# When do you get your taste back?.



## keithmac (30 Oct 2021)

Well I've managed to avoid the lurgy until this week so done quite well I suppose..

Two positive LFT test and took a PCR on Thursday to confirm.

I can't taste or smell anything now, to anyone on here who's had Covid, how long did it take to get your taste back?.

I can deal with the rest but the loss of taste is a real downer!.

Cheers all.


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## Hacienda71 (30 Oct 2021)

Mine took about three weeks. My son was quicker.


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## Seevio (30 Oct 2021)

In the meantime why not take advantage of a bad situation by impressing your friends with your temporary ability to eat ghost chillies.


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## slowmotion (30 Oct 2021)

Keith, I feel your hurt! I have had a fantastic sense of smell all my life. Out on a ride, I can smell gas leaks from fifty yards, dead mice from outside the front door. It's sometimes a curse but mainly a huge blessing. I caught The Plague on about 13th October. My sense of smell went about two days later and it hasn't come back. I sniff the spice and herb jars daily but they might as well be empty. It should return at some stage but I feel guilty for having always taken it for granted.

Good luck.


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## ColinJ (30 Oct 2021)

My niece (in her 20s) had only got about 25% back after a month, though last thing I heard she is still slowly recovering. 

Interesting article in _*NATURE*_.


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## dan_bo (30 Oct 2021)

Seevio said:


> In the meantime why not take advantage of a bad situation by impressing your friends with your temporary ability to eat ghost chillies.


They'll still destroy your ricker tomorrow mind.


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## bonzobanana (31 Oct 2021)

I was in hospital 4 times because of covid, twice with severe breathing problems but never lost my sense of smell or taste but I think the sense of smell may have been slightly reduced. However I did regularly take zinc supplements as well as vitamin D although I think its the zinc that is the important supplement linked to taste/smell. As your body fights covid it rapidly depletes many important vitamins and minerals. So I would imagine taking zinc and eating zinc rich food would help speed up your taste/smell recovery.


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## Cycleops (31 Oct 2021)

Never really suffered from that although I had what might be considered a mild form and lost my appetite which is natural. 
The advice is to take plenty of vitamin C which I did but don’t know if that helps taste.


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## VelvetUnderpants (31 Oct 2021)

I had Covid in May of last year, I too lost my sense of taste and smell. It was between two and three weeks before it came back.


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## Chris S (31 Oct 2021)

I had COVID at the beginning of the year and my sense of taste and smell still isn't back to normal. I can smell and taste some things but not others. I can eat neat Marmite because I can hardly taste salt. Toilet smells are particularly bad because I can now only smell the more obnoxious components.


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## keithmac (31 Oct 2021)

I do enjoy high spice/ heat foods.

Did a test yesterday, minestrone soup in a mug with 2 cap fulls of chilli powder and two cap fulls of chilli seeds. Tasted absolutely nothing and no heat out of the spices.

I was hoping people were going to say a week , you don't realise how much you enjoy tasting food until you can't.

Sunday dinner is going to be interesting, might as well eat some cardboard out if the recycling.

We have air fresher that (to me anyway) absolutely stinks, couldn't even tell it had been sprayed about, same with the toilet cleaner.

Cheers all for the replies, going to be a long month. Migh lose a few kg though so always a silver lining!.

Apart from the taste, smell I'm ok; feel sorry for those that have had it a lot worse than me.


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## PK99 (31 Oct 2021)

I was grotty for 24 hours in March 2020, then ok. After a week sense of smell disappeared overnight, a week later it reappeared equally quickly


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## vickster (31 Oct 2021)

I tested positive a week ago.
I can taste sharp things like fruit and sweet things but not much on the salty spectrum. No sense of smell, good or bad even though my nose is clearer but my sinuses still blocked.
Unfortunately I’ve not lost my appetite and being stuck in is not good for a boredom eater like me!  
I’ve been taking Vit D and vitC/zinc tablets daily for a couple of years so hopefully that’ll help


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## keithmac (31 Oct 2021)

It's put me right off my food really (apart from crunchy nachos), had fish and chips on Friday night didn't even realise they had salt and vinegar on..

I know people who have lost taste for years (not Covid related), never appreciated how bad it would be until now.


