Turns out my nose is the subject of an olfactory recall.
Loss of smell can occur with the common cold and other viral infections of the nose and throat. Anecdotal reports suggest the loss of smell may be one of the first symptoms of COVID-19, at least in some patients. Doctors around the world are reporting that up to 70% of patients who test positive for the coronavirus disease COVID-19 - even those without fever, cough or other typical symptoms of the disease - are experiencing anosmia, a loss of smell, or ageusia, a loss of taste.
I'm here to answer your questions about these latest findings and answer any other questions you may have about anosmia, ageusia, smell or taste.
Just a little bit of information on me:
I'm a professor of the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Director of the Center for Smell and Taste, and Co-Director of UF Health Smells Disorders Program at the University of Florida.
I received a BA in Biology from the University of Virginia (1989) and Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Florida (1997). I completed postdoctoral training in molecular biology at Johns Hopkins University before joining the faculty at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 2000, where I remained until joining UF in 2014.
- Is the loss of your sense of smell and taste an early sign of COVID-19? (The Conversation)
- What you need to know about the possible taste/smell link to COVID-19 (UF News)
- COVID-19 might cause loss of smell. Here's what that could mean. (Live Science)
- UF Center for Smell and Taste - Faculty Profile
I'll be on at 1 pm (ET, 17 UT), ask me anything!
Username: Prof_Steven_Munger
I’ve been having a bunch of weird things happening the past few months and I’m trying to figure it out.
The most extreme one is that I’m getting my sense of smell back. I still can’t smell at all from my left side (i’m thinking maybe due to a previous tbi) but otherwise I’m smelling and tasting things that I completely forgot about.
I’ve also started getting pretty bad acid reflux around when this started and I’ve never had it before.
I thought that this might’ve started when I began taking a vitamin d supplement but I’m not sure. I decided to experiment and not take it for a week and the reflux improved. When I took it again the reflux returned. Has anyone experienced this? My vitamin d shouldn’t really be high because I live in Canada and honestly I barely went outside all summer. I also had a bout of hypertension and thirst and idk if they’re related. My serum calcium was also normal
I wanted to share this statement by the british ENT Association, as it is relevant in the current sceneraio and also because there have been several posts about anosmia on r/AskDocs lately.
It says:
"There is already good evidence from South Korea, China and Italy that significant numbers of patients with proven COVID-19 infection have developed anosmia/hyposmia. In Germany it is reported that more than 2 in 3 confirmed cases have anosmia. In South Korea, where testing has been more widespread, 30% of patients testing positive have had anosmia as their major presenting symptom in otherwise mild cases.
In addition, there have been a rapidly growing number of reports of a significant increase in the number of patients presenting with anosmia in the absence of other symptoms – this has been widely shared on medical discussion boards by surgeons from all regions managing a high incidence of cases."
"There is potential that if any adult with anosmia but no other symptoms was asked to self-isolate for seven days, in addition to the current symptom criteria used to trigger quarantine, we might be able to reduce the number of otherwise asymptomatic individuals who continue to act as vectors, not realising the need to self-isolate. It will also be an important trigger for healthcare personnel to employ full PPE and help to counter the higher rates of infection found amongst ENT surgeons compared to other healthcare workers. "
I didn't get tested, but definitely showed the symptoms of COVID-19. Fever of 101° F, body aches, coughing, sore throat, headaches, loss of appetite, fatigue, loss of smell and taste. I didn't experience any breathing issues. Isolated myself for almost 3 weeks now. Most of the symptoms have cleared up now, just fatigue and still no sense of smell and taste. Taste wise, I can taste things are sweet, salty, sour, bitter, but everything tastes off due to the fact that I can't smell anything. I'm curious, has anyone that lost their sense of smell/taste gotten it back yet?
I mean...have you ever smelled a wet dog. Try that at 10.000 intensity.
Also, my love for morning coffee has dwindled since it smells bad.
I got Covid in early July and had an extremely mild case. I had a slight fever for a couple hours, and midly hindered sense of smell and taste for a few days. Five months later and I’ve just realized that weird smell I have been experiencing every since I recovered around certain things/food/places etc is a residual side effect of Covid. Things have smelled like rotting meat and chemicals - partially my urine and feces. I can’t pinpoint exactly what else is triggering the smells but it’s horrible. Anyone else experiencing parosmia?
I (22f) have a rare genetic disorder called Kallmann syndrome that basically prevents me from producing estrogen and also means that I haven't been able to smell anything from birth. I've also been on HRT since I was 15. Ask away.
What would you think would the best way to address this to someone without being rude if possible?
They say that smell is the sense most closely tied to memory. Every now and then it feels like the wind blows just right and you smell something that brings you back to an earlier part in your life. Does this happen with anyone else?
