It’s been a little over 5 months since my head injury (3/31/07) and I can say that I am doing better than I used to. That’s not to say I can smell/taste right again but there is some improvement to speak of. The only ‘right’ smell I get at the moment is from roses. Funny eh? I still can’t tell my son’s poopy diapers apart from oatmeal cooking on the stove! Well at least I don’t have the horrible exhaust smell in my nose any more, so that’s a big relief. Of course I still miss a lot of ordinary smells such as the ocean, rain, fresh-cut grass and the list goes on…
My taste is improving too I suppose although it’s hard to say. It could be that I am getting used to the new and weird smells/tastes. I can tolerate strawberries better now but I still can’t eat bananas. Cherries and raspberries have been the best-tasting fruits so far. Watermelon tastes almost normal too. However onions, garlic and cucumbers are another story…
Fried food is the worst tasting and I am not really missing it (except for calamari). Most cooked or hot food taste bad. I eat a lot more sushi now as that seems to be the easiest to tolerate. I haven’t had a burger in months… I still eat pizza even though it doesn’t really taste good. I guess that’s one thing I can’t give up; bread and cheese.
I can enjoy drinking tea again. I could even tolerate some wine recently. Coffee though is still too harsh. It doesn’t smell or taste like coffee at all. It’s a disturbing one.
So overall I want to believe that I am getting better and hoping for more as I approach the 6 month mark when doctors say to expect some recovery. Then again, what do they know?
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September 14, 2007 at 11:24 am
Maggie Mae
I read with great interest about your status. After I hit the back of my head Easter Sunday – and initially lost all smell/taste, I am left with the bad smell/bad taste.
Eating is such a chore. At work I can usually work my way through the day and not think about how hungry I am. At night, my concerned husband attempts to persuade me to eat. Many nights there are lots of tears.
Nobody has any answers. Accupuncture has seem to make the smell, and thus my apetite, worse. I am holding out hope that the more severe the smell is, that this may signal a return to good blood flow and maybe eventually an improvement.
Feel free to email me. Maybe there is strength in numbers!
October 6, 2007 at 1:21 am
oo1602
I lost my sense of smell after a viral infection 3 mo ago. I have experienced practically everything you have described. The frustrating part of trying to learn more about this disability is that many people will discuss the onset of the condition in the beginning but it is difficult to find much info on recovery rates. I have not found anything from some one that has recovered.
I think it’s important to document your progress for as long as possible to help others out; I plan to start doing this while all this is fresh on my mind. I have read the average time for signs of noticable improvement is 12 MONTHS! Some people have been known to experience a spontaneous recovery after 4 YEARS!
Also, I have been taking 400 mg Alpha Lipoic Acid and plan to introduce more Bcomplex and zinc supplements. I’ve always hated the taste of vitamins and despite the fact I don’t have much now, I still hate taking them.
I was not impressed with the ENT I saw. He didn’t perform any smell tests and just ordered an MRI. I have an appointment with him next week, he better show more interest or I’m lookinf for another dr. What experiences have you had with your Drs?
Don’t you hate how most people really don’t understand how scary and depressing this disability is? I honestly think most people don’t believe me at all.
October 10, 2007 at 12:32 am
Dave Williams
I had a head injury 5 months ago.I have lost also sense of smell & taste,Maggie just wondering have you talked to a doctor?If so what was his answer.Would it get better?I am about at the end of my rope.My injury was to the back of my head.Nothing taste or smells good.It seems like my smell changes but only a different un-pleasant smell .Taste seems to follow along with the change also.
October 28, 2007 at 11:09 am
Nick Napier
Hi,
I’m week 10 of my anosmia, total loss. I wish I had the foul smells to indicated some connection. I started B vitamins, will add alpha lipoic acid and will see an ENT next week. I’m afraid all this is too help me deal with the loss. I feel a silly accident has brought about partial death. Others in the world are worse off…
December 6, 2007 at 9:12 pm
Alisha Cooper
Hi,
I had a head injury also,11 weeks ago and have my loss of smell. The only thing I have smelt is vinegar on my hot chips with the steam-I do however mostly have my taste which is great. Also if I spray perfume and smell it quickly-I can feel something going on in my nose-but no actual smell. I do have an indescribable very mild smell in my nose frequently.
My doctor just said my smell might come back and that was it. Other people really dont understand the frustration do they? I have just started taking zinc today so Im hoping this will help-as its driving me crazy!
