips🥰
It's exactly how you mentioned, i cry alot cause no difference for the 9 weeks. This gets too much as weeks go by but I must try to persist like you💪

@IvorCutler - what i mean by anyone, i mean GPs and anyone that has not experienced what we've all been through.

I had covid September last year , I've MOSTLY got my taste and smell back but only more this past month
I reckon I'm about 15% off what I was pre covid
I literally had a nose like a greyhound and could smell EVERYTHING, I'm not quite there yet but very nearly, same with taste , I'm nearly there but not quite
A year later

This is me exactly! I keep trying to explain it to others but you've done it perfectly. First bad dose was last March when smell and taste went initially then caught it again in July. Nothing has a proper taste or smell, just really weak. Has anyone been to see their GP? Anything they can do?

That was that for months. You have to retrain your nose. I looked for smell retraining therapy. I have to say that was 2020, it's now 2022, now I can say I am ok. At some point I was afraid of not getting the smell of something burning or gas. It's scary. Keep on doing it.