Posted by johnLA on December 31, 2013, at 12:58:39
In reply to 10 years no taste/smell Please Ideas?, posted by Phillipa on December 31, 2013, at 11:20:02
i got it too jan.
4 ways you lose your sense of smell;
1. congenital
2. head injury
3. virus/sinusitis/polyps/nasal inflammation
4. ageit sucks.
please don't panic about alzheimer's/etc. loss of the sense of smell is more common than you would think. both my therapist (head injury) and primary care (congenital) are anosmic as well.
have you tried a week long steroid run of prednisone ever? i have had 3 nasal surgeries for removal of nasal polyps. i do a 2 week run of low dose prednisone and i actually get a bit of smell back for a few months after surgery.
i just had bronchitis. i got a 20mg shot in the butt of prednisone. i am smelling a bit the past 2 weeks. (that sounds funny. no, i am not smelling my rear. lol) i am actually thinking of going on a super low dose (3mg) of pred for a while and see what happens. it also helps with my depression.
just a thought.
i have researched the heck out of it. in my case it's the polyps. and, there is no cure. they just keep growing back and fast.
i have mentioned to you before; the tongue can still 'taste' 4 things. sweet, sour, bitter and salty.
work on texture. color, and temperature regarding food. it's hard, but i have found some times there is real pleasure in eating something that has a interesting texture. like a red delicious apple. or, a fuji apple. a lite pasta w/olive oil and grilled shrimp. a really good steak.
a once a week savory bacon cheeseburger with really good meat really hits the spot. not fast food, but from a good steakhouse or made at home from top grade meat.
also, think about how you feel AFTER you eat. meaning; when you eat something healthy it 'sits' well in your stomach. you digest it well. i think you need to 'enjoy' food in this way too.
i know how hard it is to not be able to smell. it's a lot like depression. people just don't realize how important it is until it is gone. i think my mild depression started years ago when i lost my sense of smell.
don't dive up. i have an 87 year-old neighbor that lost both taste and smell for about 20 years and she just got it back a few years ago. no lie.
jan you will have to do some work and accepting. try some different foods too. sometimes you'll surprise yourself. it's easy to just give in and eat the same stuff. i do that and it usually leads to sugar which makes me feel like crap after.
there are some support groups online. i know there is one on yahoo. though people just seem to complain there.
finally, go to a really good ent. have a cat scan again. every once in a while look at some of the smell/taste clinics. not that guy in dc though. i hear he is a rip-off and i think you went to him already? there is one down in san diego.
if you have asthma, you can also try aspirin desensitization. this seems to help some with allergies/etc and opening-up the sinuses.
hope this gives you some ideas/hope.
john
poster:johnLA
thread:1057304
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20131209/msgs/1057307.html