Loss of taste
Gradually, last week, I began loosing my sense of taste. By Friday, it was totally gone. I came down with an otherwise not too bad cold at the the same time. It is not COVID (already had that, and it was more severe) and my sense of smell is fine. I feel lousy, but not so bad that I can't work. Sinuses are slightly inflamed but not running or sneezing except for a few times last night... not much congestion. Fever is moderate and not constant. But, I can't taste... and I am Judson Carroll and my quality of life is basically a really good palate! I can barely taste salt, at all... brined green olives basically taste like old, really washed out mild black olives. I could not tell a pickle from a fresh cumber! Sweet is very muted. Sour is totally gone - I can't taste lime juice or vinegar. Bitter is muted but still there. Hot sauce is just hot, bit I can't taste peppers, tomatoes, meat, bread... I smell onions but can't really taste them. Spice, like cinnamon and nutmeg smells the same but has little taste. Peanut butter may as well be flour and water! @torey and everyone else... please give suggestions! The only thing I can really taste is parsley. It has been almost a week since I have tasted food. Coffee is like 50% flavor.
Comments
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PS. No dry mouth - secretions are fine
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Sorry to hear you are under the weather, Judson. Especially the loss of taste. I know how you enjoy your food.
Loss of taste is a fairly common symptom associated with all respiratory infections, not just COVID. It should resolve itself as soon as the infection clears up. I know that's not much comfort in the moment. I recommend all the things you are probably doing. Keep well hydrated. Chicken soup. Saline nasal spray or flush. Gargle with something that has berberine in it or maybe a myrrh gargle.
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@judsoncarroll4 I have nothing to add to @torey's advice.
Just think how great your food will taste once you are well again!
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I have no advice to offer but a prayer you are able to get some relief from this swiftly.😟
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Make sure your vitamin D level is good. Remember cold and flu season is actually low vitamin D season. My husband just had a sinus thing and I gave him extra vitamin C as well as his usual vitamin D3 and some zinc lozenges. He was better in a couple days. Hopefully you will be too.
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Sorry you are not feeling well. I know there is some kind of "crud" going around here in our area of Alaska. Several folks have had loss of taste with it. Some a lingering cough, others lingering sinus issues.
Hope you will have no other issues worse than the temporary loss of taste.
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@judsoncarroll4 I'm so sorry to hear that you are unwell. I will pray for a speedy recovery.
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Thanks, everyone, for the well wishes and advice!
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Hope you are feeling better soon! Zinc might help.
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You know, the cranial nerves are responsible for various senses - Cranial nerve VII for taste.
Have you had dental work recently?
Is your neck muscles tight at the occiput (splenius capitis, for example)?
Scar tissue and a tight muscular system could impede neurological feedback loops that would cause a diminishing of a sense.
This is a link that gives some other areas CN VII affects. Do any of these other things sound familiar?
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Heal fast@judsoncarroll4
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@judsoncarroll4 well, there are always positive aspects. You lost you sense of taste not because of old age and that is already positive 😊. It means you will get it back sooner or later.
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Update... I guess I can say the bass notes are back, but not the highs or midrange. Tonight, I had spaghetti with meat sauce... tons of garlic and onion, oregano, basic, rosemary, crushed red pepper. I put extra salt, garlic powder, extra salt and fresh parsley on the pasta... it was a flavor bomb! I still can't taste much - none of the bright flavors. The parsley and garlic is coming through. Dry red wine tastes like rasins... It is all totally weird. But, at least I am getting enough flavor to feel satisfied now. It seems to just be some symptom of this virus - no pinched nerve, been taking a zinc supplement all last month. I never lost my sense of taste when I had COVID. Sense of smell is just fine... total puzzler for me!
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Glad you are starting to recover!
Keep up with the "tons of garlic" program!
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Can't do without it!
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@judsoncarroll4 I'm so glad to hear that you are moving in the right direction! And that Spaghetti sounds amazing!
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@judsoncarroll4 Glad you're feeling better! You have to take zinc with something to get it in your cells like quercetin or EGCG from green tea. There are other things but those are easy to get.
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Glad your getting some of your taste back. That is a hard thing to have missing.
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That's the first I've heard of losing taste but not smell, at least before COVID. A lot of what we think of as taste is really smell. If you don't believe that, have someone feed you slices of fruit and vegetables with your eyes closed. You may be surprised to find that it isn't as easy as you think to tell foods apart that you think are quite different, like apples and onions!
Judson, good luck to you. Hope you get your full sense of taste back soon.
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I agree that it is very strange. Maybe I've caught a COVID variant but having had it before, it is not making me severely ill. I just feel lousy and have mild congestion and body aches.
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I hope you're feeling great soon. Some people have gotten COVID twice. The Delta variant arrived where I live last month.
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I'm so sorry! That sounds terrible. I don't have any advice but I'm praying for you.
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@judsoncarroll4 I hope you feel better soon! It could have been covid and you just felt bad, but not terrible since you already had a previous ancestor (it has been mutating so it could reinfect you, but not to the same extent. The wonders of the immune system!)
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It might not matter now, but I do want to note that I have two friends who got covid twice (both are in jobs with higher than average exposures possible). Both of them had a much milder case the second time. One lost taste the second time and not the first. So, I know you said not covid, but unless you got tested I don't think you can be sure!
Glad to hear that it sounds like you are on the mend either way!
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@judsoncarroll4 your symptoms match my nieces for Covid expect she lost her sense of smell too, for about 8-10 days. Hopefully you are already on the road to recovery.
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Well, I am hanging in there. I do think now that it is a COVID variant. I haven't had a sense of taste for about two weeks. It isn't a debilitating flu, but it is nasty. I'm using herbs and OTC. I just hope it doesn't drag on much longer.
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Whoah
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@judsoncarroll4 are you feeling any better?
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Not really... still can't taste anything. THanks for asking.
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@judsoncarroll4 I will keep praying!
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