Loss of sense of taste and smell...man food tasts dull..any one else been here?

[opos]

I had a very long and drawn out bout with a nasty virus head cold...lasted 4-5 weeks and went away only to return in a few weeks for another bout of 3-4 weeks.....During that time I began to lose much of my sense of smell and taste....virus went away some time back but the lack of senses remains..

Went to the EMT this past week and he examined all my sinus's and I'm having a ct scan of my upper sinus cavities this coming week...doctor does not plan to find anything but eliminating growts or damage to the sinus...He said this kind if thing is very common with older folks in the presence of these nasty virus colds that have become more common...seems like everyone was sick here this past year.

I can sort of taste some things...other things I sort of sense what they are...sweet and salty are easy to tell...chocolate is easy...sniffing a card he had with odors on it showed I can't hardly smell gasoline and I can't smell vick vapor rub.

Really frustrating to say the least...I wanted a chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes and gravy for breakfast yesterday...it looked terrific...couldn't smell it and the taste could just have well been all mashed potatoes with nothing on them...

The doc said usually these things correct themselves...he has me taking double amounts of FloNase spray and also takng zinc supplements...said those two things really help..

Anyone got any stories or experience?

[petroid]

A coworker had the same thing happen. After a bad sinus infection, she couldn't smell anything. It has been years since I've been in touch so don't know if it ever returned. Nerve damage is very possible. If so, smell not likely to return. Your sense of taste is very limited, as you have found out. Smell is what does the most to determine flavor. I sure hope you recover.

[44man]

Age does it too. The worst ever was when I smoked and got a cold. I get out of bed with a green cloud behind me but I don't smell it but Carol complains about the stench or if I eat garlic. Yes we lose smell and being sick makes it worse. Some will come back.

[waksupi]

I've had it happen a couple times. It was a month and a half before things tasted right again.

[Bloodman14]

Yep, been there, done that. It's actually quite common for the taste buds and your sense of smell to be affected after some types of viral infections. I lost 10 pounds one month when I had a virus a few years ago; couldn't taste or smell anything. Give it time.

[Blanket]

had a buddy that got spun out of a Huey that was burning in and smashed his face. After that the only thing he could taste was extremely spicy hot or sour. Couldn't smell anything. RIP Frank

[Beagle333]

Had the same thing. Sinuses have cleared up now, according to last CT scan, but smell is still maybe 50% of original. And it's now a year and a half after the original sinus infection.
Still taking allergy shots weekly and using Flonase and Azelastine HCL (they do make a combo of this called Dymista).
At least I have enough smell back that foods taste pretty good again. I can also smell diesel fuel and Menthol rubs and smoke and loud perfumes again, although not nearly as strongly as before.
Docs say that they can't tell me if it'll keep slowly getting better or if this is all I get back. Only time will tell. Good luck though! Each case is apparently different.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I have tree pollen allergies(Oak primarily)...and most of the month of May in MN, I am congested on and off for about 6 weeks...and have reduced smell/taste abilities.

[Tom W.]

After my surgery I had trouble tasting anything. It could just as well been cardboard. Surprisingly my sense of smell was, and is, remarkably sharp. I was prescribed some of those zinc supplement lozenges, but only took two or three of them. I was warned that when I start chemotherapy things will be different.

[bubba.50]

haven't lost my sense of taste or smell but, a few years ago in the process of gettin' a hot-patch put over the holes in my eardrums, some nerves got shorted out or cross-wired or somethin' and sweet & salty sorta traded places. nothin' like havin' yer fried chicken taste like it was rolled in sugar or a drink of sweet fresh spring water to taste like ya just dipped it outta the ocean. thought I was gonna go nuts before it straightened itself out.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Thank goodness you can still taste chocolate! :D

[quilbilly]

Every time I get a cold or when our alder trees pollenate. When my taste comes back suddenly I always hope I am eating something really good,

[ShooterAZ]

It can be a good thing sometimes. Once you get past the smell, you got it licked.

[oneofsix]

After my surgery I had trouble tasting anything. It could just as well been cardboard. Surprisingly my sense of smell was, and is, remarkably sharp. I was prescribed some of those zinc supplement lozenges, but only took two or three of them. I was warned that when I start chemotherapy things will be different.
Yes, once you start it most likely will change.
PM me if you want to ask any questions or don't mind me asking a few.

Mark

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J120AZ using Tapatalk

[375supermag]

Hi...

Been through that a couple of times in my life.

In 1977, I had non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and part of the treatment involved 22 radiation treatments to my upper body and lower head area.
I completely lost my sense of taste anD ability to produce saliva for several months. My saliva came back gradually over the course of a year or longer. My sense of taste came back all at once practically overnight.
I went to bed one evening with essentially no sense of taste and the next morning I was able to taste my breakfast.

In 2012, I had a very serious case of salivary gland cancer that resulted in several surgeries and a regimen of 33 radiation treatments to my neck and head area. I couldn't eat or drink for several months and survived via a feeding tube. The radiation completely destroyed one of my main salivary glands. I suffer from constant dry mouth syndrome and although I was able to learn to eat and drink normally, I require something to drink with almost everything that I eat to allow me to swallow.

Last year, I once again was afflicted with another cancer...this time Burkitt's-like lymphoma. I had to undergo a long-term chemotherapy regimen that was quite debilitating, which I am still in the process of recovering from.
I am currently in remission but the chemotherapy did affect my sense of taste for some time...most things tasted normal but I never knew when something would taste differently than I remembered.

So...yeah, I know what you are dealing with. I would think that your sense of taste and smell will return over time, although perhaps your sense of taste may be subtly altered. You may find you no longer care for certain foods and begin to enjoy other foods that you previously did not care for. that was certainly true for me...your experience may well be different.

[Paul_R]

Look on the bright side, now you can eat all those healthy foods you hate.

[johnson1942]

again i will post a simple thing that may help some. about 5 to 10 mg. of vitamin b12 daily. give it 2 weeks and you will notice a difference.

[WickedColt]

I hope you get well soon!

I know every time I get a cold or anything of the sort, I lose some sense of taste and smell. My wife does as well and I didn't really put two and two together until my wife mentioned something.