I’m wondering how much of a role scent plays in the grand scheme of bonds because smell is such a powerful sense. A smell can trigger the most powerful memories and can even make you feel happy or irritated.
Lost Sense of Smell May Be Peculiar Clue to Coronavirus Infection Doctor groups are recommending testing and isolation for people who lose their ability to smell and taste, even if they have no other symptoms. By Roni Caryn Rabin, New York Times, March 22, 2020
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/22/health/coronavirus-symptoms-smell-taste.html
As title asks, I'm wondering if it's generally safe to trust your senses. Example: I have some salmon roe I bought one months ago. From what I can gather, after one week it's "bad", however it smells and tastes fine still (had a couple eggs to test).
Another example: They say beef is no good after two days. But that can't really be true right? I've had beef in the fridge for two weeks and it still smells fine... Never did taste though.
Finally one off topic question: I hear that it's not good to thaw then refreeze meat. This really sucks because I have to buy 1.5lbs of liver, thaw it, and I just can't finish it all after two days so a lot goes to waste. Honestly in general I waste a lot of food due to my fear caused by researching this stuff online. How do I manage bulk buying meat/organs/fat, since it all by default comes frozen and it's impossible to portion it out without thawing it.
Thank you
I can smell where people have been, sanitizers stink an "okay" smell but just have a shower once in a while, guys.
Dust, dry biscuits, sense of direction, like a dogs nose but like way more powerful, can remember years by smell, etc etc. Ask me anything.
Similar to how cannabis increase sense of taste, MDMA increases sense of touch, LSD & Shrooms increasing visuals, etc.
When I was 8 I had a serious head injury that broke my nose and eye socket. Afterward I had absolutely no sense of smell due to brain damage. I recently had a surgery to align my septum and the surgeon notice the area where my smell receptors was caved in, so I had another surgery to open that up. Turns out I didn't lose my sense of smell due to brain damage, the impact and subsequent reconstructive surgeries just closed off the region of my nose with the nerve endings that detect odors!
We’ve all heard about the sweats during withdrawal. I know I sweat anyway. Withdrawal stinks bad. Wondering what exactly this horrible smell is. Gets worse every time I move or my clothes shift. Its definitely me. I smell horrible. Chemical. Sharp. Not sure how else to describe it.
It’s not a regular body odor like it’s just time for my daily shower. No, this is different from bad BO. Harsher. Not musty but I can smell it coming from under my arms. It’s not a booty or crap smell, although it IS in my crap, but I smell it when I pull down my pants. It’s coming from all over. My scalp. My skin. Not a locker room odor. Not a lady smell. Not a man smell. This doesn’t even really smell like a people smell. Gags....
Is this the drugs coming out of my pores? I can smell it about 30 mins after I shower all the way until the next shower. I know I’m sweating but I sweat all the time and don’t catch this stomach turning stench. I hope for real I don’t smell like this all the time since I started taking these pills.
Is this an opiate stink or do you get a heightened sense of smell during withdrawals? Is it just Tramadol?
I only ever take pills. No IV. No plugging. No snorting. No judgement against anyone who does. I’m just trying to see if method of use affects smell. For example if you snort your drugs does your sense of smell come crashing back and you notice body smells more while withdrawing?
Any other drugs have a withdrawal smell?
Sad, shaking and stanky.
So I've been on the carnivore diet for only 7 days now and I'm noticing that my sense of smell has increased substantially. I'm smelling things that I've never noticed before. Is this common? Any idea why this happens?
Does anyone else have weird changes in your sense of smell and other senses during the PMDD window and especially right before your period? I’ve noticed that I frequently complain to my husband that my “smeller is broken,” by which I mean everything is tainted by a weird sort of metallic odor. According to the internet it may be Hyperosmia and could be related to hormonal shifts. I’ve also noticed issues with noise sensitivity and ringing ears. It may be worth noting that I also have EDS and I’m autistic, so I have a predisposition to sensory sensitivities.
Edit: So yeah, that’s a thing!
I lost most of my smell around age 11, and now can only smell things within ~1/2 inch from my nose. AMA
I grew up in a traditional Christian family and was told that boys can smell better than girls so they shouldn’t change the baby’s diaper and they should leave that to the girl. Is this true or is this just something I was told so I’d want a traditional family as well?
This is the link to the video (check at minute 3:11) : https://youtu.be/MOQcSzkKfbs
Anyone else gain this power?
My bathroom smells like piss and I'm going to clean it
I’ve been fasting most of the week and HOO BOY everything stinks
The bus stunk, the doctors office stunk, my apartment stinks.... I even smelled myself and I stunk. Like everything’s making me want to puke because it’s stinky, pls help
The seven feet of dirt between him and the K9 units begs to disagree.