December 26, 2007 at 2:44 pm
Dave Slomski
My wife had a head injury in June, so it’s been 6 months since she lost her smell and taste. The first couple months were awful, she wouldn’t eat anything, lost lots of weight and was misserable. She started with a terrible smell and taste whenever she ate anything. Her favorite, pasta was out of the question, so was chocolate. About the only thing she could stomach were eggs and lemon poppy seed muffins.
Things slowly have gotten better. She’s not right by any means, but the bad taste is mostly gone. It varries day to day. I don’t know if things taste better or if she tolerates them more, but speghetti and chocolate are edible now.
She too didn’t get any info from her doctors. She was told 6-12 months and she might get some taste back.
I wish the best for you all.
January 21, 2008 at 7:36 pm
Kelly
My head injury to the back of my head included a skull fracure and concussion 5 weeks ago, I have no sense of smell or taste and moderate hearing loss in one ear.
Like many of you I feel very depressed about losing my abiliy to smell the ocean, my favorite perfume etc…Food is my business. I am a nutritional coach and food is/was my passion.
My neurosurgeon said that my sense of smell may return but if not by 12 weeks it mosy likely wouldnt come back. I am working with an accurpuncturist and a cranio-sacrial therapist.
My ENT suggested a large dose of steriods for 14 days to determine if the problem stems from inflamation or the shearing of the nerve. In addition I will have an MRI to view the nerves in the oldfactory area….
February 3, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Bryan
I had a head injury at New Year, I have a really weird burning smell and taste, i can taste some things and not others, salt is ok but spices are not. I assume from this site that things could get better and that it appears common, however the frustration is driving me mad, like most. Is anybody aware that this could be permanent? or as i say is it normal and will get better with time?
February 14, 2008 at 7:40 am
Heather
I had a head injury to the back of my head 2 weeks ago and lost the sense of smell and taste immediately. I had a bruise on the brain (contusion). I had an MRI and CT scan and still can’t taste or smell. I have been looking online for answers and can’t find anything. The neoursurgeon I saw said I may regain the sense of smell and taste all you need is one of the nerves to grow back. I go back and see him in a week. This is really frustrating, I don’t feel like eating it is like eating cardboard, a pain. It is so frustrating not being able to smell anything. Does anyone have an herbal remedies?
March 5, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Brad
I thought i was alone. I figured it has happened before to someone else. I am a healthy 31 year old male and back on the 20th of Dec.2007 i also fell and hit the back of my head. I fell from standing height (6′-1″). Straight backwards, I hit my head before my shoulders even touched the concrete floor. Once I came too, i thought nothing of it, as I have had head injury in the past. But before I cracked my skull. That made me see a doctor right away. Well, this last time I went about my business as usual for the rest of the day at least. I awoke the next day to find out that i could not taste my toothpaste? This loss of smell and taste went on for a week before i decided to see a doctor. I was admitted into ICU the second they got my cat scan read. I hit the back of my head so hard that i created nine bleeds on the FRONT of by brain. I was told by my neurologist that i had severed the receptors that detect smell and aroma. He also said I was lucky to even have woke up the day after my accident. It has been almost two months now and I have experienced about all the same frustrations as the rest of you. I have no idea what to think of all this. People take their senses for granted until they lose them. Well i could go on for hours about this. plain and simple, it is good to know i am not alone. This is gonna become my newest favorite site. Best luck to you all. I’ll keep you updated. Oh, By the way. I was also told it would be six months before i notice any changes if any. I found that acidic foods such as pickles, oranges, tomato products. Seem to taste the best to me. There tolerable any how. I Pray for all of us .
March 10, 2008 at 12:10 am
Anonymous
I had concussion by hiting my head on the ice while skaing. I couldn’t realized when I woke up and just kept ordinary like since a sort of diziness was minimized. Eventually I found myself with smellinf fuction might have been damaged and MRI test is more than 4 month ahead. No definite answer I couldn’t hear yet. I bet I lost smell. Coffee, Bread, Pepper, Oil, all the spices except black pepper, Yogurt and so on are all on my HATE list now. It is very sad and It is much sader on there is no definite cure according all my research so far. Nor only for food, but also all the smell around me are killing me . I like to heal this pain but this will easily turned down some times and pull me down. Only the people who have this experience are only people who can understand this pain from each other. No other can not imagine or even understand. Hey guys cheer up and be strong.
