You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
For those of you who have had it, how bad is the loss of taste and smell?
I've noticed over the last week or so I appear to have lost quite a bit of my sense of taste and almost all my sense of smell. For example, I can tell I'm drinking coffee but most of the aromatic smell and flavour just isn't registering.
I remarked the other day that the stinky cheese my wife bought from the shop didn't smell at all, and she looked at me as if I was mad.
I have felt a bit nasally congested so I wonder if it's a mild cold rather than the dreaded lurgy.
I'm fine in every other respect (no other symptoms at all) and have done two LFTs a few days apart, both of which have come up negative.
Not been able to smell properly since early November when I got it.
M&S dried chilli flakes have been a life saver.
No issues with flow rate through the nostrils though.
Last year I totally lost my taste / smell - as in cooked one of my favourite curries and couldn't taste or smell a thing. If I were blindfolded I wouldn't of been able to discern it from a casserole. It was a really odd experience!
You may have already had it. We were all ill (colds, nasal issues etc) in our house. My son and I tested and were negative because we had mild temps. Then my wife lost her sense of smell. Tested positive via lateral flow, positive via PCR the next day then lateral tests went negative.
test and trace said loss of smell is often one of the last symptoms, especially in double vacc'd people.
SO maybe you had it but missed the window for a positive test??
SO maybe you had it but missed the window for a positive test??
Hmm, possibly - it was a while before I really noticed. Thanks everyone.
Mine comes and goes. Got it in Oct 2020. Took about 3 months and to taste owt again. Then went again and came back. Has gone again. Nose feels blocked at the mo.
Fitness wise I am fine so will take hit on taste. Not ideal but hey ho.
I have a modicum of taste and almost zero smell (I get an occasional ping of eau de toilette). Since April 2020. This includes sitting next to the puppy crate when said puppy decides to explode. Also when I tried to poison the family with fried salmonellosis chicken that stank the house.
Better than the alternative.
got it in march 2020
i was able to eat a tablespoon full of english mustard. no taste at all.
i did not even get the killer nose pain thing.
Any self-test is much less reliable than those done by a medical pro; you may stop when the swabbing becomes a little uncomfortable but a pro won't stop until they've got what they want.
Last aug/sept taste and smell both disappeared and a persistent daily cough arrived.
Tested negative; taste and smell returned after about 5 weeks.
Daily cough still present; GP not really interested - latest suggestion is late onset asthma so...here's an inhaler; unimpressed so changing GP.
I think test was false negative and persistent cough is symptom of long covid; fitness definitely affected.
Save the uninterested GP, my experience has been the same as Frank’s. I have an inhaled corticosteroid which may help slightly with cough. No smell though, perhaps I should try beconase up the nose.
Yeah - you've probably had it IMO. My partner completely lost taste & smell after having it in Dec. It's (very) slowly returning. Her Covid was confirmed by a PCR test. Her teenage boys eventually realised that they probably had it too as they lost their sense of smell for a few days, with no other symptoms, at the same time.
I had the loss of smell right at the arse end of it.
I didnt completely loose sense of smell, but constantly had an alkali smell in my nose so lots were masked. 5 weeks on still kinda there.
Taste was wierd. Couple things changed, like nuts tasted very strange and i definelty lost taste of a lot of foods. Mainly back now.
Last aug/sept taste and smell both disappeared and a persistent daily cough arrived.
Tested negative; taste and smell returned after about 5 weeks.
Daily cough still present; GP not really interested – latest suggestion is late onset asthma so…here’s an inhaler; unimpressed so changing GP.
I think test was false negative and persistent cough is symptom of long covid; fitness definitely affected.
Save the uninterested GP, my experience has been the same as Frank’s. I have an inhaled corticosteroid which may help slightly with cough
Hmm, that's really interesting - I am asthmatic and recently posted a thread about control of my asthma, and I noted that recently a cough had developed to be much worse than usual, but in the absence of anything else just put that down to external factors such as dust etc.
Yeah – you’ve probably had it IMO.
Certainly starting to sound that way!
Would it be worth getting a PCR test and self-isolating until the result is in?
Would it be worth getting a PCR test and self-isolating until the result is in?
Yep, I've thought about it, but my understanding (and happy to be corrected if wrong) is that it only works while you're still in the early stages of infection - given this has been 1 - 2 weeks now would it still be effective?
Loss of smell was back end for me too. Could still taste (although impacted by my inability to smell anything). I first noticed it about 7-10 days after first symptoms and was feeling pretty much ok by then - frying off some onions and garlic and couldn't smell a thing. It's quite weird as you don't notice what's not there initially! Went upstairs and stuck my nose in the jar of vicks - definitely no sense of smell!
Gradually came back over a week or so but still could smell random stuff for about 3 months afterward (dry / burning smell at times when nothing there).
It can be anything from things tasty or smelling a bit odd to complete loss. The important thing is to isolate and get a PCR as soon as it starts. Not wait a week then ask on a mountain bike forum. 🤷🏼♂️
Loss of smell and taste shortly after testing positive. Taste fully back after about 4 weeks, still waiting for smell to fully recover. Not necessarily a bad thing as my daughter and 7 month old grandson are stopping with us so I am completely unaffected when he fills a nappy.
t can be anything from things tasty or smelling a bit odd to complete loss. The important thing is to isolate and get a PCR as soon as it starts. Not wait a week then ask on a mountain bike forum. 🤷🏼♂️
Thanks Drac, so easy to be holier than though from behind a computer, isn't it?
I asked because I didn't think I had a) been exposed (no pings or other notifications from other exposure, and I'm still very careful about where I go etc owing to my health condition) and b) I didn't actually realise that it wasn't a cold/hayfever etc until I noticed after about a week with what I thought was a blocked nose that I couldn't taste a curry.
All the lateral flow tests taken came back negative and there's no other symptoms.
It is yes. I’m just staggered we’ve got this far and people still ask questions like this, well not really as I’ve seen worse.
LFTs aren’t as sensitive as PCR tests, rely heavily on the user doing them correctly and can miss a window. You may not get anymore symptoms, some literally report just a loss of taste. The correct action is still isolate and PCR test, even if it makes holier.
Interestingly, just tried to book a PCR and told I don't qualify as the symptoms started too long ago. Hence my question above.
It suggested I try a LFT instead - which I have been doing.
Interesting indeed as I say you’re supposed to inform them straight away.