31–40 of 191 posts
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…
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…
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…
Usually when it happens I switch from eating solid food to liquid meal replacements and tinned fruit, things I can more or less just pour down my throat.
Interestingly, not exactly COVID-19 related, people that lose their sense of taste return to eating normally, but people that lose a sense of feel in their mouth never seem to fully recover their appetite. I mean, not to say I want to lose my sense of taste, just that losing feel in your mouth seems probably worse.
I no longer really taste much of anything in the front half of my tongue. Still can in the back half, though. I've gotten used to it, although it annoys me when I think about it. I'm lucky I haven't lost it completely, that would be a sad day.
I think you're right, in that as long as I can feel the food, I could eat alright. Probably would eat a bit healthier, though.
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.
I have an issue where I have these crazy, unusual "allergic" reactions (doctors I've gone to actually say it's "hypersensitivity" rather than a normal "allergy"), and one of the weird "symptoms" is that if I'm out and about while reacting to something I ate, my sense of smell gets severely heightened. I'll smell food cooking at restaurants and feel more disgusted than not, even for stuff I'd generally enjoy all the time.
Pretty crazy how human biology works.
And we're still learning. Never forget the unknown unknowns. It's ridiculous to quote some survival statistic and call it a covid-barbecue.
[1] https://www.wsj.com/articles/coronavirus-hijacks-the-body-fr...
So much emphasis is placed on the fatality rate, but there’s a lot of middle ground between asymptomatic and dead.
Anosmia is a common side effect of a variety of illnesses, and in the vast majority of cases, it resolves on its own. But this fact doesn’t make good headlines.
Well, that truly sucks. COVID-19 is going to cause long term problems for this generation. I'm glad I got over it without issue, but I have to wonder what's in store for my future.
Losing your sense of smell, while painful, is nothing compared to what other things can happen to the surviors. 50% of ICU patients have clotting problems. In fact it's so common that all covid patients are now put on anti-clotting medication, immediately, no questions asked. Would you mind losing your leg (getting that clot stuck in lower limbs)? Or getting a stroke (getting that clot in your brain), and losing a si…