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## newts (31 Oct 2021)

I'm 12 weeks post covid, sense of smell & taste are still not great, they fluctuate from day to day. Metallic taste in the mouth is still very prevalent.
Tiredness & rapid heart rate increase are the biggest worry.


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## bonzobanana (1 Nov 2021)

keithmac said:


> It's put me right off my food really (apart from crunchy nachos), had fish and chips on Friday night didn't even realise they had salt and vinegar on..
> 
> I know people who have lost taste for years (not Covid related), never appreciated how bad it would be until now.



It's extremely likely you will get your taste and smell senses back its really just a question of the time frame. Making sure your body has high levels of zinc should speed up the process.


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## Archie_tect (1 Nov 2021)

Mrs A_T lost her sense of smell and taste straightaway - it lasted for about a month. She's OK now.


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## Beebo (1 Nov 2021)

My wife has had 50% taste and smell
Since December. Really sad as she doesn’t enjoy meals anymore.


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## keithmac (2 Nov 2021)

Family had a big roast dinner on Sunday, I had a Turkey sandwich saturated in mustard and couldn't taste a thing!.

Amazing how it takes the heat out of chillies etc I wouldn't have thought that was a taste thing.


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## Dayvo (2 Nov 2021)

dan_bo said:


> They'll still destroy your ricker tomorrow mind.


Never heard that expression before, although not difficult to guess what it is, so naturally googled it.


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## keithmac (2 Nov 2021)

^^ That's quality 😆.


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## derrick (2 Nov 2021)

keithmac said:


> It's put me right off my food really (apart from crunchy nachos), had fish and chips on Friday night didn't even realise they had salt and vinegar on..
> 
> I know people who have lost taste for years (not Covid related), never appreciated how bad it would be until now.


I for one have lost all taste for food, everything taste foul, This is after having throat cancer ,and being treated with radio therapy and chemo, been this way for about 4 months now, no sign of it coming back, basically living on ensures, I would not mind if it was a week, i used to love my food, Doctors reckon could be a few more months yet,


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## dan_bo (2 Nov 2021)

Dayvo said:


> Never heard that expression before, although not difficult to guess what it is, so naturally googled it.
> 
> View attachment 616048


Haha I thought me and me mates made it up in 1992!


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## keithmac (2 Nov 2021)

derrick said:


> I for one have lost all taste for food, everything taste foul, This is after having throat cancer ,and being treated with radio therapy and chemo, been this way for about 4 months now, no sign of it coming back, basically living on ensures, I would not mind if it was a week, i used to love my food, Doctors reckon could be a few more months yet,



Hope it comes back eventually Derrick, can't imagine a month at the moment let alone 4!.


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## Dayvo (2 Nov 2021)

keithmac said:


> Hope it comes back eventually Derrick, can't imagine a month at the moment let alone 4!.


My b-i-l lost his sense of taste 15-20 years ago and it hasn’t come back.


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## keithmac (2 Nov 2021)

Dayvo said:


> My b-i-l lost his sense of taste 15-20 years ago and it hasn’t come back.



How did it happen?.


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## Dayvo (2 Nov 2021)

keithmac said:


> How did it happen?.


Can’t remember. I’ll ask my sister and get back to you.


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## slowmotion (2 Nov 2021)

I smelled cider last night. My first decent smell for over two weeks. I suppose that's fairly lucky.


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## neil_merseyside (2 Nov 2021)

My brother lost his sense of taste and smell dozens of years ago, he had all sort of tests and nothing was ever found, more recently he's been treated for sleep apnea with the gimp mask and he was able to sleep better than he had in 40 years (blaming shift work for problem). Oddly(?) his senses returned, he'd like to try sleeping without gimp mask (not a good look for his proto lady friends) but he is loathe to risk losing his senses again.


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## Dayvo (2 Nov 2021)

keithmac said:


> How did it happen?.


Right: I spoke wih my b-i-l and he said that his loss of taste came after a cold some 17 years ago, but also, interestingly, he lost his sense of smell at the same time, which his doctor claims is more of a contributory factor than ‘just’ losing your sense of taste, in not being able to taste food.
He was told that if he had an operation, there could be a 50% chance that it would get worse and only a small chance of an improvement - so he’s not bothering with that. 
He’s been informed that some kind of Vitamin A ‘spray’ is being researched to see if a deficiency of said vitamin is a factor: that research is still in its infancy but he may consider treatment as and when his doctor contacts him.


