No sense of taste or smell 1 week after cold.

gingin_2

I hope this doesn't constitute medical advice....


I had a bad cold that ended a week ago. I now can't smell anything and can only taste very sweet things. I tried eating some raw red onion earlier and it tasted of nothing but can suck a boiled sweet and taste it okay.

I've had it before but not this long after being ill.

Are there any natural remedies to encourage it back and is it common to experience this?

Thanks

ellay864

I can't comment on how long before you're back to normal, though it's logical to assume that the worse the cold the longer it might take. But I can comment on the fact it makes sense to taste the sweet things. I have no sense of smell, never have had as far as I know (it's not as obvious as something like being blind or deaf). You can taste sweet, sour, bitter and salty, and I also find I'm drawn to sweet things, and put off by anything that's vaguely sour. An apple that is a little bit tart to you will be inedible to me as all I get is the sourness. Anything else that you 'taste' is really down to your smell, so I'm not at all surprised the onion was nothing. I am really fussy eating as I am more governed by texture as there's no taste to many things for me.
What you're going through now is pretty much par for me, but I hope you get better soon. Have you tried steaming yourself to properly clear your sinuses etc? I swear by that when I have a cold that hangs round for a while