Long-Covid patients find hope in treatment aiming to restore taste and smell

Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic are trying a procedure to help patients with long-term Covid symptoms, specifically loss of taste and smell, that includes numbing a nerve bundle in the neck. While more studies need to be done, the procedure appears to help restore taste and smell in about 50 percent of patients. NBC News’ Kristen Dahlgren shares more on the research.

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[sweetluvgurl]

It’s amazing the small things people take for granted, and don’t realize how much it means, until it’s gone. I’m happy they’re figuring this out. Losing taste and smell that long has to be awful.

[marianieves]

In 2021 I had all the symptoms of COVID but all the tests would come back negative. I wasn’t even able to walk, couldn’t taste, smell and hardly could talk due to the tightness I had in my chest. Little by little I got better and the last thing I was missing was my sense of smell. Took me almost a year and one day, as I was opening my peach scented shampoo, I was able to smell and I started crying because I had finally fully recovered.

And supposedly I never had COVID!

[martiantornado]

I thought losing my taste/ smell for a month was bad. Eating was a chore and you don't realize how much you miss it until it's gone. Can I imagine 2 years of that? Absolutely not, that had to have been so difficult for her. So happy for this woman

[thatonegirl]

All insurance plans should cover it. Our health care system is a joke!

[Greenpoloboy]

For me its been a week. I really miss enjoying taste and the smells we take for granted. Hope its back soon! Feel for her so much too but so pleased when she could smell/taste again!

[mamamanaged]

So glad to see some long covid suffers getting help through this procedure. Makes me happy to see her be so grateful for things I take for granted and helps me appreciate that I didn't suffer from a loss of taste and smell.

[alicegoldenvalley]

That’s awesome. I would love a breakthrough for us long covid patients who are struggling to breathe with long covid 😢

[juliebradley]

Huge thanks to all the amazing Medical Staff throughout this Covid nightmare and always! 💙

[BrandiWine]

Almost 2 years for me and I still don't have mine back fully. Maybe 10 to 15% tops. Can't even smell if something is burning.

[Jokerjaxs]

Ive got the bad smell and bad taste since November 2021 .Feel worse this week that’s why I’ve looked this up .

[lynxforever]

Since I have had covid I have never got my smell or taste back right.

[Mariii]

Thank God i got my taste and smell back, after a month

[Oly]

I can't smell anything at all from 2 years ago .

I wanna smell again

[dungbeetle]

I need this. I understand her emotion very well. Pretty much exactly the same thing is happening to me I couldn't smell ANYTHING for the first year but since then the smells are very warped. I was sick with covid maybe 2 days. Was not bad at all but it absolutely obliterated my smell and taste. Luckly meat isn't bad but absolutely no sweets or flavored things. I can drink water and for some reason sprite (other lemon/lime drink are horrible). Although sprite has a little weirdness to it but it is for sure the easiest to ignore. Honestly sometimes I just feel like lashing out. Life isn't the same and alot less enjoyable. You walk into a house everyone may say smells nice while I'm sitting there trying to ignore the overwhelming smells that I smell. Deodorant, body wash, colonge is the absolute worst. And everyone you hug smells horrible. Id rather smell people body odor over what ever this smell is any day of the week. It for sure has made me depressed and anxious. If this is life now, I don't know how to cope with that. Losing people is hard enough. Did I really need to lose one of my senses? Will life take an arm next?

in hong kong, we also have lots of patients sufferung from loss of smell, not much we can do for them, very sad

[elchamber]

It’s happening to me too. Not that severe though. Thank God. But the taste of food has been off. Now, I just eat cause I have to. Nothing is that good anymore.

[reno]

Going on 2 years. No matter what I try, it's like eating cardboard. I am so use to it, I cannot remember the last time I could taste or smell anything. I am 74 and not going to spend years trying to fix this, yet do not like the idea of never tasting or smelling ever again. For now, I will continue to work and look for treatments. Good health and full recovery to all!

[marycbus]

I've signed up for this program and had my first appt. Found out about it from this article. Had COVID in January of 2021. Still can't smell & taste nearly every day. Fingers crossed that the shots work.
Hope you all find your own relief from long COVID.

[DayleDodson-rcdh]

I haven’t been able too smell or taste, it will be 3 years in September! I
I will for 3-5 days smell a chemical or when you cut a piece of wood nonstop.
Only thing I taste is the flavor orange, so I try &put the flavor in any liquid!!
When the wood or chemical smell starts I get close to a migraine until it goes away!

[Phoenix-J]

Got covid last November and I still can't smell or taste like I used to. My case isn't as extreme, but it's annoying.