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Some coronavirus patients haven't gotten their senses of smell or taste back yet

wsj.com

21–30 of 191 posts

Re: Some coronavirus patients haven't gotten their senses of smell or taste back yet

#21
post #6

Taste is highly related to smell, and smell is related to congestion symptoms that are typical for respiratory diseases. Taste and smell loss happens with cold and flu as well, since they are also respiratory diseases: [1] > The exact mechanism behind post-viral anosmia [smell/taste loss] isn’t yet understood, but it is clear that the various viruses that cause the common cold, including flu, somehow damage and inter…

The article is literally talking about how loss of taste and smell can profoundly affect someone. It's the exact opposite of "fear hysteria." From the article: > Out of 417 patients who suffered mild to moderate forms of Covid-19 in Europe, 88% and 86% reported taste and smell dysfunctions, respectively, according to a study published in April in the European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology. > Most patients said th…

Thank you. As someone suffering with this disease long-term (75 days and counting) it's really nice to see someone unaffected speaking the voice of reason and compassion.

Re: Some coronavirus patients haven't gotten their senses of smell or taste back yet

#22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The world is already being extremely cautious about the coronavirus, and I'm sure it will continue to do so.

Citation needed for the US. The two sides seem to be “workers and grandma need to die for the economy” and “workers and grandma need to die for the economy, in phases, as described by this PowerPoint.”

Let's leave the political jabs out of HN and keep this civil.

Realistically, the US isn't trying to kill their grandmas.

Re: Some coronavirus patients haven't gotten their senses of smell or taste back yet

#23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let's not get carried away with the Covid fear hysteria You know that the olfactory nerve is a cranial nerve, it's actually part of the brain. Anything neurotropic should be cause for extreme caution.

The world is already being extremely cautious about the coronavirus, and I'm sure it will continue to do so.

This statement conflicts sharply with my anecdotal experiences from today. Went to the grocery store, the cashier tells the woman before me that she doesn't believe in the whole thing, its a conspiracy against the people and it needs investigation. I told her that there's more than 300k dead people globaly, you can't deny reality. She asks if I know personally anyone, told her I do, actually know 3 people who were severely seek and one of them died.

From there I went to visit my grandpa, in the hospital, after having a heart attack last week. He is 98. He sees me with the mask, tell me he don't ever follow orders, didn't even follow the Nazis orders. I tell him I wear the mask because I actually believe the situation is dangerous, he looked at me as if I said the weirdest possible thing.

Re: Some coronavirus patients haven't gotten their senses of smell or taste back yet

#24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for that first hand account of what it is like. Good to know.

Fun fact, I was born without a sense of smell. Texture is a huge part of my enjoyment of food -- probably obviously -- and what caused the OP revulsion are things I enjoy, as another first-hand anecdote.

To pile on.

Ben & Jerry's ice cream has large chunks of toppings because Ben Cohen had a reduced ability to smell. He charactized quality heavily towards texture of the ice cream resulting in what Ben & Jerry's is know for today.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Cohen_(businessman)

Re: Some coronavirus patients haven't gotten their senses of smell or taste back yet

#25
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Citation needed for the US. The two sides seem to be “workers and grandma need to die for the economy” and “workers and grandma need to die for the economy, in phases, as described by this PowerPoint.”

Let's leave the political jabs out of HN and keep this civil. Realistically, the US isn't trying to kill their grandmas.

Realistically, a tree is judged by its fruit, not what it blabs on about on national tv.

Re: Some coronavirus patients haven't gotten their senses of smell or taste back yet

#26

I lost my sense of taste a few years ago, from a combination of extreme stress and the flu. Lasted about a week, and it was utterly terrifying. I first noticed it when I tried to eat, iirc scrambled eggs, and couldn't stop gagging on the texture. Once I figured out what was going on, it took a couple days to figure out what I could eat without retching. I ended up being entirely vegetarian - meat without taste is a h…

Curious, my partner is also extremely texture-sensitive and has not been able to stand eating eggs or meat for as long as they can remember, but can definitely sense smell and taste. I wonder if there's some interesting connection there.

Re: Some coronavirus patients haven't gotten their senses of smell or taste back yet

#28
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Citation needed for the US. The two sides seem to be “workers and grandma need to die for the economy” and “workers and grandma need to die for the economy, in phases, as described by this PowerPoint.”

Let's leave the political jabs out of HN and keep this civil. Realistically, the US isn't trying to kill their grandmas.

> Realistically, the US isn't trying to kill their grandmas.

You're delineating intentional acts, and heedless acts with well-known and predictable consequences. That's an important difference in the mind of the actor, but grandma dies either way.

Re: Some coronavirus patients haven't gotten their senses of smell or taste back yet

#29

I lost my sense of taste a few years ago, from a combination of extreme stress and the flu. Lasted about a week, and it was utterly terrifying. I first noticed it when I tried to eat, iirc scrambled eggs, and couldn't stop gagging on the texture. Once I figured out what was going on, it took a couple days to figure out what I could eat without retching. I ended up being entirely vegetarian - meat without taste is a h…

lost the feeling of hunger for a few years due to medication I was on and barely have much sense of taste to begin with. My nose is often stuffed rendering me barely able to taste and smell most foods. This combined with a need for a high calorie intake I cannot say that I felt any qualms with meats but eating as a chore is horrible and a most disgusting feeling, the mechanical movement and disassociation that comes with this numbness is something people will adapt to however, and can be beneficial when making choices on what to eat.

Re: Some coronavirus patients haven't gotten their senses of smell or taste back yet

#30
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fun fact, I was born without a sense of smell. Texture is a huge part of my enjoyment of food -- probably obviously -- and what caused the OP revulsion are things I enjoy, as another first-hand anecdote.

To pile on. Ben & Jerry's ice cream has large chunks of toppings because Ben Cohen had a reduced ability to smell. He charactized quality heavily towards texture of the ice cream resulting in what Ben & Jerry's is know for today. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Cohen_(businessman)

There’s a good story in the Ben & Jerry’s cookbook about how Ben and Jerry argued about which size chunks of Heath bar to use in their ice cream.

They ended up with the perfect mix of little shards and big chunks by freezing a case of Heath bars and throwing it onto the concrete floor from the top of a ladder.

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