stevenpiziks (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
stevenpiziks) wrote2022-12-23 05:28 pm
stevenpiziks) wrote2022-12-23 05:28 pm
The Covid Diaries 3: Smell
Wednesday morning, I noticed I'd completely lost my sense of smell. I tested with a bunch of stuff--ranch dressing, hot mustard, sriracha, peanut butter, vinegar. Nothing. It was like smelling empty air. And, of course, I could taste almost nothing. A PB&J sandwich had a slight sweetness to it, but otherwise it was no different from eating a slice of ham or some mac and cheese. I even baked a loaf of bread in the bread maker. Not a thing. Darwin couldn't smell it, either.
I did some research and learned that olfactory loss can go on for anywhere from two weeks to eighteen months, with two to three months being common. Holy crap!
Given all the other medical outrages done to my body, and given that these problems have sent me into anxiety spirals so bad I need therapy and anti-depressants, I thought for sure that I would be completely freaking out over this new loss.
Nope. Nothing. No anxiety, no freaking, no panic. Nothing. How about that?
I didn't =like= the loss, but I seemed to be filing it under, "Annoyances: Small."
Why was this? I gave it a great deal of thought and came to the conclusion that the other problems were caused by other people. They had done things to me that caused me pain, humiliation, and anxiety, either through their own carelessness, callousness, or malice.
Losing my sense of smell to covid, on the other hand, had no human agency. It's a virus. No one DID anything to me. It's just a symptom of illness. So no reason to get upset.
An interesting facet of my own psychology.
Meanwhile, my sister Bethany mentioned to me that a friend of hers tried some exercises when she lost her sense of smell due to covid. Every time the friend ate something, she concentrated on what it was supposed to smell and taste like. She also regularly sniffed various foods and concentrated on how they should smell. The idea was to retrain or reactivate neural pathways.
I thought, what the heck, right? May as well try. I decided to try with ranch dressing, sriracha, and Italian dressing, all pungent and evocative.
Nothing. And it's such a weird sensation! You crack open a bottle and you're used to identifying the contents instantly by smell. Now it was like the containers were empty. I squeezed the bottles to puff air up my nose. Nope, nothing.
Still, I did this at least twice an hour and also every time I ate, thinking about what I was supposed to smell and inhaling hard.
Thursday evening, I grabbed the bottle of ranch and . . . was that a whiff? It was! Madly I puffed the bottle at my nose, inhaling like a coke addict. It was there--a tiny hint of ranch spices. Encouraged, I tried the sriracha and the Italian. Also tiny, tiny bits. Cool!
I kept this up all day Friday, and noticed the scents were getting stronger for me. Then Darwin peeled a tangerine, and I realized I could smell it from a yard away. I peeled one myself, and got good smell results. Yes!
Right now, I think I'm at about 60-70% of full, and it's only been a couple days. If you've lost your sense of smell because of covid, try this method. It might help!
I did some research and learned that olfactory loss can go on for anywhere from two weeks to eighteen months, with two to three months being common. Holy crap!
Given all the other medical outrages done to my body, and given that these problems have sent me into anxiety spirals so bad I need therapy and anti-depressants, I thought for sure that I would be completely freaking out over this new loss.
Nope. Nothing. No anxiety, no freaking, no panic. Nothing. How about that?
I didn't =like= the loss, but I seemed to be filing it under, "Annoyances: Small."
Why was this? I gave it a great deal of thought and came to the conclusion that the other problems were caused by other people. They had done things to me that caused me pain, humiliation, and anxiety, either through their own carelessness, callousness, or malice.
Losing my sense of smell to covid, on the other hand, had no human agency. It's a virus. No one DID anything to me. It's just a symptom of illness. So no reason to get upset.
An interesting facet of my own psychology.
Meanwhile, my sister Bethany mentioned to me that a friend of hers tried some exercises when she lost her sense of smell due to covid. Every time the friend ate something, she concentrated on what it was supposed to smell and taste like. She also regularly sniffed various foods and concentrated on how they should smell. The idea was to retrain or reactivate neural pathways.
I thought, what the heck, right? May as well try. I decided to try with ranch dressing, sriracha, and Italian dressing, all pungent and evocative.
Nothing. And it's such a weird sensation! You crack open a bottle and you're used to identifying the contents instantly by smell. Now it was like the containers were empty. I squeezed the bottles to puff air up my nose. Nope, nothing.
Still, I did this at least twice an hour and also every time I ate, thinking about what I was supposed to smell and inhaling hard.
Thursday evening, I grabbed the bottle of ranch and . . . was that a whiff? It was! Madly I puffed the bottle at my nose, inhaling like a coke addict. It was there--a tiny hint of ranch spices. Encouraged, I tried the sriracha and the Italian. Also tiny, tiny bits. Cool!
I kept this up all day Friday, and noticed the scents were getting stronger for me. Then Darwin peeled a tangerine, and I realized I could smell it from a yard away. I peeled one myself, and got good smell results. Yes!
Right now, I think I'm at about 60-70% of full, and it's only been a couple days. If you've lost your sense of smell because of covid, try this method. It might help!