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## postman (2 Nov 2021)

When do you get your taste back,why have I suddenly thought of Accy.Only joking.


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## ColinJ (2 Nov 2021)

It must be bad enough not enjoying food any more, but there could be a fatal outcome if there was a gas leak and you couldn't smell the gas!


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## slowmotion (2 Nov 2021)

Smell is also handy for detecting shorting-out/arcing mains electrics. The plastics they use in junction boxes, sockets etc gives off a distinctive whiff.


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## ColinJ (2 Nov 2021)

slowmotion said:


> Smell is also handy for detecting shorting-out/arcing mains electrics. The plastics they use in junction boxes, sockets etc gives off a distinctive whiff.


They do. _DID_! 







My convector heater, before I repaired it!


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## Seevio (2 Nov 2021)

keithmac said:


> Amazing how it takes the heat out of chillies etc I wouldn't have thought that was a taste thing.


I also wouldn't have thought the burning sensation was just a taste thing. While my previous post was just a bit of fun, in all seriousness, why not see how hot you can go while you have the chance? Hopefully you won't get another opportunity like this.


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## classic33 (3 Nov 2021)

No sense of smell for the last forty years. Lousy sense of taste, but I can "taste" some things* long before others can smell them.

*Burning being one.


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## derrick (3 Nov 2021)

Dayvo said:


> My b-i-l lost his sense of taste 15-20 years ago and it hasn’t come back.


Just what i need to hear.


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## Dayvo (3 Nov 2021)

derrick said:


> Just what i need to hear.


His wasn’t Covid-related.


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## keithmac (3 Nov 2021)

Dayvo said:


> His wasn’t Covid-related.



Derrick's wasn't either unfortunately.

I wonder if the cold damaged your BIL's smell receptors beyond repair then?, pretty bad outcome from a cold.

I smell electronic components and wiring at work as well to gauge severity of a fault, never thought of that one!.

Might try a Grim Reaper curry, that was my limit spice wise and oddly enjoyable so will be interesting what it tastes like now.

Chewed a couple of whole dried Chipotle chillies yesterday and nothing at all.


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## Chris S (3 Nov 2021)

vickster said:


> I can taste sharp things like fruit and sweet things but not much on the salty spectrum.


That's the same as me.


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## derrick (3 Nov 2021)

Dayvo said:


> His wasn’t Covid-related.


Neither is mine.


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## Ming the Merciless (3 Nov 2021)

Some lost their taste in the 1970s when beige first appeared


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## youngoldbloke (3 Nov 2021)

Lost my sense of smell and taste around 15 years ago. Diagnosed chronic rhinitis. Happened during the building of a house extension when builders were cutting concrete and stone with cutting discs producing clouds of dust. I spent my working life working with clay and plaster and had become sensitized to them, resulting in dry cracked skin if I even touch them, and I think this is connected. After some years I regained partial sense of taste and smell, but then a year ago moved to newly built house and both senses lost again - fine dust from plaster and building work nearby thought to be responsible. Food can be very boring, and I do worry that I can't smell solvents and petrol .


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## bonzobanana (6 Nov 2021)

Christ I never realised so many people were suffering from a lack of sense of taste and smell. I felt sorry for myself at the height of my worst experience of covid when I was outside in my dressing gown unable to breathe and desperately waiting for the ambulance to arrive to give me oxygen at 2am in the morning but that experience was relatively short although very extreme and due to my body damaging my own lungs fighting covid but I live for food and would really not appreciate losing my sense of taste and smell over the long term. Best wishes to all and a rapid recovery. This image probably best expresses what I felt like at the time.


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## keithmac (11 Nov 2021)

Still nothing, hope it comes back for Christmas Dinner!.

I suppose it's knocked snacking on the head so not a bad thing.


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## Johnno260 (11 Nov 2021)

keithmac said:


> Still nothing, hope it comes back for Christmas Dinner!.
> 
> I suppose it's knocked snacking on the head so not a bad thing.



Same here just 10 days with no smell/taste but it's knocked snacking on the head.

Wife said the other night did I want some mulled wine, I laughed and said may as well give me warm fruit juice so she did! bloody troll! haha


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## keithmac (18 Nov 2021)

Three weeks now and still nowt, getting a bit fed up with it now.


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