My sense of smell is gone! - Page 2

Just over a year ago I had surgery to reconstruct my left ear, both in front of and behind the eardrum.  Part of the procedure  was to clean out a chronic infection.  The mass lay right over one of the nerves that connects the tastebuds and the brain.  After surgery I lost all taste on the left side of my mouth.  The doctor, one of the best in the country, wasn't sure if he had salvaged the nerve as the mass was so large and spread out.  After about 9 months I started to get some taste back and now a year and a month later I have probably recovered about 80% of the taste on the left side of my mouth (or I have learned to compensate).  I have been told that I will eventually need surgery on the right ear, or face a chance of meningitis if the chronic infection in that ear spreads towards the brain.  Unfortunately, the doctor can't guarentee that he can leave the nerve, that controls taste on the right side of my tongue, intact.  The other possibility, if the mass grows, is that it will naturally destroy my taste also.  I can't imagine life without being able to taste food.  Right after surgery, when I didn't have much taste, eating became boring, something I had to do.  I'd hate to go through the rest of my life that way, but considering the alternatives, I might not have any choice.

That happened to me last May, after having a "cold" for two weeks. As a pastrychef smelling fruit and milk and cream to test for quality was soooo frutstrating. But with my Executive Chef's help I got thru it. My sense of smell is just now coming back, and I went to the Ear, Nose and Throat doc. he couldn't find anything wrong and said just wait. Some smells are confusing, but mostly everything is almost back to normal. My bigeest fear was gas on in the kitchen or not being able to smell something burning or the fragrance of  a flavor in a dish. Hang in there it does seem to get better.

It was kinda nice not smelling the wet dog though! 

Hi French Fries, at the moment you (and only a couple of others who have lost their sense of smell AND HAD IT RETURN) are keeping me SANE!!!!   I am pretty much a description of you in your first post (9/10/08) .... I have lost my sense of smell after a viral infection 3-4 weeks ago.... And if anyone.... you understand it's really getting me down.

 

If I may , can I ask you a few questions?

 

1) Have you continued to improve? (what percentage would you give yourself now?)

 

2) How did you stay positive during this year of not smelling?

 

3) Did you end up seeing an ENT specialist  and /or  had a CT Scan of the sinus'?

 

4) Did you experience any unusual phantam or distorted smells during this time of not smelling? (ie) Phantam, meaning experiencing a smells when there was nothing there to give it off (like Cigarette Smoke) . Distorted, meaning the smell of something so familiar is not quite right at present (just like the smell of my coffee at the moment).

 

French Fries, everything you had said in your posts, I can relate to and I thank you for continuing to keep your story updated for people like me who are sharing this grief you once had.

 

 

Be a mate....Please respond

 

Thank you in Advance

 

Steve

Glad to hear that you've recovered enough to feel recovered, French Fries.

 

Nicko, acupuncture has done well by me, albeit I've not used it for the sense of smell.

 

Pete,

 

I'm debating whether a similar surgery or just letting the problem take me out would be worse.  I go back and forth between the cure being worse than the condition and the other way around.  I wish you luck with the rest of your recovery and even more with the right ear surgery.  Those facial nerves are so important in ways we would never think about.  Best of luck.

Hi French Fries,

 

Thank you for responding to my questions. I know that 3-4 weeks doesn't seem a long time but its more the fact I know that its not 'congestion' contributing to my misery. I just know something is not right here. 

 

Like you, my wife is expecting (early August) and I so want to experience the smell associated with a newborn (diapers inc). Are you able to smell your sons diapers, and clean shampooed hair now???  

 

 

Thanks for your time and support

 

 

Steve

 

P.S.  Any info you think might help, will be appreciated. 

 

 

 

Thanks ... I am looking forward to it, very much so!

I just hope that this"smell" thing I'm going through, isn't going to "DULL"  things !

 

I'm very happy for you and your recovery...

 

I just have to be patient.... 

 

All the best

 

Steve

 

I usually don't look down here but noticed this thread.  I'm glad your smell is coming back FF, though it must have been pretty scary. 

 

I know someone who permanently damaged her sense of smell with ammonia.  She had a tiny kitchen with no window and it was so greasy she poured straight ammonia on the floor to wash it, and then she lost her smell.  It never came back.  Horrible.

 

Anyway, if you like to eat, don't use ammonia!!!

French Fries (and to those following the thread),

 

Like you, it has taken me around a year to feel  like  things are going to be alright again in the SMELL department!!!  I am so rapped that the smell distortion is finally disipating and I am once again capable of smelling the fragances of more delicate aromas. (However, sometimes I ask myself whether I smelt something 100%  correctly like I had once before the virus) .

 

As I said in my last posts, I was really concerned that my sense of smell  would never come back. I was so knocked around by this condition that I believe I suffered a bout of depression!!!

 

That said, I felt it my duty to update the thread (as you did)  and to give hope to those people experiencing "the bad trip"  that we had  endevoured!

 

Thanks for the support...

 

Steve

Hi there,

 

 

Last week I had this severe cold and I also lost my sense of smell.I called my doctor to enquire abt it, he said it will take 3-6 weeks to get it back.It sounded very depressing to me.Bec I have had cold even before so many times, I had never lost my sense of smell.Then why this time?

