Woman left with distorted taste and smell after COVID
Some people who test positive for COVID-19 may end up losing their sense of smell and taste, but for others, it doesn’t stop there.Jennifer D’Emilio lost both of those senses in December 2020 after having what she called a “mild case” of COVID-19. In April 2021, she visited a friend’s house where she ate food that ended up tasting rotten to her.After some research, D’Emilio found out she was experiencing parosmia, which is a distorted sense of smell, along with dysgeusia, which alters taste.”It was really just a flip of a switch that I had no warning I went from complete loss of taste and smell to this distortedness that I didn’t even know was coming about,” D’Emilio said. “I had to figure out what were the things that I was eating that tasted terrible or smelled terrible, and typically it was both.”She found out that she could not eat or smell any foods with garlic powder, onion powder, fresh garlic or fresh onion. Meat, chicken and non-food items like mint toothpaste and her perfumes would make her gag.Dr. Andrew Shorb with Wellspan Health said he does see patients that develop parosmia after a period of anosmia, or loss of smell.”There is a new study out of Europe recently that said about 30 to 60 percent of patients that have had some sort of smell dysfunction with COVID will then develop something like parosmia,” Shorb said. ” We’re seeing that above 90 percent of patients will see recovery in about a month, and that means partial or complete. But the other number is about 35 percent will still have some distortion in taste or smell about three weeks out.”His hope is that of the 35 percent of people who still have parosmia, about 60 to 70 percent can expect to regain their smell.Shorb said there are some treatment options available like topical steroids or olfactory retraining, which allows people to retrain their brain to smell things normally again.”We use essential oils like rose, eucalyptus, and clove, and typically, we get four different odors, and the patient will smell those twice a day over the course of three months,” Shorb said. “It is a long treatment course, and they will smell each scent for about 15 to 20 seconds. The idea is when you’re smelling those smells to try and picture the rose trying to picture the smell that you’re experiencing, to try and retrain the brain to smell those things.”D’Emilio is still suffering from parosmia, but, she said, she has found some safe food options that work for her. She has also found a lot of help through doctors, and she has regained some smells. She said she received a lot of advice and support from Facebook groups and encourages others to join Parosmia groups online.D’Emilio is participating in a clinical trial and treatment with Jefferson Health to improve her smell.For people living in the Susquehanna Valley who are experiencing parosmia, Shorb said people can go to a Wellspan ENT to talk to them about different treatment plans and options.
Some people who test positive for COVID-19 may end up losing their sense of smell and taste, but for others, it doesn’t stop there.
Jennifer D’Emilio lost both of those senses in December 2020 after having what she called a “mild case” of COVID-19. In April 2021, she visited a friend’s house where she ate food that ended up tasting rotten to her.
After some research, D’Emilio found out she was experiencing parosmia, which is a distorted sense of smell, along with dysgeusia, which alters taste.
“It was really just a flip of a switch that I had no warning I went from complete loss of taste and smell to this distortedness that I didn’t even know was coming about,” D’Emilio said. “I had to figure out what were the things that I was eating that tasted terrible or smelled terrible, and typically it was both.”
She found out that she could not eat or smell any foods with garlic powder, onion powder, fresh garlic or fresh onion. Meat, chicken and non-food items like mint toothpaste and her perfumes would make her gag.
Dr. Andrew Shorb with Wellspan Health said he does see patients that develop parosmia after a period of anosmia, or loss of smell.
“There is a new study out of Europe recently that said about 30 to 60 percent of patients that have had some sort of smell dysfunction with COVID will then develop something like parosmia,” Shorb said. ” We’re seeing that above 90 percent of patients will see recovery in about a month, and that means partial or complete. But the other number is about 35 percent will still have some distortion in taste or smell about three weeks out.”
His hope is that of the 35 percent of people who still have parosmia, about 60 to 70 percent can expect to regain their smell.
Shorb said there are some treatment options available like topical steroids or olfactory retraining, which allows people to retrain their brain to smell things normally again.
“We use essential oils like rose, eucalyptus, and clove, and typically, we get four different…
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