It’s been quite a cherry season for me this year. I’ve been eating bags and bags of it (thanks to the sales!) for weeks. Cherries are special for me as they were the first fruit or any kind of food I was able to eat and even enjoy when I was still suffering from severe parosmia two years ago. They were expensive then too, but that didn’t stop me. I remember it was cherries first, then watermelon (even though with some bad after taste), and sushi that I was able to eat in the first 3-6 months following my head injury and loss of smell/taste.

After a little over 2 years, I’ve come a long way. I’d say I have my sense of smell and taste back 80-90% by now. I am not sure if it’s the ALA or just time healing and regenerating the sheared olfactory nerves or both, but I am grateful. It’s more than I was hoping for and a whole lot more than the doctors promised. I hope it gives hope to some of you on the same boat.

As of now, I can eat most foods except for fried foods. Most sweets still have an obvious bad after taste. It’s funny with desserts though, some are more tolerable than others, but who needs them anyway! I am thankful I am able to drink tea and occasional coffee. I am also thrilled that I can enjoy cooking again, with the onions and garlic smelling good and appetizing. There are some greens that still taste quite bitter but they taste bitter to other people I know too.

Oh, Coke still doesn’t taste right. It tastes more like medicine. I can drink Sprite or Mountain Dew ok, but not Coke. I am not a big soda drinker anyway, I rarely drink any, more as a test to check my taste progress. As for the perfumes, I can definitely sense some improvement, but I still don’t use any.

I wish you an enjoyable summer with pleasant smells and tastes.