 

Oh Gosh, can you please suggest me what did you use to get your sense of smell back.I am feeling very uneasy and scared.

 

Thanks

Ritu

My sense of smell goes every year when the allergies kick in.  I take allergy meds for it but some years are worse than others.  When I'm having a bad smell day I will ask others around me to smell things for me and I trust in what they say.  I had a terrible cold one time when I was at the breakfast place and it left me without a sense of taste for a few weeks and I had to ask the KM or the KS to taste my soup for me and tell me what it neeed... not fun as I cook by taste!

Hi there, didn't back read so I hope I'm not redundant.

 

My mom lost her sense of smell (not her taste) from stress.  Another friend hit her head and lost her sense of smell AND taste.  From my witnessed experience, losing your sense of smell is also neurological.  Can you think of anything that has stressed you out or have you had any life changes?

 

Good luck to you.  

 

Stress? My olfactory sensitivity increases with stress. How's that's for odd?

I know this is an old topic.. But knowing what people are going through and the help
They need made me join just to post my story.

On Feb 14th of 2011 I got a cold, just like any other cold I ever had.. Two days later I still had
It but my wife wanted to take me out for my birthday dinner. I took some dayquil and went out with the wife for sushi.
It was at the restaurant I noticed I had ZERO smell and taste.. Other then textyre, I couldn't tell
The difference between soy sause and water.. I thought it was funny at the time..

Several days later the cold was gone.. smell wasn't back. I could taste salty,bitter,sweet, and sour but
It was less then normal. BTW, my smell before was ridiculously strong.. I could smell anything, even a smoker
In the car infringed of me on the highway... So I got scared and went online..

After reading a lot of articles I decided to see an ENT. I got a CT scan and x ray.. No problems.. so I was put
On oral steroids with no change.. I took a scratch and sniff test and out of 40 I got 1 right.. banana. But the next
Day I couldn't smell that. I freaked.. I tried netti pots.. netti pots with tea tree oil... Gurgling with tea
Tree oils.. Vitamins (B,ZINC,MAGNESIUM,FLAX SEED OIL,A,ETC) ... After 3 months I started getting
Smell distortion and some occasional phantom smells.. The few things I could smell something from
All smelled like an odd chemically mix of ammonia,charcoal,chlorine,and wet moldly clothes.

In June I started with acupunture.. 6 treatments over 2 1/2 weeks.. no help on smell.. but my sleep improved.

Starting end of August I juiced one lemon and 2 limes twice a day mixed with some random storebought
Organic juices.. all while still taking vitamins..

That brings us to today... Last week of SEPT 2011. Over these past few months the smell distortions have
Morphed a few times to random chemically odors.. In July I could smell oregano.. At one point I could
Smell black pepper but that's gone again.. There is a candle in my kitchen that isn't distorted.. But all and all
I think I have 0-5% smell ( without distortion) 25-35% with distortion.

I have had the danger moments of burning things without knowing... I miss my wife's smell.. the house, my dogs,
I bought 2 new cars and didn't get that new car smell. I loved to cook.. Andrew zimmern and Anthony Bourdain
Were my heros.. I loved cologne.. I loved to smell candles when is shop.. and used to personally keep
Fabreeze airfreshners in business.. I couldn't taste my wedding cake.. Lots of foods make me sick to eat because
There odor is chemically wrong.. I rely on textures and temps... And mostly have to force myself to eat.

This isn't for pity, this is to share.. because I know the need to hear even the bad, because I feel alone..
People just don't understand the torture.. I still have hope.. I haven't given up. There is only so many things
I can try because my job forbids almost any drug or you are medically out for x number of days/weeks.
( I'm an air traffic controller ) But in the end.. even with the sadness of missing out on so many things
That even before I can say I NEVER took for granted.. This is the sense I am most glad I lost compared to the others..

Sorry for grammar and type-o's I typed this on my phone.. it needed to be said. I hope this helps someone..

Hi I am new to this forum and really concerned about my loss of smell and taste hoping for some advise...I have a viral cold 3 weeks ago I lost my smell and tatse 2 weeks ago and am now taking penicillon as have a bad chest but my nose isnt blocked and I cannot smell or tatse a thing and I love food and getting really down and upset. Hope to hear from someone :O)

Several years ago I read that traditional Chinese medicine can cure some cases of loss of smell.

 

PS.  I don't get colds or flu anymore but I certainly can recall that sometimes, even after I felt relatively well, I had no smell or taste, either.  It may improve on its own. 

Edited by Wyandotte - 11/23/11 at 12:38pm

I can relate to everyone here I had to take medication for an enlarged  prostate, and the way this medication works is that it somehow increases the size of your capilaries,but not only the in the ones you would like to be increased but everywhere, for me it increased the capilaries in my nose. I could not breath right because of this and the only thing that would help me breath is that over the counter nose spray. I was using a bottle a week and still couldn't really breath. Niether one of the medications working, I stopped taking both and it seamed to affect my sense of smell. Now I can breath but I cant smell anything anymore. It's absolutely driving me crazy.