March 24, 2008 at 3:10 am
hinton
hello, I just found your blog, and am amazed and a little relieved that I am not the only one suffering with this condition. I fainted and had a concussion/head injury last december on the back of my head, and I found out a few days later that I had lost my sense of smell (meaning also most of my sense of taste). I just moved to Japan, and have been seeing doctors over here. All of them so far only tell me that there is a very low possibility of recovering, and the only thing I can do is wait. They gave me vitamins and steroids(im not very sure of what kind) that they said would help my nerves recover. It seems like this condition is not studied very deep. I started to smell this odor, which you described very well (I couldn’t find a word to explain this smell), and its been about 2 months since I started smelling this, but it doesn’t seem to get any worse or better. Heat definately makes it worse, and I also recgonize it the most when I first wake up, or when a clogged nostril clears. It is only on my lest side though ( I think I might have smelled the same odor on my right side a few days ago).
I was afraid it might be sinusitus, and that I am releasing a bad odor from my nose (it scares me to ride in a car with, or even to kiss someone! its terrible!). If you know anything about the possibility of this being sinusitus, it would be great if you can tell me about it.
I think my nerve is severely damaged, since I only got a faint(almost none)smell from 1 out of 30 smell tests, and I didn’t even smell anything from an injection test.
I found out last day that there are certain things that I can faintly smell (not enough to tell what it is), one of them was freshly ground sesame, and the other was a jo malone cologne named “orange blosom”. I dont’t smell any other perfumes/colognes,food,gas,dog poo,,, nothing.
I also get the same smell I get 24/7 just from breathing, when I smoke.
I first thought this was the cause.
I think I can live with the loss of smell (although Id do anything to make it come back), but I am afraid of releasing a bad odor from this being sinusitus. I wish there was someone close enough to tell me if it smells or not.
anyways, I totally understand what you are going through, and am happy to find someone I can talk to.
April 16, 2008 at 2:31 pm
matt tippen
I had a head injury too though this one was bit of freak accident that caught me just under the pallete of the mouth under my left nostril.
Im depressed to the say least with the inability to smell .
One thing I noticed that seems strongers is smell of chocolate powder from hot cholocate I like to drink.
I cant think or too many things in powedered form that have the same sort of scent and just wondered if that was anything , any one else here experinced at all ?
August 15, 2008 at 7:23 pm
zach
hi this site is very interesting.i fell from a great height onto a concrete floor.bangd the back of my head+bruised the front lobe of my brain.lost my sence of smell.so i can now only taste things you dont av to smell to taste.which is only salt+sugar in my experiance. also parts of my personality have changed due to my injury.i bangd my head 18 months ago+have hoped for progress like some people here. i went through my mouth tasting like….. (well not very nice)then nothing at all rearly.like people here i stoppd eating as eating as use know becomes the least important thing to do.it has no appeal.so of course its great if you wana diet.i was told myself maybe 6 months maybe 12 but still no progres 4 me.im now starting 2 accept the fact that what i have now or dont have now is the new me.its assuring 2 know im not on my own.as people who dont have these symptoms unfortunately cant fully understand how it feels.i wish you all well.
August 29, 2008 at 6:42 am
Debbie
I am 48 years old, I was found unconsious after a fall, but cannot remember what happened. I had a fracture to the base of my skull which resulted in perminent deafness to one ear and loss of taste and smell. This was 3 years ago, I have been told my taste and smell will not return.
I explained to the consultant that I can taste some things but he said it is impossible due to the nerve which was severed, I only think I can taste and smell. He said my brain was re-educating itself!
I must say that the fresh air smells like bleach and I get a burning smell like charcoal most of the time. I cannot stand chocolate it has a very bad smell and taste almost metallic, The same with vanilla ice cream and anything with toffee in,which i suppose is a good thing. I enjoy anything citrus and like bread and chips unfortunately. Most foods have little taste, like eating cardboard. I can tell if i have no sweetener in my tea so why do they say that I cannot taste!
The injury has also affected my eyesight, I cannot focus like I used to.
I would like to hear from anyone who has the same experience as myself.
November 18, 2008 at 11:06 pm
Donaldo
Almost exactly 4 years to date that my sense of smell returned. Best of all I could smeill roses and carnation once again.
Now 84 years old and I am in my glory
June 14, 2009 at 2:16 pm
Hannah Hawkins
I had a severe concussion 5 days ago and i’m 16. I cannot smell or taste much of anything. I had sour skittles to see if I could taste those because I really don’t like sour stuff and I could taste one of the last ones in the pack. I don’t know what to do right now and it’s very hard only being 16 and not being able to smell or taste anything.